I3 Coming to Chicago in October

We are excited to announce that our I³ Workshops are coming back to Chicago from October 6-8, 2015. We will be hosting the event at the DoubleTree Hotel. These two intensive workshops will enrich your knowledge of fluoropolymers and the coating industry, as well as teach you how to properly apply fluoropolymer coatings.

This is our seventh year of offering the training workshops, and we are proud of the positive reactions to the programs. We continue to make additions to our workshops to improve them each year.

Workshop Offerings in Chicago, IL:

• Product, Markets, & Sales Strategies for DuPont Fluoropolymer Coatings: October 6-7, 2015
• This 1½ day workshop is our benchmark workshop and is a highly valued resource for coating companies. The workshop will cover the latest Teflon® coating product technologies, market trends, and sales strategies for the coating industry. See more... 

• VirtualPaint® Technology for DuPont Fluoropolymer Liquid Coatings: October 8, 2015
• Intech Services, in conjunction with the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa, is pleased to present the VirtualPaint® Training Program for DuPont Liquid Fluoropolymer Coatings. This virtual spray training workshop is designed to improve attendees' spray techniques, including film thickness and transfer efficiency.  The virtual technology gives immediate feedback to the coater about his application technique. See more...

Sign up before August 31st for the Early Registration discount!

Can't do these dates or location?  We have an option to have I³ come to your facility!  Click here for more details on I³ Onsite.

Click here to see more information on  I³ 2015!

Summer Series on Coating Selection #1: Understanding the Project

This summer Intech Services will provide a series of blogs dedicated to the Teflon® coating selection process. In order to select the right product for your coating job, there are three important areas that need to be understood:

• Understanding the Project
• Understanding the Part
• Understanding the End-Use Environment

Within each of these areas are vital questions that need to be answered to ensure the most effective coating for the job at hand.

The first in the summer series will focus on Understanding the Project.

Understanding The Project:

• What is the reason for coating?
• See Figure 1 below
• What has been tried in the past?
• What type of coating was used previously - other fluoropolymer coatings or non-fluoropolymer coatings?
• What were the previous modes of failure - poor coating selection or the process itself?
• Was the coating specified or is it open to change?
• How long did the coating last?
• What is the value of the coating?
• What is the value of the coating relative to the cost?
• Is there enough value to justify the cost for the end user?
• If so, how much value is added with the coating?
• Examples of value:
• Cost savings
• Efficiency
• Less waste
• Less rework

For additional resources on the coating selection process please contact us directly at 302-366-8530, refer to the Compass Corrosion Guide, or refer to our Comparative Property Chart. 

Intech Services is dedicated to providing customers with the most accurate information for specific Teflon® coating needs.  By assessing the particular requirements, constraints and applications, our technical staff can help guide coaters in the right direction, solve coating problems and improve operational efficiency of the production line. 

Men’s Health Week at Intech: June 15-19 2015

Men’s Health Week is celebrated each year as the week leading up to and including Father’s Day

The purpose of Men’s Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
This week gives health care providers, public policy makers, the media, and individuals an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury. The response has been overwhelming with hundreds of awareness activities in the USA and around the globe.

The Wellness Team at Intech organized some activities during Men’s Health Week to promote an awareness of living a healthy life.

• Monday: In house Chair Massages provided by the Kennett Square, PA Hand and Stone Spa
• Tuesday: Healthy Pot Luck Lunch
• Wednesday: Wear Your Blue Day

Precision Quincy Ovens’ New Brochure: Controllers and Programmers Highlights

We are very excited about the creation of Precision Quincy’s new Industrial Ovens Options Brochure.

Intech Services represents Precision Quincy Ovens, an industry-leading manufacturer of many types of industrial ovens. For over 60 years, Precision Quincy Ovens have been used industry-wide across the globe.

For the past few months, Intech and Precision Quincy have been working hard to create a new client brochure.  The Precision Quincy Options Brochure is the perfect guide to selecting the right oven options for your process application.

Controllers and Programmers

Controllers are designed to make oven operation simple and flexible.  All Precision Quincy Ovens come with a digital set point controller, but if your process includes multiple steps and temperatures, we offer controllers with increased functionality to meet your application needs. 

