Nuplex launches a breakthrough technology for the coatings industry

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New, innovative coating technology, Acure, introduced by global, specialist chemical company founded in New Zealand

Nuplex has unveiled the world’s latest technological breakthrough in coatings, Acure, an innovative technology that will significantly benefit manufacturers around the world.

Manufacturers traditionally need to balance the dry time of a coating with the time at which the paint becomes unusable, referred to as its pot life.

Nuplex’s research and development teams around the globe have decoupled this adverse relationship to produce Acure.

Acure harnesses leading-edge chemistry, giving paint and coating formulators the ability to dial in fast dry times with remarkably long pot lives. Acure has the potential to reduce manufacturing times significantly when used in coatings applied in large-scale manufacturing processes.

Nuplex chief executive Emery Severin says Nuplex scientists started working on the technology in 2007, and have developed a system that has potential to be used in almost all the different industrial coatings markets.

“Acure is built on Michael Addition chemistry which, up until now, has been too reactive to be manageable in a coating context,” Mr Severin says.

“Developed to precisely control this reaction, the Acure system delivers very fast dry times, extremely long pot life and cures at low temperatures.

“We’ve already introduced the Acure system to a select group of customers and received very positive feedback. We anticipate the system will be a breakthrough for Nuplex and the manufacturers that use it,” he says.

Acure is being introduced immediately in Europe and America, then in Asia, Australia and New Zealand towards the end of 2015.

The product offers increased comfort for workers applying coatings that use the new technology because it is a low volatile organic compound (VOC), and is isocyanate and tin-free. This is good news for workers and the environment.

In addition to working conditions and environmental benefits, manufacturers that use paints and coatings with Acure will benefit from enhanced efficiency, less wastage in application and greater flexibility when operating at low temperatures.

Acure is currently being trialled in a number of market segments, including agriculture and construction equipment, and protective coating markets.

Nuplex has long been dedicated to creating innovative solutions for the coatings industry.

“Acure is the result of Nuplex’s global investment in research and development. The system was invented in Nuplex’s Innovation Centre in The Netherlands and refined in R&D laboratories in Europe and the United States,” Mr Severin says.

The technology was unveiled at the recent European Coating Show (ECS) and was awarded the “Best Paper Award” for the ECS Congress.

The ECS is the largest of its kind in the world, bringing together industry leaders behind paints and coatings used in markets around the world.

About Nuplex

Nuplex is a leading global manufacturer of resins used in paints, coatings and structural materials. It employs more than 1700 staff globally, currently operates 16 manufacturing sites in 12 countries, and is New Zealand’s oldest listed company.

The company has an integrated sales, manufacturing and R&D network located across Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, and the Americas, and sells its products in more than 80 countries worldwide.

The global coating resins operations supply resins used in a wide variety of paint and coating applications, including:

Decorative and trim paint,

Automotive coatings,

Vehicle refinish,

Wood flooring and furniture coatings,

Metal furniture coatings,

Consumer electronics and white goods coatings,

Marine and protective coatings, and

Coatings for infrastructure and transport.

In Australia and New Zealand, Nuplex is also a leading producer of resins used in composites and pulp and paper products.

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