INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE
Science Taking Coatings into New Era Rick Perkins
Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Bolton – United Kingdom
rick.perkins@sherwin.com
T
he challenge of developing intumescent coatings to provide fire
chemists continued their painstaking work in search of the formulations
protection for steelwork used in new complex buildings which can dry
that would bring the desired results.
rapidly whilst retaining their durability has long been the holy grail of the
Increasingly, architects and designers have been specifying complex
industry (ref. Opening photo). Now it has arrived.
designs using lots of structural steel, with new demands of the coating.
Experts at Sherwin-Williams have been listening to its customers to
In the civil construction industry, most intumescent coatings typically
understand their frustrations and their needs for the future as the
dry by a process of water or solvent evaporation and when applied at
industry tries to balance demands for quality products with new
a high film thickness can take some time in the process (Fig. 1). More
architectural designs and materials and the sheer speed of construction
recently, a number of intumescent coatings have come to market which
required of developments across major cities in the UK and worldwide.
dry by a chemical reaction process, based on epoxy technology originally
The result of their tireless research and development is FIRETEX FX6002,
developed for use in the petrochemical industry.
an intumescent coating offering high durability in most environments
Supplied in two parts the products consist of an epoxy resin which
without the need for a top coat – with a drying speed as fast as an hour.
is cross-linked with a co-reactant or hardener. Epoxy coatings are
Chemists started working behind the scenes to develop a coating which
formulated based upon the performance requirements for the end
would meet the changing demands of the fast-moving design of today’s
product. When properly catalysed and applied, epoxies produce a hard,
modern complex buildings made of structural steel.
chemical and solvent resistant finish.
Working against the criteria outlined by customers who want wider
Employing a chemical reaction to harden can accelerate the drying
painting windows, faster drying times and increased durability, the
process but epoxy intumescent coatings typically require a higher
© Sherwin-Williams
Opening photo: The challenge of developing intumescent coatings to provide fire protection for steelwork used in new complex buildings which can dry rapidly whilst retaining their durability has long been the holy grail of the industry.