• Honeywell UDC2500: standard with most ovens
• Partlow 1160+: standard with the 49 oven series
• Honeywell DPC300 Ramp Soak
• Watlow F4: highly recommend for ease of programming and operation
• Watlow RM: top of the line, plan for future growth, infinite capabilities

Don’t see what you need in the brochure?  Just ask us!

Click here to download the Precision Quincy Options Brochure

For new oven inquires, contact sales@pqovens.com.

For parts and service, contact service@pqovens.com.

Coating Markets for Teflon® Fluoropolymers: Medical Devices

The medical devices and equipment industry consists of roughly 12,000 companies with a combined annual revenue of $78 billion. The majority of the industry is represented by the makers of surgical and medical instruments, syringes, catheters, and hypodermic needles. The industry is concentrated to the extent that the 50 largest companies (e.g., Johnson and Johnson, Boston Scientific, Baxter, Medtronic, etc.) hold a 60% market share. Manufacturing activity is concentrated in the Northeast.

Key Benefits of DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coatings:

• Low coefficient of friction
• Chemical resistance
• Release
• Ease of cleaning
• Regulatory compliance (FDA)

Typical Applications:

• Medical waste trays
• Surgical handles
• Forming mandrels
• Pill molds
• Gel cap molds
• Centrifuge baskets
• Lab equipment
• Dental molds

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

Intech Services Embraces Team-Based, Flat Corporate Structure

Intech is proud to join the ranks of elite, progressive companies that value innovation and cooperation by restructuring the established organization. 

In a bold move away from traditional corporate hierarchy, Intech Services adopted a team based structure as of March 2015. The company now boasts of a leadership team made up of President and owner Mike Patterson as well as Vice President’s Chris Dohl and Tony Abato; the Leadership Team functions as the center, rather than the head, of the company. “As Intech grows, it is important for our structure and culture to evolve accordingly. The traditional hierarchal organizational structure does not effectively allow for employee development and participation in the company’s growth.  I wanted to implement a structure that allowed individuals and teams to have responsibility and accountability for all areas of the company.  I am very excited about how people in different functional areas can work together for the greater good of the company, and the best part is that the teams are energized to make an impact,” says Mike. The remaining teams include the Product Teams which focus on goods provided, Functional Teams which focus on the services delivered, and Intech Teams, devised to maintain and continually broaden and deepen Intech’s unique identity. All teams operate at the same level resulting in a flat company structure.

The decision to evolve into the team model came from a desire to stay cutting edge and after extensive research on the benefits. This organization allows Intech Services to both attract the very best new prospects as well as insure the company prioritizes cooperation, cohesiveness, and creativity when serving clients. "I think the adoption of this process speaks volumes about the company as a whole…The expectations are set in place and all the tools are available to be successful…It’s not uncommon to discuss day to day business situations with counterparts selling a different product line, which is a very cool thing,” Ben Murrow, Teflon® Account Manager. The transition has been executed smoothly and everyone at Intech looks forward to what the future holds.

Welcome Baby Emerson!

It’s a…….. Girl! 

Emerson Mae Morgner was welcomed into the world April 30^th at 11:54am, weighing 7lbs 12oz and 21.5 inches long.  She came fast and furious!  Kate, our Corporate Marketing Leader, along with her husband J and son Barrett, are feeling blessed with their new addition.

Congratulation Morgner Family!

Manufacturing of Powder Coatings; Series 3 of 3

The process of manufacturing powder coatings is a relatively complex process that must be carefully controlled to ensure a high-quality final product.  Powder coatings are manufactured in a multi-step process of pre-mixing, extrusion, and micronization.  Basically, materials are blended, melted, cooled, and then pulverized. This blog will focus on micronizing, the last step in the process. 

Micronizing Process – the powder chips are fed into a grinding machine, which breaks the chips down into a fine powder.  The powder is then filtered to ensure that no large particles contaminate the powder. 

Click here to view the first blog in the manufacturing of powder coating series on pre-mixing or here to view the second blog in the series on the extrusion process.

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.

 

For more information from TCI Powder Coatings on the manufacturing of powder coatings, please refer to TCI’s Troubleshooting Guide or click here to contact us today to speak with our experienced team about how we can help you with your powder coating needs.

