WHAT’S NEW
The Graco reactor E-XP2I allowed to waterproof an Italian concrete bridge with the 6,000 m² of polyurea
Greenkote and Duroc bring new advanced anticorrosion coating capabilities in Europe
A concrete bridge in Italy used for railway needed to be coated
coatings Greenkote has recently announced that it is entering
with more than 6,000 m² polyurea.
into a joint venture with the Belgian coating company Duroc in
The bridge showed damage and general lesions due to exposure
order to expand and strengthen the presence of its corrosion
to the elements for over 50 years with, as a consequence, cracks
protection solutions within the European Union and the
and water seepage in certain areas.
surrounding regions.
The international developer and supplier of anticorrosion
The solutions of Greenkote – that meet and exceed numerous Complete mobility
international corrosion protection standards such as C5 and over
The technical solution carried out first consisted of cleaning
3,000 hours of salt spray testing – are suitable for a wide range of
the external surface with high-pressure water. Then, a primer,
applications in which products are exposed to the weather and
Floor Fix 63 from Italchimica, was applied, followed by 4 mm of
harsh and extreme corrosive environment, from the automotive
Elastorapid VK 260 polyurea. Finally, the surface was coated with
and railway industry to the offshore and construction sector.
an adhesion accelerator for asphalts, on top of which the final
They can then be employed on many types of metal parts, from
layer of asphalt was laid.
threaded fasteners to stamped and cast pieces in sizes from 5
To finalize the job in a short time frame, an integrated Graco
millimetres to 2 meters to provide also longer wear resistance,
Reactor E-XP2I was used. Thanks to the unit’s mobility
better adhesion and more conformal coverage, which makes the
and capability to spray polyurea at the right pressure and
coatings well-suited to complex 3D geometries.
temperature, the job was completed within 14 working days. The
“Greenkote will be an important addition to our lineup of
local Graco distributor, Le SAS, decided to rent this configuration
metal protection capabilities, and it will be a natural fit. Our
as well as to provide an expert technician responsible for the
company focuses specifically on providing surface treatments
operations overall. A total amount of 24.000 kg of polyurea was
for fasteners and small bulk parts, and the thermal diffusion
applied with no technical issues. Luckily, the weather conditions
technology of Greenkote addresses those categories perfectly,”
were good throughout the operations.
has stated Maarten Van Bercklaer, the managing director of Duroc N.V.
A reliable plural-component system
The coatings are applied by leveraging a patented zinc-based dry
The pre-treatment of the external surface of the bridge and
thermal diffusion process that requires no hazardous chemicals
the application of the primer before the polyurea provided the
and produces no toxic byproducts. Furthermore, the absence of
complete waterproofing of the external platform.
acids from the processing eliminates hydrogen embrittlement.
The client found that the Graco Reactor E-XP2I was accurate
In the upcoming months, the companies will install the new
and reliable, easy to use and provided an assured ratio mix. The
equipment of Greenkote in the facility of Duroc in Antwerp, in
mobility of the unit was highly beneficial, as well as the data log
order to locally manufacture advanced thermal diffusion coatings
provided on completion of the job. The expert advice of the on-
and make the products quickly available.
site technician resulted in fast and professional execution of the
“We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Duroc, because
job, highly appreciated.
they are one of Europe’s most experienced and respected providers of metal coating services. Having Greenkote coating
www.graco.com
capabilities installed directly in their Antwerp facility will enable European customers to get our anticorrosion coatings much more quickly and easily. And it will significantly extend Greenkote coverage, adding to the facilities we currently have in the UK and Italy,” has also added Mark Gore, the CEO of Greenkote PLC. www.greenkote.com
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CORROSION PROTECTION | OCTOBER 2023