Happy Memorial Day!

Intech Services' Office will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 30th. The Intech Team remembers and honors all military personnel who died in the service of their country.

If you need to place an order, please do so on our website. We will respond with ship dates on Tuesday, May 31st. Have a great holiday!

Teflon™ Pioneer Interview Series: Michael Stechschulte

Our series continues with another spotlight on a long-standing, devoted Teflon™ coater and his accomplishments in the industrial coatings field. All pioneers in the Teflon coatings industry are early adopters of the coatings and have helped to shape the way Teflon has grown and evolved as a reputable industrial fluoropolymer. With the pioneers' vision and ingenuity, Teflon™ coatings continue to be regarded as the elite fluoropolymer of choice. This interview spotlights Michael Stechschulte of Endura® Coatings. Endura^® is committed to providing the most innovative, technologically advanced, environmentally conscience, and highest qualified coating services available today. Endura Coatings has been a leader in coating application services since 1970. With over 750 engineered coating solutions spanning 11 technology platforms, they offer the most comprehensive array of coating expertise and services available today.

Q: When was your company founded?
A: Endura was founded in 1970 outside Detroit, MI.

Q: Who founded the company and why?
A: Dan Crowley, Art Coleman, and Bill Vicere. With the help of DuPont, Endura was one of the original LIA’s pioneering the use and proliferation of nickel Teflon. Endura helped identify industrial applications and uses for Teflon industrial fluoropolymer division.

Q: What was the first significant piece of equipment you purchased?
A: A curing oven in 1970 for high temperature bakes.

Q: How would you describe the changes in the company now from when it was first started?
A: What makes Endura different today is our ability to be “consultative engineers.” We are committed to understanding our customers' needs using our KBER (Knowledge Based Engineering Repositories). In doing so, we are able to identify horizontals and verticals, industries and applications, all while documenting what coatings work and in what situations. We are also positioned to advise our customers on the latest raw materials, manufacturing processes, and specifications. We pride ourselves in our ability to modify coatings to meet the customers' needs. Whether it’s through working with Chemours or modifying the resins ourselves using certain reinforcements and formulations, we strive to give our customers exactly what they need.


Q: What would you consider significant milestones in your company?
A: We made a significant shift in our business in 2001. It happened to be after 9/11 when many industries were going through financial turmoil. Given everything happening in the U.S., we took a larger, global view of how we were doing business and how we were going to be less reliant on the Detroit industry, specifically automotive. The decision was made to become a more multi-faceted organization. We made significant investments into medical, pharmaceutical, surgical/disposables, food packaging, and many other specialty niche applications, where we could be written into the specification. When one of our coatings is specified in a drawing, we would have long-term commitments. We tweaked the other part of the business, which was the value added coating business. Our focus shifted to providing products and product solutions.

Q: How has the coating industry itself changed over time?
A: Clearly government regulation comes to mind as well as the reduction of the PFOAs. Reformulations of our resins have forced us to reevaluate our coating chemistries, formulations, and customer use applications. We continually grow, learn, and understand the reach and depth of these changes as they occur.

Q: When did you get your LIA license?
A: 1970/1971. Unfortunately, the official recognition plaque has been lost over the years.

Q: How has being an LIA affected your company?
A: It shows that our company has been a long-term customer of Chemours. We have become a steward of growth for the organization. It is clearly an opportunity for us to do cross branding and cross e-marketing. We would like to do more to leverage the LIA program and Teflon brand.

Q: What is your favorite Teflon coating? 
A: Our favorite Teflon coating system would have to be the Tefzel system. This coating system possesses an exceptional range of performance characteristics which make its use extremely versatile across a wide range of applications and industry niches. Its combination of non-stick, mechanical toughness, and chemical inertness make it a great candidate for use in food processing, food packaging, and chemical processing use environments.

Q: What excites you about the future of the coating industry?
A: The future entails continually increasing customer satisfaction by creating widely specified products using Teflon finishes. System integration is the future for the coating industry; being able to provide not only value, but product solutions for customers is what I’m most excited for!

For questions and inquiries for Endura coatings, please contact sales at sales@enduracoatings.com or 586-739-0101. Visit the website for more information at www.enduracoatings.com.

3-Coat Improved Standard Teflon™ System

The 3-coat Improved Standard is the premium Teflon™ coating line reinforced for scratch resistance and durability. The line is for end-uses that require non-stick, high lubricity thermal stability to 500 °F. Decades of innovation and technology have led to this water-based, multi-color system with a unique blend of PTFE, PFA, and FEP fluoropolymer chemistry. The primer utilizes On-Smooth technology for easy adhesion to smooth surfaces when needed. When your application requires ultimate release and superior durability, 3-coat Improved Standard should be your choice of the Teflon™ products.