Intech Sponsors St. John the Beloved 5K

 

Intech Services was proud to be a sponsor of the 3rd Annual Carnival Kick Off 5K Run/Walk at St. John the Beloved in Wilmington, DE on May 30, 2015.  The event benefits St. John the Beloved Parish and Youth Athletics.

Intech Services’ Vice President Chris Dohl and his family are members of St. John the Beloved and participated in the event.

Be Intech: Be Creative

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 Creative.
Ever had a problem applying your DuPont™ Teflon® industrial coatings? Sometimes you have to get a little creative when it comes to correcting application issues. When you call Intech Services, you will be able to speak to a Teflon® expert to talk about your coating problems and take advantage of their resourceful solutions to make sure your coatings look and perform the way they're supposed to.

DuPont™ Teflon® Pioneer Interview Series: Don Garcia

This series is intended to highlight the long-standing careers of devoted 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 Don Garcia of Boyd Coatings Research Co.  Boyd Coatings Research Co. applies a wide varietyof high-performance coatings, specializing in the medical, industrial and aerospace markets. Besides applying virtually every coating from every manufacturer on the market, Boyd manufactures a line of custom-developed fluoropolymer coatings for specialty applications.  Boyd is a Licensed Industrial Applicator of Teflon® fluoropolymers including PTFE, ETFE, FEP, PFA.

Q:  When was your company founded?

A:  December 10, 1965

  

Q:  Who founded the company and why?

A:  Pedro Diaz and Edward Boyd. They considered starting the company while working for a Teflon® coating company and decided they could do a better job servicing the customers. Once they determined they could provide a better service to customers, they started their own company, incorporating in 1965.

Q:  What was the first significant piece of equipment you purchased?

A:  In 1965, a 9 foot long, 5 foot tall, 5 foot wide oven.

Q:  How would you describe the changes in the company now from when it was first started?

A:  Wow!  It was started on a premise that service and value are what we need to bring to our customers; to give them what they want when they want, in a way that they would want to buy it again.  That mind-set hasn’t changed in nearly 50 years.  What has changed is the way we provide those services, the systems we employ from physical system to technical support, and all the employee training to give customers the best possible service.  So those things have changed but the CORE philosophy of the company hasn’t changed except for the way we do it and how much we do!

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

A: One milestone would be our focus on engineering and technical expertise. Another would be our quality systems ISO 9001, 2008.  The increase in our number of employees as well as our growth and revenue is a significant milestone.  On December 10^th 2015 we plan on celebrating our biggest milestone, our 50^thanniversary!

“It’s the people and the relationships we’ve developed over the 50 years that really have made us successful.”

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

A:  In addition to having to deal with regulatory changes and additional regulatory burdens placed upon us, changes to the science of how we apply coatings and ways to make the process more value-driven have changed as well.  There have been significant changes in “how we do what we do” but the basic polymers and their applications haven’t changed.  Customer demands for higher quality and lower costs have evoked much of the changes we have seen. 

Q:  When did you get your LIA license from DuPont?

A:In 1967.  We have the original plaque, a substantial piece of brass that has the original LIA swirl.  We consider it a nice memento of recognition from DuPont hanging in our lobby.

Q:  How has being an LIA affected your company?

A:  Being an LIA lends credibility to our business and was especially helpful in our early years when establishing a reputation for excellence was a priority. Back in the 80’s, we were involved with DuPont and the LIA network in providing training for DuPont employees and potential LIA’s, which also helped to further our reputation as leaders in the industry. Today our LIA status continues to provide support that contributes to our continued success.

Q:  What is your favorite DuPont coating?

A:   For us it would have to be PFA.  This coating serves so many different purposes and I think it can be used in so many different applications.  Teflon® S also comes to mind, as a general purpose coating that can be used in all kinds of situations.  However, from a higher performance standpoint, PFA is the coating of choice!

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

A:  There is still opportunity for these polymers to be employed in new technologies and in new ways.  That’s always exciting.  We have the opportunity to employ a tried and true material with the highest quality, the quality that DuPont and Intech Services provides us.  We can take those polymers and use our ingenuity to apply them in ways that haven’t been done before and make products better or that make life better.  That’s always very, very exciting!