When PPG acquired Alpha Coating Technologies in early 2020, it not only received the formulations for its entry into the low-cure powder coating sector, but it also brought in the mastermind behind the technology.
Leslie Smith Jeno Muthiah was the founder and CEO of Alpha when PPG made the acquisition. Alpha was a specialty manufacturer of advanced powder coatings for light industrial applications and heat-sensitive substrates.
Led by Muthiah — now PPG’s Director of Product Development Heat Sensitive Substrates — Alpha was capable of converting most standard-temperature-cure powder coatings into low-temperature-cure products, which yielded tremendous benefits to those suppliers who wanted to help their customers get into the wood and MDF component category.
Acquiring the ‘No.1 Player’
Jeno Muthiah“Alpha was probably the No. 1 player in the U.S. when it came to the low-cure space,” says Leslie Smith, Business Development Manager for Low Cure Powder for Heat Sensitive Substrates at PPG Industrial Coatings.
“Jeno has been doing for a long time,” he says. “But it just seems right now we see the technology, equipment, and ovens have all come together. The biggest part now is the understanding of how all of those parts function between each other, and how the substrates function in all of this.”
PPG made the purchase because it needed to expand its production capabilities, Smith says, and Alpha also had a great program for quick-turn custom colors.
“We’ve adopted all of that into PPG’s internal now,” he says.
Launching Envirocron HeatSense
In late 2020, PPG launched Envirocron HeatSense powder coating for heat-sensitive wood and composite applications. The product was engineered to overcome the barriers that have traditionally prevented powder coatings from being a viable option for the wood-finish market.
Smith says the coating can cure in as few as five minutes at 250°F and be applied uniformly over heat-sensitive substrates and accommodate the shrinking and swelling of wood over the finished product’s lifetime.
The Envirocron HeatSense coating encapsulates the substrate with a smooth, durable finish, providing a moisture barrier and allowing freedom of design not usually possible with laminated coatings. Smith says the coating enables wood manufacturers to finish their products in a broad range of colors, textures, special effects, and antimicrobial-protected coating options, such as PPG’s Silversan coatings.
It can be cured quickly in a convection or infrared oven and is fully reclaimable, allowing for cost-effective and efficient production.
Durability and Low Carbon Footprint
“Powder coatings have long been valued on metal substrates for their durability and low carbon footprint,” says Shelley Verdun, PPG’s business manager for powder and industrial coatings. “The introduction of PPG Envirocron HeatSense coating enables us to transfer those benefits to key wood coating markets, such as cabinetry, office furniture, and building products. It is a game-changer for the industry.”
Smith says the purchase of Alpha’s technology and the launch of Envirocron HeatSense will indeed be a boost for PPG and its customers.
“The ability to get to the lower temperatures will open up markets that we’ve never been able to touch,” he says. “You look at some furniture manufacturing companies, and they are doing this already on multiple levels. It’s been tried in the U.S. several times, and it just never seems that it has taken off.”
The biggest difference today to 10 years ago is a better understanding of the substrate and how to allow the MDF boards to flex and move under the coatings.
“The product is built to even allow the boards to escape gas or moisture prior to the coating even locking down,” Smith says. “That is where you will get that nice, finished-coat look.”
