INDUSTRY NEWS
QUALICOAT Meet Online
Members of the Association met online at the end of June to discuss Association business and to review technical issues that face the Industry .
All licensed members are inspected at regular intervals , with powder coat applicators inspected twice each year during unannounced inspections . These are carried out by a third party test house , IFO , who check that the applicator is working to the latest issue of the QUALICOAT standard . During the pandemic , these have been undertaken by virtual means and hopefully will move back to physical inspections later this year . With all inspections and reports completed and satisfactory for 2020 over 50 % of members have now received their first inspection so far this year . A satisfactory inspection pass is required in order for applicator members to retain their QUALICOAT licensed applicator status .
Members were informed that the 35th QUALICOAT World Congress will be held as a virtual event but based in London on the 17th November , 2021 . Members and other country Association across the globe will be present to offer papers and reports on the Association progress .
Under environmental issues , it was disclosed that the Environmental Agency will be inspecting all commercial premises in the future on the basis of containment of harmful chemicals , should a flood or fire occur . This follows several well documented cases of pollution of local waterways and all members are being encouraged to put their plans into place to pre-empt this future requirement .
The yearly training of QUALICOAT applicator members Lab Technicians is due to take place later in the year as it is a requirement of members licence that they attend a course at least every two years to demonstrate that applicator members complete production testing to maintain the high quality expected by the industry .
The discussion of technical issues forms the main body of members meetings , one of the topics discussed was the exposure category ‘ C5 ’ which is mentioned in BS EN 12206 , which references ISO9223 test site classification ‘ C5 ’. The BS EN 12206 ‘ Paints and varnishes . Coating of aluminium and aluminium alloys for architectural purposes . Coatings prepared from coating powder .’ This standard closely follows the QUALICOAT standard , but the question was raised of who checks which outdoor exposure test sites meets the exposure rating ? ‘ Hook of Holland ' and ‘ Genoa ’ are outdoor tests sites that are claimed to be C5 rating , but are they independently checked for their corrosive atmosphere ? Whilst not the responsibility of QUALICOAT to find such locations , it is important for specifiers when these exposure categories are used in specification documents .
Fire resistance of coated aluminium was again raised as a growing issue in the Construction Industry , especially with regard to large insurance companies who seem to be making their own assumptions as to what rating is acceptable for external envelope use . There is a very clear mandate that materials used above 18m ( in England ) should meet either A1 non-combustible or A2-s1 , d0 classification , with the latter being perfectly suitable for high rise developments . Insurance companies are just asking for A1 in an attempt to reduce risk even further , but their suggestion for reduced risk is unfounded . It was agreed that QUALICOAT would complete a paper for open distribution which would clearly define what is agreed , what is appropriate for use in high rise applications and why .
The next QUALICOAT UK & Ireland members meeting is planned to take place as a physical meeting held in Birmingham in October . Please contact the General Secretary , Jan Lukaszewski , via the QUALICOAT UK & Ireland website , should you wish to attend . For details on the availability of various colours and finishes contact any QUALICOAT UK & Ireland member for more information . For updated information about the use and specification of QUALICOAT in the UK and Ireland , please visit the UK & Ireland Association website at www . qualicoatuki . org
24 AUGUST 2021 twitter : @ surfaceworldmag