Begun, the (Cy)clone war has. New powder recovery technique using rotary cyclones from Mitsuba (Based on the information provided by Mitsuba Systems) Mitsuba introduces a completely  new powder recovery technique using rotary cyclones. This is the only system which offers super fast color changes plus 99% powder recovery.   Fast color change is achieved because the powder enters through a stabilizing chamber on top of  the cyclone instead of conventional side entry. Powder enters each clone through rotary wings which provide substantially enhanced  centrifugal force to the powder particle. This boosts the cyclonic action and results in 99% powder recovery. High air velocity also make the cyclone self cleaning and it is now no longer necessary to physically  clean the insides of the cyclone during color change.  Over and above this self cleaning  property, ducts work is completely eliminated and super fast color changes are generated. For further information please contact, Mitsuba Systems, 34-H, Laxmi Industrial Estate, New Link Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. India. Tel : 0091-22-631 8633 / 633 4735 Fax : 0091-22-631 6565 Email : mitsuba@vsnl.com Website : www.powdergun.com

Tata Steel inks pact with TN for titanium dioxide project
(European Coatings Flash - July 15, 2002)
Tata Iron and Steel Co Ltd (Tata Steel) on 27 June signed an MoU with the Tamil Nadu Government to undertake a techno-economic feasibility study for a project to set up an integrated titanium dioxide plant using the mineral sands available in the State's southern districts. If the project comes through, Tata Steel will be investing close to Rs 18000 million in the venture, the first such foray into the South by the company, according to its Managing Director, Mr B. Muthuraman. The project involves separating the rutile and illuminite from the beach sand, and processing and enriching them to produce titanium dioxide. Currently, he said, India imported about 25,000-30,000 tonnes per annum of titanium dioxide, and as the economy grew, its consumption would also go up.
 
The first phase, which involved mining and beneficiation and the manufacture of synthetic rutile, would cost Rs 6000-7000 million. Synthetic rutile was used in the manufacture of electrodes. Two years after the first phase, the company would go in for the next stage, which involved the manufacture of 60,000 tonnes per annum of titanium dioxide, at a cost of Rs 10000 million. 

Asian Paints restructures foreign arms shareholding
(European Coatings Flash - July 22, 2002)

Paints major Asian Paints has restructured the shareholding of its various subsidiaries forming a part of its international operations. The company has transferred all the equity shares held by Asian Paints (India) in the subsidiaries at Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Island, Vanuatu, Australia, and the Sultanate of Oman to a wholly owned subsidiary in Mauritius. While the units in Fiji, Tongo, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Nepal have posted profits, the unit in Nepal has declared a bonus in the ratio of 1:1. However, the Australian subsidiary has continued to post losses in the last fiscal despite there being a sharp reduction compared with the previous year. The company has, however, forecast an optimistic outlook for the current year, compared with the previous year.

The units in Mauritius and Oman completed the first full year of operations in 2001, although the operations were not yet profitable. The plant being set up by the company's subsidiary in Bangladesh is in an advanced stage of construction and is expected to go on stream in the next quarter of the next fiscal.

Indian import duty discussion
(July 2002 e-epoxy.NEWS letter)
The Indian epoxy market is witnessing a tussle between the importers and the domestic manufacturer of epichlorohydrin, the main raw material for epoxy. While the manufacturer of epichlorohydrin, TN Petroproducts, has sought a hike in the import duty from the present 25 to 33 percent, the consumers are seeking a reduction in the import duty. Currently, almost 40 percent of the domestic demand of epoxy is being met through imports. (Source: The Indian Express Online Media Ltd, Copyright 2002)

Powder Coating offers enormous Global opportunities for coating manufacturers, Raw material producers and Application Equipment constructors
(http://www.pra.org.uk/publications/newsofthemonth/nom-current.htm)

The 2001 global thermosetting Powder Coatings market of over 900,000 Tonnes is valued at approximately EUR 3.6 billion (US$ 3.2 billion). Europe leads the way with approximately 43%, Asia 26%, North America with 23% and the rest of the world with 8%. Penetration of powder coatings differs by country and Region from 4% up to 15%. Irfab reports there is still plenty of room for increased penetration of Powder Coatings in the world paints arena. With growth rates that vary by region from 4,5 to 10% and more per year, by the year 2003, the global powder coatings market will reach the one Million Tonnes (2.2 billion lbs) mark. Polyester-epoxy Hybrids dominate the Powder Coatings industry, representing on a global scale approximately 55% of the market, followed by Polyesters, epoxies, polyurethanes and acrylics. Average country or regional prices across the board vary considerably, from highs of approximately EUR 6.40/kg to EUR 2.30/ kg. In certain areas prices are in free fall.


Remmers develop UV Based Window Coating
(http://www.pra.org.uk/publications/newsofthemonth/nom-current.htm)

The German company Remmers Baustofftechnik, in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute in Braunschweig, has developed a water-based, UV-cured coating for wooden windows. The first international test results for this system are now available. (JOT, May 2002, 42 (5), 8)


"Twist & Pour " Easy to Open paint container from Dutch Boy Paint
(http://www.pra.org.uk/publications/newsofthemonth/nom-current.htm)

