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PPG Supported the “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of Science and Technology in the Construction of a new Chemistry Laboratory

Ilaria Paolomelo ipcm®

© ipcm The “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan (Italy) has recently renewed its space dedicated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education by creating a new chemistry laboratory: iLab Chimica. Created thanks to the support of coating, paint, and special material manufacturer PPG, the new laboratory is an innovative and interactive area mainly conceived for new generations and aimed at bringing people and, in particular, primary and secondary school students closer to scientific disciplines and chemical phenomena. Such important result has been the fruit of the synergy between the museum’s educational expertise and PPG’s technical and scientific know-how – for years, this company has been helping bring colour and brightness to communities in line with its purpose, “We protect and beautify the world”. During the creation of this laboratory, the paint manufacturer’s experts and researchers selected the most innovative and sustainable products and recommended the most suitable and high-performance technologies with the aim of giving the community a new symbol of beauty and culture, a project to be experienced, seen, and experiences. Inauguration of the new laboratory The inauguration of iLab Chimica, which took place on 7th October 2021 at the “Leonardo da Vinci” Museum, saw the participation

of numerous speakers who explained the reasons behind the development of a new laboratory. Creativity and innovation were the common keywords among their speeches. Indeed, the creativity of chemistry is expressed in the possibility of combining existing elements – chemical elements, molecules – with connections, links, and reactions and generating original associations that create new products and knowledge. On the other hand, innovation is provided by an innovatively designed space, an unconventional educational approach, and unusual instrumentation including thermal imaging cameras, microphones, and sensors that make chemistry perceptible through different senses. “The new laboratory aims at introducing chemistry through educational experiences designed to bring out the creativity that lies in the synthesis or transformation of elements. This is made possible by a space designed to encourage group work and the direct use of tools making this subject perceptible through the five senses, also thanks to an approach that favours open and experimental learning. Our goal is to create a context in which each person can directly experience chemistry, explore and discover it, ask questions, and fall in love with this complex and invisible but unexpectedly beautiful world that is woven into all aspects of our lives,” stated Maria Xanthoudaki, the Museum’s Education Director. “We are very proud to be an active part of this STEM project with our expertise and innovations, alongside an important scientific and educational organisation such as the “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of Science and Technology. We believe that science and chemistry are closely linked to our mission, which is to protect and make the world more beautiful, with colour as an essential element. This has guided us and will continue to guide us in future: at PPG, we have been committed for years to using it in all its forms, making it the protagonist of our business and of a path to spreading knowledge of its beauty. In particular, with this new iLab Chimica project, we wanted to show how the intertwining of innovation, colour, and sustainability can give rise to valuable initiatives. We hope that this educational resource we are inaugurating will bring children closer to the discovery of science, intrigue adults, and surprise enthusiasts,” commented Andrea Giunta, PPG’s Vice President Science & Technology, Color, Corporate.

The new iLab Chimica

The laboratory extends longitudinally, looking out onto the garden of one of the two cloisters of the former Olivetan monastery, and is characterised by a succession of strips in different materials and with different shapes, colours, and surface finishes, which give rise to a dynamic, creative, and innovatively designed space.

This is completed as follows: • two large projections welcoming visitors with artistic images from the international Beautiful Chemistry project; • large closets containing tools useful for teaching activities; • tables that can be rotated and stacked to flexibly adapt the space to the activities to be carried out; • light boxes in the centre of the tables that change colour as required, helping to observe any surprising reaction and setting the ideal stage for the many recording instruments connected to the monitors; • three showcases containing familiar or unfamiliar, historical or contemporary objects, engaging visitors with informal questions that trigger reactions of curiosity and a desire to play and marvel at the countless possibilities that chemistry offers.

The laboratory has been open to the public at the Museum since 9 October 2021.

© Galimberti Scan the code to watch the presentation of the new laboratory

Axalta Opens its first Colour Experience Room in Italy

Barbara Pennati ipcm®

Customers, architects, and stakeholders can visit and admire in person the colours and finishes of Axalta’s new Colour Experience Room, inaugurated in October at the group’s Italian offices in Cavenago, just outside Milan.

