Weight Loss Challenge: Mid-way Update

After the new year, we started a friendly weight loss competition here at Intech. The competition is a total of 9 weeks long and will go through the week of March 12th. Prizes will be awarded to the team who looses the highest percentage of weight, the team who is closest to their total goal weight, and the individual who looses the highest percentage of weight. We have 3 more weeks until the final weigh-in. 

Team Fit Simmons is in the lead right now!

  

Can Team Fit Simmons hold their spot as the leaders or will they crumble under the pressure?  

Check back after our March 12th weigh-in for the WINNERS!

Understanding NFPA 86: Class B

The National Fire Protection Association’s Bulletin 86 (NFPA 86) is the minimum standard, required by law, establishing fire safety standards, including standards for the safe operation of oven and furnace processes.  Understanding and complying with the NFPA 86 standard can minimize the risk of a catastrophic event at your plant and is the single most important thing an oven builder, buyer, and operator can do. This standard is updated on a regular basis with the latest revisions happening in 2015.

 

There are four classes of ovens as defined by NFPA 86: Class A, B, C, and D. In this blog, we will be focusing on Class B electrically heated ovens.

Class B: Electrically heated ovens must be equipped with the following safety equipment:

• Airflow Safety Switch – will shut down the unit should the fan cease operation
• Manual Reset Excess Temperature Control – should the unit produce too much heat, the oven will trip and shut down the heaters.
• Backup Contractors – should the primary contractors fail, the backup contractors will ensure the heaters shut down if over-temperature conditions occur. 

This is a simple overview of NFPA 86 for class B ovens. Please consult the full NFPA 86 standard for all specifications and additional details.

Contact a Precision Quincy representative today at (302) 602-8738 or sales@pqovens.com for more information on NFPA 86 and how to become compliant.  

All Precision Quincy Ovens are of welded steel construction and quality components are used throughout. Each oven is wired and tested at maximum temperature prior to shipping. Ovens meet or exceed NFPA-86, NFPA-70, OSHA & UL requirements. 

Spread the Love Toy Collection

In honor of the month of February, we put together a small toy drive for Nemours Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children, one of the country's best children's hospitals sits right in our backyard in Wilmington, DE.

We gave Intech employees the opportunity to buy new toys from a needed list from the Child Life Program which helps bring activities and joy to the children staying here.  We are happy to donate to such a worthy cause. At Intech, we are committed to giving back to our community and this is just one of the ways that we do it.

DuPont™ Teflon® Pioneer Interview Series: Mark Tate

This series is intended to highlight the long-standing careers of devoted DuPont™ Teflon® coaters and their accomplishments in the industrial coating field.  These pioneers in the Teflon® coating industry are early adopters of the coating and have helped to shape the way Teflon® has grown and evolved as a reputable industrial fluoropolymer. With the pioneers' vision and ingenuity, Teflon® coating continues to be regarded as the elite fluoropolymer of choice.

Our interview series continues with a spotlight on Mark Tate of Sun Coating Company.  Located in Plymouth, MI, Sun Coating Company has been applying DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coatings since the 1960’s. They specialize in applying technologically advanced coatings to enhance and improve the properties for release, nonstick, low friction, abrasion-, wear-, and corrosion-resistance, dry-film lubrication, galling, noise reduction, high temperature, and FDA-compliance. Mark generously took some time to speak with us and share some of his successes, challenges, and views on the future of the industrial coating industry.

Q:  When was your company founded?
A:  Sun Coating was founded in 1962.

Q:  Who founded the company and why?
A:  My father, Joe Tate Jr. founded the company.  While he was working for a well-known company in the plastics industry, Teflon® coating was being used as the “in-house” coating. Joe was asked to find a local coating source.  As a result, he saw a need for coating source and started Sun Coating.

Q: What was the first significant piece of equipment you purchased?
A:  Most of the early significant equipment was related to the automotive sector.  Sun was a big player in the automotive sector, producing high volume coating of automotive parts, including throttle bodies, pistons, seating components and steering mechanisms.

Q:  How would you describe the changes in the company now from when it was first started?
A:  Sun Coating started as a garage/job shop, which then grew into the large facility it is today. We went from batch processing and simple spray equipment to automated robotics. We pushed the envelope over the years and developed and invested in some unique application techniques.

Q:  What would you consider significant milestones in your company?

A:  

• With my father Joe’s access to Detroit’s automotive market, he was able to develop specs for them.  Sun Coating was instrumental in writing original specs; specs that did not even exist at the time. Once the specs were written, companies such as Ford were also looking for a coating source.  This need resulted in contract developments between Sun and Ford, moving Sun into a fully operating production company.  The need for large industrial ovens and conveyors became necessary as a result of these large contracts.​
• In 1989 Sun became the first coating company to receive a Preferred Supplier Award from Ford Motor Company
• As quality changed, ISO certifications came into effect.  ISO developed international standards to be used as a certification of assurance that a product, service or system meets specific requirements. ​Sun became the first company to get ISO 9001. Sun was the only licensed applicator to have the ISO 16949 quality rating within the automotive sector.  At one point, Sun was the only company in North America to have attained it. 
• Downturn in the automotive industry came and as I entered the business I saw the need to move into other markets.  I used my knowledge of engineering applications to take the company into vertical markets. It was our knowledge of coatings and our capability that gave us an edge. Today, we are extremely diversified and service a variety of markets besides automotive.