Dutch Boy Paint has introduced the "Twist & Pour" paint container, an all-plastic gallon can featuring an easy twist-off lid, comfort side handle and convenient neat- pour spout. The new container eliminates the need for screwdrivers, paint keys or other tools frequently used to open paint cans while providing a tight seal when closed to extend the shelf life of any unused paint. The exterior moulded handle allows for a more controlled pour and easier carrying while the pour spout is designed to reduce the spilling and dripping typically associated with traditional paint cans. The "Twist & Pour" paint container is more lightweight and durable than typical paint cans, will not rust or dent over time and takes up less space to store due to the stackability of the new design. Initially available in the "Twist & Pour" paint container will be Dutch Boy's Dirt Fighter; a high quality interior and exterior coating that is tintable in over 900 colours. The new container will be available at paint retailers in the second quarter of 2002. (http://biz.yahoo.com, 10 June 2002)


DuPont Marks July 1802 Founding with Time Capsule, Other Anniversary Events
([Insider News] July 22, 2002 Issue )

DuPont Co. marked its 200th anniversary last week in ceremonies that included the dedication of a time capsule at Wilmington, DE, and the ringing of the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Friday by DuPont's Chairman and CEO and several other employees. The company
traces its origins to July 19, 1802, when French immigrant Eleuthere Irenee du Pont began a small family business in Wilmington that manufactured black powder for guns and blasting.

The 8-cubic-foot time capsule, filled with artifacts, employees' and retirees' creative expressions and a CD-ROM viewer, was dedicated at the site where the company started operations. Presiding at the ceremony at the historic Hagley Museum and Library, DuPont Chairman and CEO Charles O. Holliday Jr., was joined by two former CEOs - Edgar S. Woolard and John A. Krol - and 12 employees from Asia, Europe, South America, and the United States.  The employees were grand prize winners in a company-wide contest celebrating the company's past, present, and future contributions to industry and society.

Other special guests included retiree Joe Labovsky, who worked on Wallace Carothers' team in the discovery of nylon; Bill Ulmer, the longest-serving DuPont employee in Delaware with 58 years' service; fifth-generation employees Fred and Kevin Best and Ray Conner; and
the DuPont Diversity Choir.

Contributing to the time capsule contents, the 12 employees provided unique creative expressions including wood carvings, a tapestry made of DuPont products, a "time machine," poems, and drawings.  They were selected from among 2,000 submissions, all of which have been captured digitally on CD-ROM and microfilm that were placed in the time capsule - along with devices for reading them when the capsule is opened on the company's 300th anniversary in 2102.

The time capsule was placed on a hillside overlooking the Brandywine River near the 1884 Power Plant restored with DuPont's help.

DuPont, the oldest industrial company listed on the Fortune 500, today has 79,000 employees and operations in 70 countries. The company's notable industrial inventions include nylon, Teflon non-stick coating, Stainmaster carpet, Lycra brand elastane, Kevlar fiber, Corian solid surfaces, Tyvek protective materials, and Solae soy protein. The company's businesses include DuPont Performance Coatings, which ranks as the world's biggest automotive-coatings producer and the fourth-largest coatings producer overall, and DuPont Titanium Technologies, the world's biggest producer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments.



Standards
http://www.pra.org.uk/publications/newsofthemonth/nom-current.htm )

The following developments have taken place recently:

BS EN 13284-1: 2002: Stationary source emissions - determination of low range mass concentration of dust. Part 1. Manual gravimetric method

BS EN 13526: 2002: Stationary source emissions - determination of the mass concentration of total gaseous organic carbon in flue gases from solvent using processes - continuous flame ionisation detector method

For further information, please go to: http://www.bsi-global.com

Experience with a given powder will help to determine what the ratio should be. A sensible starting point is 50/50. If the deposition is good then 50/50 is a good ratio of virgin to reclaim. If the deposition is worse than the virgin material it may be necessary to reduce the volume of reclaim in the blend. Film characteristics, such as thickness and smoothness, are also affected by the grind size. In general, an overall coarser blend will build a thicker film and a finer grind will provide a thinner film. Film smoothness is partly dependent on an even distribution of various sized powder particles. Larger particles take longer to melt and they may not completely level out during the cure cycle. If a grind is too coarse it may cause excessive texture called orange peel. An excess of fines will cause the film to reach the self limiting point faster and start back ionization, resulting in "electrostatic orange peel."

Particle Size Measurement

Because of the impact that particle size has on the coating process it is important to be able to accurately measure the grind size for specification of a material and for adjustments to the coating operation.




Many coaters do not have this capability and must rely on the coating supplier to perform the test for them. Understanding the measuring process and the how the data is organized and analyzed can help a coater develop process control measures.

The grinding operation in powder manufacturing produces particles of varying size and shape. This collection of particles is called the particle size distribution. A sample of the virgin material is used to determine the particle size distribution as received. Collection of the sample should consider the natural separation that can take place in the container. Coarser particles tend to migrate to the top while the finer particles settle at the bottom. In order for the sample to be a true representation of the bulk material it should be taken from a level somewhere in the center of the container. The scoop that is used for the sample should be metal rather than plastic to help avoid frictional charging and the relative humidity should be between 40 to 60%. These measures will help provide a truly representative sample.

In order to compare the reclaimed powder to the virgin material or a mix of the two to the virgin material, a sample is compared to the original bulk powder as received. The results are used to construct a graph, a table or a statistical summary for comparison. There are several methods by which particle size distribution can be measured. Different methods measure different attributes so it is difficult to compare results from two different methods. Optical methods that are used may not always be completely accurate but they are useful for comparing relative particle size differences.

Summary

It is important to understand the influence of powder particle size on the application of the coating. The particle size from the manufacturer will be altered by the application process and these changes must be managed to provide consistent results. Effective communication of particle size data can help define the best powder and provide information for process control.