The choice of colours and finishes is a fundamental step in the creation of any product. This is even truer for architectural structures, which do not only have to fulfil specific functions and comply with safety standards, but are also increasingly seen as a valuable aesthetic and stylistic element of urban skylines. In order to guide its customers, but also architects and designers, in the choice of effects and tints for their architectural projects, Axalta has created a Colour Experience Room at its offices in Cavenago di Brianza (Monza e Brianza, Italy). This contemporary and bright area of 80 m2 has been designed to welcome all those interested and allow them to get a closer look at the range of colours and finishes offered by Axalta. “This Colour Experience Room in Milan is the first in Italy and the sixth in Europe,” explains Cristian Palmieri, the Sales Manager Italy of Axalta,

during the opening walk-in of the exhibition space. “It is deliberately all white to highlight the 1200 colour variants displayed in a chromatic sequence, which also include several special effects such as wrinkled, metallic, or bonderised. Customers, designers, and architects visiting this space have the opportunity to assess our range up close, pick up the sheets they are interested in, and create their own personal colour palette. “The decision to open a Colour Experience Room in Italy was driven by the desire to offer a high added value service to both our customers and our customers’ customers, that is, architects and designers. In particular, Milan alone has the largest professional association of architects in Italy, with over 12,000 people.” “The language of architecture is different from the industrial one: it has its own specificity and an emotional component, intrinsic in colour, which must be taken into account. This calls for someone who ‘speaks the same language’ and has the same skills as our visitors. That is why, in each country where there is a Colour Experience Room, Axalta works with different architects in order to both create and manage the exhibition space and its guests. In Italy, we have welcomed to our team Ana Cecilia Montel, an architect and a Colour Specialist and Specification Leader at Axalta, who supports all visitors in the selection of tints and finishes. In the competitive market of architectural paints, this project, together with the possibility of benefiting from specific know-how in the field of design and architecture, has enabled us to diversify and gain a competitive edge by focussing on design and finishing,” states Palmieri. “Sustainability also plays an important role, from the choice of raw materials to the manufacturing processes and the chemical nature of our products, be they powder or liquid coatings, which we try to make as environmentally friendly as possible. Since last year, we have been a member of the Green Building Council, a non-profit association active in more than seventy countries around the world for the sustainable construction market, which promotes certification protocols whose parameters establish precise criteria for the design and construction of healthy, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly buildings.” Customers, architects, and designers are also guided in their choice of tints and finishes by Vibes, a magazine published by Axalta every year to collect all main colour trends identified by analysing different sectors of our daily life, from fashion to automotive. Finally, the Colour Experience Room is not the only way through which customers and designers can approach Axalta’s paint range. The company has installed around 200 ColourSelectors in Europe, including 23 in Italy. “These are walls set up with sheets coated in our 490 most popular colours, belonging to the Alesta® AE, Architectural Polyester, and Alesta® SD (Super Durable quality) collections. Wherever they are, our customers have the opportunity to see these tints in person, feel the texture of different finishes, and, by scanning the specific QR code, send their order directly to Axalta,” explains Palmieri. “The opening of the Colour Experience Room at Axalta’s Italian offices was well received by local customers and architects. It is the result of an internal restructuring work carried out by Axalta to manage this venture and offer an additional service to the Italian market, which is very important for us. We are delighted that this exhibition space has finally been realised and that we can once again welcome our customers in person. For the future, we have other projects aimed at the world of architecture, on which we are already working,” concludes Cristian Palmieri.

Dürr Hosted Its First Virtual Open-House Focused on Intelligent Flexibility

Gabriele Lazzari ipcm®

Dürr’s 12th open-house, focused on intelligent flexibility, presented smart solutions for the paint shop of the future, that will improve efficiency and profitability while reducing costs and environmental impact.

For the first time, Dürr held its open-house virtually. From 8th to 12th November 2021, the company presented its new products to increase efficiency and profitability in manufacturing while reducing resources for large volume manufacturers and small electric car start-ups. The 12th open-house included presentations, interviews and technical demonstrations focused on solutions that would replace the previous line concept with a future-oriented configuration based around flexible, intelligently connected process modules which can be scaled to meet customers’ requirements.

© Dürr

EcoProFleet AGV at Dürr’s test centre in Bietigheim-Bissingen (Germany).