Q:  How has the coating industry itself changed over time?

A:  The coating industry is now a world market, including Europe, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and India.  The actual selling of coatings has changed as well.  Today you need to do more than just go knocking door to door.  Customers want information fast; the website is an aid in communicating, educating and developing the application. These technological interactions have made the world more accessible for us. Our Automotive Customers are worldwide.

“Fifty years ago, we were driving down to Dearborn to do these things.  Now an international conference call is the norm.”

Doing business today on a worldwide scale can be demanding and challenging. Some of the obstacles we face include language barriers and scheduling conflicts around varying international holidays that effect production. 
                                                                          
Q:  When did you get your LIA license from DuPont?
A: We have a plaque from DuPont dated 1968.

Q:  How has being an LIA affected your company?

A: Overall, the LIA status has given Sun credibility as an industrial coater.  We are able to post our LIA status on our website which lets customers know we are in great standing with DuPont.  The LIA status is a good marketing tool for us as well.  It shows that DuPont takes pride in the company’s they do business with.  We as coaters must uphold a certain standard to remain an LIA and that offers our customers reassurance with our ability.  The marketing and advertising benefits of an LIA status are something we hope to utilize more of in the future.

“I’ve had a great relationship over the years with DuPont.”

Over the years Mike [Patterson], along with Intech, has done a tremendous job supporting Sun Coating.  Intech provides timely delivery of material.  Communicating and ordering is easy with the unique CoaterONE e-marketplace. We have come to rely highly on our supplier for coatings as well as leads.  Intech and Sun Coating are good partners in meeting the challenges of the industry as well as growing the business and its value.  Mike and his team do a tremendous job making it easy for Sun Coating to do business.

Q:  What is your favorite DuPont coating?
A:  “The one that brings me the next job.”
All of DuPont’s products are of the highest quality.  They offer a broad variety of coatings and all the coatings are user friendly.  We use many coatings in all our different sectors and markets.  Without the options and variety we would not be able to accomplish all that we have as a company.  We are confident that we are providing our customers a quality product with DuPont ™ Teflon® industrial coatings.

Q:  What excites you about the future of the coating industry?

A: This is a tough question because we don’t know what tomorrow brings.  In the world platform, business is always changing.  However, we are always looking to develop new opportunities for Sun Coating’s services to be used.  Whether it is finding new coatings that work and perform better for our existing customers or new customers, Sun Coating is on the forefront of the industry.

Composition of Powder Coatings

Powder coating is a dry finishing process, used on a wide array of products that has become extremely popular in the industrial finishing market.  An increasing amount of companies are specifying powder coatings for a high quality, durable finish, allowing for maximized production, improved efficiencies, and simplified environmental compliance. Used as decorative and protective finishes, powder coatings are available in an almost any color and texture, and technological advancements have resulted in excellent performance properties.

So what's in a powder coating?

• Resin: either polyester or epoxy
• Curing agents: added to bind the coating.  For polyesters, primid curing agents are used.  For epoxies, dicyandiamide curing agents are used. 
• Additives: give the powder a desired effect
• Tint pigments: there are two types: inorganic, which are generally pale and dull; and organic, which are more brightly colored

Intech Services and TCI Powder Coatings have partnered to create TruPak, a program that offers over 300 of TCI's most popular powder coatings in 1, 3, 5, and 10 pound boxes. Together we provide a wide selection of superior products used for innovative solutions and applications within the architectural, furniture, automotive, agriculture, and construction markets.  Click here for more information on TruPak powder coatings.

Coating Markets for Teflon® Fluoropolymers: Automotive

The North American automotive parts and accessories market consists of about 4,500 companies and has annual revenues of over $220 billion. Major product categories are transmission and power train components, engines and engine parts, metal stamping, electrical equipment, seating and interior trim, and brake systems. Large companies include Delphi, Lear, Dana, and Johnson Controls, and Eaton. Over 80% of companies employ less than 100 employees.  Industry sales are concentrated among the largest companies.  Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 suppliers all service the automotive OEMs such as Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota.  The demand for new and replacement parts is strongly affected by employment and interest rates. 

Key Benefits of DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coatings:

• Low coefficient of friction
• High chemical resistance
• Extreme temperature resistance
• Non-stick
• Non-wetting surface
• Electrically non-conductive

Typical Applications:

• Weld nuts/pierce nuts
• Air conditioner pistons
• Springs/hose clamps
• Seat recliner springs
• Carburetor parts
• Intake valves
• Clutch plates
• Steering column slip shafts

For more information on the coating markets for DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coatings and resources available, visit our Solution Center. 

Be Intech: Be Original

Over the last 20 years, Intech Services has rapidly expanded, evolving from just a coating supplier to a sales, marketing, and operations company focused on the industrial manufacturing segment. Intech started with an open and creative business environment, and we still stay true to those principles as we grow. We want to convey our values to our customers through Be Intech, a campaign that will allow our original values to shine through and continue to shape our corporate culture and customer interactions. 


Be Original.
Similarly to how DuPont™ Teflon® coatings evolved from the discovery of PTFE to a full line of nonstick fluoroproducts, Intech started as a coating supplier and has grown to be the original complete resource for any industrial coating company. There's no other company that provides you with easy online purchasing of fluoropolymer coatings, powder coatings, and coating supplies. It's not only the e-marketplace that makes us stand out: we value the inventive spirit of our employees, which has led to many unique, original ideas that have helped us to be the best in the business.