APV Engineered Coatings’ Lon Bauer, senior coatings engineer, was a special guest speaker at last week’s University of Kynar® program, sponsored by Arkema Inc. and held at Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC.
Bauer presented to a group of 28 architects, engineers, specifiers and contractors, who were chosen to participate in the invitation-only class to learn about the key differences between NeverFade® Façade Restoration Coatings with Kynar Aquatec® (PVDF) and other high-performance coatings in the architectural industry. After the presentation, the guests walked through Atlas’ natural weathering testing site to see a variety of Kynar 500® and Kynar Aquatec® weathering studies that have spanned over 50 years of exposure in the extreme humidity, temperature, and UV conditions of southern Florida.
After 10-15 years of exposure, the panels with Kynar Aquatec® resin show very little color shift (delta E <5), and no signs of chalking from degradation of the PVDF resin. Other coatings in the study with the same pigments, formulated with acrylic, urethane, and even fluoroethylene vinyl ether (FEVE) resins, show much greater degrees of color fade, chalking, and resin degradation color fade in a bright red color, reaching as high as delta E >30 for FEVE and delta E >60 for acrylic urethane.
“It’s important for professionals who specify products for exterior restoration projects to understand a coating’s true service life from a chemical composition standpoint,” said Bauer. “Not all high-performance coatings are created equal and many are formulated with varying loading levels of key polymers that impact their ability to perform in subtropical outdoor environments over an extended length of time. NeverFade® coatings contain high PVDF content that we list on our specification, complex inorganic pigments and proprietary UV additives for the ultimate long-term performance.”
NeverFade® Original Topcoat and NeverFade® Metal Restoration Topcoats are APV’s water-based, low-VOC exterior coatings for a variety of substrates for building façades in the architectural industry. The formulations are engineered with Kynar Aquatec® resin, a tough and industry-proven PVDF resin that resists thermal, chemical and ultraviolet degradation.
Incorporated into the NeverFade® coating technology and coupled with high performance additives and specialty grade inorganic pigments, Kynar Aquatec® resin is highly resistant to color fading, dirt pickup, staining, algae, mold, fungal growth and erosion. Applied with the compatible primer systems offered by APV, the NeverFade® coating system can protect against rust, corrosion, and efflorescence, as well as promote long-term adhesion to the building surface. The topcoats are custom-color matched to each customer’s specification in bold and rich colors and come with a 15-year product-and-labor warranty for color performance.
“We were happy to expand our typical University of Kynar® program to include not just architects, but engineers, specifiers, and contractors, who all work in the same arena,” said Vince Casmirri, marketing manager, Arkema Inc. “It’s a great educational opportunity to show them a ‘cradle-to-cradle’ example of how Kynar 500® and Kynar Aquatec® coating systems transform the industry in real world applications. APV Engineered Coatings is a valued partner, and NeverFade® Facade Restoration Coatings were an exciting topic at this event.”
About Arkema Inc. and the University of Kynar®
Arkema Inc. is a world leader in fluoropolymer science. The company’s training through the University of Kynar® offers the knowledge needed to properly specify superior performance coatings for architectural metal components. Attendees of University of Kynar® sessions, which are held around the country, receive basic education on PVDF coatings, review the latest case studies, and take part in bonus sessions with Arkema research scientists. Continuing education credits are available through the American Institute of Architects. For more information, visit UofKYNAR.com.
About APV Engineered Coatings
Founded in 1878, APV Engineered Coatings custom formulates and manufactures industrial coatings and advanced chemical products in Akron, Ohio. APV is a partner to some of the world’s top-producing manufacturers due to its expertise in chemical and coating composition, the commercialization of advanced materials and large-scale production. The company’s innovative solutions have been integrated into a variety of industries for unique applications, such as aerospace, innovative textiles, and high-end building products. A licensee of Arkema Inc. in the use of Kynar® emulsion technology, APV has been developing and commercializing high-performance Kynar® resin-based coatings for field and factory applications for more than a decade. For more information, call 800-772-3452 or visit www.apvcoatings.com or www.neverfadecoatings.com. Also, follow us on twitter @APVCoatings, LinkedIn at APV Engineered Coatings, Inc., or visit our NeverFade® Facebook page @NeverFadeCoatings.
Kynar®, Kynar 500®, Kynar ADS®, and Kynar Aquatec® are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc.
NeverFade® is a registered trademark of APV Engineered Coatings Inc.