“What manufacturers need most these days from the painting process is flexibility, cost efficiency, and sustainability. We answer this need with our concept of the paint shop of the future, which overcomes the limitations of the inflexible production line. Instead, the 120 or so individual operations are executed in scalable modules or small sections, in parallel and timed precisely to the needs of the individual body,” stated the CEO of Dürr, Jochen Weyrauch. “This makes it easy to extend capacities and channel different vehicle types through the painting process. Ideally, even individual items can be handled while production is underway.”

The paint shop of the future: flexibility and artificial intelligence

Single stations can be custom equipped using the automated guided vehicle EcoProFleet, the first AGV specifically developed for paint shops. In combination with a high-bay storage, it lays the foundation for intelligent material flow control along the whole process. The DXQcontrol software controls each AGV, so all modules are always efficiently used directly from the pre-treatment phase. The new modular system design of EcoProWet PT, on the other hand, is based on standardized chambers instead of immersion tanks arranged one after another, in order to allow more flexibility and save space. Dürr has further automated the seam sealing phase with the new EcoSealJet Pro automatic applicator and the DXQ software powered by artificial intelligence. The box configuration for the painting process in the EcoProBooth combines the application of the primer and basecoat layers in one single spray booth, eliminating two of the three usual conveying operations. Moreover, it is also suitable as a standard spray booth with the same robot equipment for both basecoat and clearcoat.

© Dürr

The automatic applicator EcoSealJet Pro allows to paint hard-to-reach surfaces.

© Dürr

EcoPaintJet Pro can paint vertical surfaces without masking and avoiding overspray.

© Dürr

EcoProBooth allows to apply for several coating layers in a single painting booth.

The overspray-free EcoPaintJet Pro painting system is now able to automatically apply two-component paints (2C), besides two-tone lines for car roofs, colour changes, vertical surfaces and decorative paint applications. In addition to this, the atomizer generation EcoBell4 can deliver shorter colour change times and automated atomizer cleaning, therefore allowing to paint more units at the same time. Low paint and solvent consumption help to make production more sustainable by reducing VOC emissions. The software belonging to Dürr’s DXQ series ensure that the processes interact smoothly in the modular concept, transforming the boxbased painting system into a smart factory. DXQplant.analytics uses AI algorithms and machine learning modules to collect and analyse sensor data, messages, and information, helping to identify correlations and avoid errors. A feedback feature constantly provides the algorithm with additional information, so predictions about the need for maintenance can become more and more precise. “The many participants from all over the world, well in excess of 1,000, and all of the enthusiastic feedback are indicators of the great interest generated by the first virtual open house. Our concept for the paint shop of the future is a complete success. It delivers exactly what manufacturers need,” concluded Weyrauch.

For further information: www.durr.com

Neuce Powder Coatings’ XIII Technical Day: “Technical Evolution and State-of-the-Art of Powders”

On 18 November, Neuce Powder Coatings celebrated its XIII Technical Day entitled “Technical Evolution and State-ofthe-Art of Powders” at the Hotel Rafael Atocha in Madrid (Spain). This technical event, which Titan Powder Coating (now Neuce Powder Coatings) has been celebrating for several years now with great success in terms of both participation and content, is aimed at illustrating the latest research studies, experiences, ideas, and projects on the subject of powder coatings. The meeting was well attended by customers, suppliers, engineering companies, application equipment manufacturers, and firms specialising in surface treatments – which, together with coatings, are decisive in obtaining sound industrial finishing systems that meet all kinds of technical requirements. The day’s programme addressed some common application problems faced in powder finishing. One example is the delicate issue of thicknesses applied on the edges/corners of many aluminium profiles, which tend to be problematic when it comes to guaranteeing the durability of the coating, as happens with bent sheet metal. All these issues have been incorporated in a framework of constant technical evolution over the last forty years, both in the application and pre-treatment fields, which has enabled powders to successfully overcome major changes, also discussed during the conference.

