Mouldings finishes support productivity initiatives

Citation

(2001), "Mouldings finishes support productivity initiatives", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 30 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2001.12930cad.005

Mouldings finishes support productivity initiatives

Mouldings finishes support productivity initiatives

Keywords Becker Acroma, Moulding

The march of MDF has made an overwhelming impact on the joinery market, affecting manufacturers, finishes suppliers and builders alike.

David McCulley, technical services manager for Becker Acroma, comments:

The dimensional stability of NMF has opened a window of opportunity for joinery manufacturers, holding out the prospect of substantial productivity gains. In turn, mouldings manufacturers expect coatings suppliers to support ambitious productivity targets.

Pressure to deliver is not confined to the production end of the joinery market. Builders, too, are dealing with labour shortages and facing shrinking timescales. There is added value for manufacturers in taking joinery products as far down the line as they possibly can to reduce the reliance on tradesmen.

In line with this trend, Becker Acroma has seen pre-finishing become well established in Nordic countries, with the latest snap-fit components reducing to hours the time the joiner spends on site. "Increasingly UK mouldings manufacturers are looking to coatings suppliers to come up with something new, enabling them to gain competitive advantage in a changing marketplace Becker Acroma believes that it is in the forefront in this market sector, with a range of high performance products to suit both ends of the price scale."

The company has co-operated with major mouldings manufacturers, and also with specialist oven manufacturers in the UK and throughout Europe on optimisation of curing technology for new water-based coatings. These partnerships have helped Becker Acroma to bring to market new products which they consider perfected for the application and practical in production.

"To satisfy demand at the lower end of the market we've developed a onecoat water-based solution which offers performance with economy. For the higher, standards-driven, end we've developed a water-based two-coat system producing satin and high gloss sheens in good wear resistance. We believe that we offer an unbeatable combination of build, opacity and quality for mouldings finishing."

Gas-fired infrared ovens are said to reduce the cure cycle to seconds for water-based coatings. David McCulley believes that productivity advantages will inevitably drive the market towards investment in the necessary processing equipment.

Needless to say, the new system will be available in white, still overwhelmingly the preference in the LTK market. However, some door manufacturers are leading a trend towards pastel shades, and Becker Acroma will be able to customise joinery coatings to match. The company also considers that it is well down the line on development of coatings for pre-finished windows, with the target of supporting manufacturers' ten-year guarantees on these products, and expects to make product available by Q2 2001.

Details available from: Becker Acroma, tel: +44 (0) 1440 703 611. Fax: +44 (0) 1440 761091.