Speeches of the day

• Electron microscopy as a tool for characterising powder coatings Daniel Arias (Technology Development and Control) • Thicknesses on edges / edges in profiles / aluminium sheets. Comparison of painted profiles in Europe (powder) and the USA (liquid). Metallographic study. Guarantee - Patricia Saez-Torres • Structured coatings. How to maintain consistency and gloss in all applications. Adhesion on anodised, galvanised, and polyamide surfaces José Arrieta Segura • Technical coordinates of the last forty years in powder coating development - José Manuel Azpeitia

A round table discussion was held after the speeches, presenting the experience of three top companies and enabling all those present to actively interact with the speakers and stimulate an interesting debate. This saw the participation of as follows: Iván Ortiz from POWER ELECTRONICS, a leading designer and producer of inverters for the photovoltaic industry and for electrical stations; Roberto Mínguez from ALUCOIL, a manufacturer of panels for the industry and the construction sector; Diogo Barreto from LACOVIANA, the leading independent aluminium coating contractor on the Iberian Peninsula. At the end of the day, the highest representatives of AEA (the Spanish aluminium and surface treatments association) presented a commemorative plaque to José Manuel Azpeitia in recognition of his contribution to the powder coating sector.

For further information: www.neuce.com

© ipcm © ipcm

A demonstration of the Production Process 4.0 during the UCIF Members’ Meeting

Gabriele Lazzari ipcm®

The latest Ordinary General Meeting of the Members of UCIF (the Italian Surface Treatment Equipment Manufacturers’ Association) allowed participants to discuss a few major issues relating to industrial finishing and witness a demonstration of the production process 4.0, from design to the end of the product’s life cycle.

MADE, the Industry 4.0-related competence centre created within the Politecnico di Milano’s Bovisa campus, hosted the 2021 Ordinary General Assembly of the Members of UCIF (the Italian Surface Treatment Equipment Manufacturers’ Association) on Wednesday 17 November. MADE is a digital and sustainable factory that supports manufacturing companies in their digital transformation towards Industry 4.0. It provides a wealth of knowledge, methods, and tools on digital technologies ranging from design to engineering, from production management to delivery and end-of-life management. With its large, 2,500 m2-wide demo centre, training rooms, and coworking and meeting spaces, it is a truly unique solution. The special growth path towards digital transformation it has developed is based on three phases: displaying and providing information about Industry 4.0-oriented technologies, explaining them through ad hoc training activities, and transferring and implementing technological solutions through specific projects. It was a very good stage for the latest UCIF Annual Meeting, which focussed on important topics such as process sustainability, digitalisation, and the transition towards a more efficient, respectful, and ethical industry. The Assembly, which was not an elective one, began with a welcome speech delivered by UCIF President, Daryush Arabnia, who recalled the operational difficulties encountered over the last two years due to the pandemic crisis: the lack of planning, the fluctuation of raw material prices, and the demand for just-in-time processing only are offering partial and short-term future readiness to all companies in the surface technology sector – which on the other hand are showing great resilience, despite everything. Arabnia then presented UCIF’s new image, which has brought with it a more precise definition of the association’s mission and vision as well as of the benefits offered to Members, summarised in a new presentation that will be used to expand the membership base in the coming years. Finally, the President presented the S.M.A.R.T.2 conference, which will be held on 18 May 2022 at Fondazione Cariplo’s offices in Milan. The main theme of this second edition of the UCIF conference will be “Technological Innovation and Sustainability for a New Start”. After the success of the first edition of S.M.A.R.T. (the acronym of Surface, Manufacturing, Advanced, Research, Trends) in 2019, the UCIF association aims at gathering the players of the surface technology sector (producers and users of surface technologies) to talk about how this industry can contribute to production process improvement and sustainability. This was followed by the traditional analysis of the final balance sheet for 2020 and of the budget for 2021 and 2022, presented by treasurer Claudio Minelli. The Assembly ended with the observations and proposals of some Members and of the specialized magazines (including ipcm®) that are Associate Members. After a convivial lunch organised at the same premises in order to keep on discussing and networking, a few qualified experts of MADE CC I4.0 presented the mission and services of the large demo centre that was hosting the Assembly. The event also included a demonstration of the manufacturing process 4.0, from design to the end-of-life of a product. The tour involved 6 technology areas with 20 demonstrators: digital backbone, artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud, 5G, collaborative robotics, smart operator assistance systems, digital twin, virtual commissioning, lean production 4.0, quality 4.0, product traceability, additive manufacturing, big data analytics, IoT smart connected products, smart monitoring and control of industrial processes, smart energy monitoring and control, smart maintenance, virtual design and new product development, and logistics 4.0.

For further information: www.ucif.net

ESTAL 2021 Virtual Congress “Taking aluminium to new Horizons” Explored Important Developments for Powder Coating and Anodizing

The first virtual Congress hosted by ESTAL offered the opportunity to gain up-to-date information on the developments regarding the market of aluminium surface finishing during three sessions focused on powder coating and anodising industry.

The virtual congress “Taking aluminium to new Horizons” that took place on 6th and 7th October was organised around 3 half-day sessions and the digital platform offered participants the possibility to network and to contact industry suppliers via the virtual exhibition. It attracted over 430 registered participants from 44 different countries The first session was dedicated to powder coatings and started with update on the colour and finishes trends for the architectural powder coating market, followed by a lecture on powder coatings with added properties such as anti-microbial efficacy. After that, it included a scientific presentation on how to quantify global and local corrosion process in some aluminium alloys. The Anodizing Session began with a presentation explaining how issues emerging during the pre-treatment of high-alloyed and secondary aluminium could be resolved by principles of chemical machining. In the late afternoon the session ended with a fascinating presentation on the anodizing basics for aluminium surfaces that showcased the nature and mechanism for anodic aluminium oxide development and growth. The second day of ESTAL virtual congress was dedicated to topics of interest for both the anodising and the coating industry, such as how political actions and worldwide trade interventions impacted the aluminium market and investigations on the effects of increased recycled contents in aluminium alloys and on the corrosion susceptibility of coated profiles. President Ivo Vermeeren announced satisfaction for the attendance and with the lively Questions & Answers sessions that followed the presentations. He addressed his warmest thanks to the sponsors and exhibitors for their financial support, to the speakers and organisers. The 2021 virtual Congress offered an excellent opportunity to be informed about the developments on the market of aluminium surface finishing. He invited the participants to attend the next ESTAL Congress that should take place in Budapest in 2022 or 2023. For registered congress participants, the congress platform gives access to all presentations on demand as well as the possibility to contact the exhibiting companies until the end of November 2021.

For further information: https://estalcongress2021.org/

President Ivo Vermeeren opening the virtual congress.

© ESTAL

More Than 70 Companies Have Already Announced the Participation at Interlakokraska 2022

The organisers of Interlakokraska 2022 have opened the registrations for the next international trade fair dedicated to paints, coatings, raw materials and production technologies that will take place in Moscow from 1-4 March 2022. Over 150 companies from 15 countries are expected to participate.

© Interlakokraska © Interlakokraska

The organisers of the 2022 edition of Interlakokraska have announced that the registrations for the international trade fairs dedicated to paints, coatings, raw materials and production technologies are now open. The exhibition is planned to take place at the EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds (Krasnopresnenskaya nab., 14) in Moscow from the 1st to the 4th of March 2022. Traditionally, during the first week of March the EXPOCENTRE Fairgrounds becomes a meeting place for manufacturers and suppliers of machinery, equipment and advanced technologies for the paint and coatings industry and consumers of finished products and services. 85 companies from Russia, Germany, China, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, the Republic of Belarus, Turkey and Ukraine participated in the exhibition in 2021. Moreover, several foreign companies were represented by their Russian partners. The feedback from past participants and visitors proves quality of the event, especially during these challenging times for the industry. Visitors and exhibitors gained the most out of their participation: productive negotiations, concluded contracts and new business partners. The next edition is expected to allow even more business opportunities and the circulation of knowledge. Over 70 companies have already booked a stand. The 2022 edition of Interlakokraska trade fair is expected to include: • More than 150 companies from 15 countries; • Over 10,000 m2 of fair ground; • Around 6,000 professional visitors. Interlakokraska offers several participation formats. The trade fair can be reached with the underground, at Vystavochnaya and Delovoy Tsentr metro stations. The opening hours are set to be from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Interlakokraska is held with support of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Chimvest Scientific and Technical Centre, the Russian Chemists Union, NIITEKHIM OAO, the Mendeleev Russian Chemical Society, the Centrlack Association, the Paint Quality Association, and under auspices of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

For further information: www.interlak-expo.ru/en/