The 3-coat Improved Standard is a blend of Teflon™ fluoropolymers with great features and performance benefits that create superior durability and premium properties. The easy, single cure application and reinforced primer and mid-layer make this product superior in durability. This high-performing system comes in blue, black, and dark pewter.

For more information on the 3-Coat Improved Standard coating, visit our information sheet here. Please direct any questions or concerns to Intech Services, Inc. at (302) 366-8530. We would love to assist you in your purchasing and answer any questions you may have.

Available Cleaner Technologies

Cleaners come in both powder and liquid forms. There are different types of each form, including the following:

• Acid cleaners are best for metallic or inorganic soils
• Alkaline cleaners are often used for organic soils
• Soils on substrates that react with strong acids or alkalis are usually removed by neutral cleaners

When high levels of oil build inside of the substrate, oil-splitting cleaners will be best. In order to decide which cleaner is best for you, contact a pretreatment supplier.

Intech Promotes Wellness with In-House Chair Massages

 

After our April Fitness challenge, many of the Intech employees were in need of massages to ease their sore muscles. Although exercise is great for your body, we often forget to stretch and relax. To further promote healthy lifestyles, the Wellness Team organized in-house chair massages for all employees throughout the day on Wednesday, May 11^th. Each employee was given a 10-minute massage to feel rejuvenated, energized, and to ease the pain of any tense muscles. This short massage was the perfect fix to our hard working employees’ tense shoulders and backs. 

Massages were provided by Pure Wellness, a chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage business on Stanton Christiana Road in Newark, Delaware, and Angela from Healing Hands Massage, a massage therapy business out of West Chester, Berwyn, Downingtown, and Media.

We hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

2-Coat Reinforced Premium Coating

Looking for non-stick capability? Abrasion and scratch resistance? The 2-Coat Reinforced is the premium Teflon™ coating line for end-uses that require non-stick capability, abrasion or scratch resistance, thermal stability to 500°F, and durability in a thin film coating. Decades of innovation and technology have led to this water-based system with a unique blend of PTFE, PFA, and FEP fluoropolymer chemistry. The primer utilizes On-Smooth technology for easy adhesion to smooth surfaces when needed. If your application requires ultimate release and superior durability at a great value, 2-Coat Reinforced should be your choice of Teflon™.

With great features and performance benefits, a blend of Teflon fluoropolymers that together create superior durability and premium properties, this product peaks above the rest in resilience and reliability. Additionally, with the coating’s fairly simple application and shining black hue, your choice of coating is made easy.

For more information on this 2-Coat Reinforced coating, visit our information sheet. Please direct any questions or concerns to Intech Services, Inc. at (302) 366-8530. We would love to assist you in your purchasing and answer any questions you may have.

Exciting Results of the Fitness Challenge!

The Intech Team is excited to award our top three winners of the Wellness Team’s April Fitness Challenge. Kenny Barnes swept first place, exercising 25 times for at least 30 minutes throughout the month. Monica Trout and April Monigle ended with a tie not far off from Kenny, exercising 21 times. The Intech employees stayed competitive, motivated one another, and each did their part in promoting healthy habits during the four-week fitness challenge.

In the beginning of April, each participant contributed ten dollars to the pool, so we were able to award our winners with cash prizes. Not only did they win this prize, but also the prize of feeling great as a result the boost in exercise. New healthy habits were formed, and prior good habits were reinforced.

Those who had at least 12 stars by the end of the month won their money back, those who were able to score 16 stars doubled their money, and those with more than 20 stars tripled their contributed cash! Congratulations to those who won, and to those who increased their fitness routines on the path to happier, healthier lifestyles.

Interview with Nicole McCall, Molding Market Segment Leader

Nicole McCall is the segment leader for Teflon™ applications in the Molding industry. We sat down and picked her brain about applications of Teflon finishes in the molding world. Read on to find out about current and future uses of Teflon coatings as a mold release agent.

Q: What problems are prevalent in the molding industry?
Nicole: Many manufacturers rely on temporary mold release agents on their molds. While this may seem adequate, these temporary mold release agents simply do not provide consistent, long-term performance. Coating with Teflon provides a long lasting and more reliable solution for mold release.

Q: What are the benefits of using Teflon coatings?
Nicole: In working with manufacturers, we have been able to document many areas where Teflon coating has had a positive impact on their business. Some of these areas include improved product quality and consistency, enhanced process efficiency, reduced cost of release agents and mold cleaning, fewer defects and scrap rates, as well as a decrease in demand for manpower. The benefits also include a safer work environment and reduced wastewater.


Q: What Teflon coating system(s) work best for applications in the molding industry?
Nicole: Generally speaking, FEP is the top fluoropolymer coating for this industry.  However, depending on the specific process and materials being molded, PFA and PTFE may also be ideal candidates. My job is to find the system that works best for the specific end user environment.

Q: Are there new technologies in development for the molding industry?
Nicole: Intech and the Chemours R&D team are actively working on new coating technologies that will provide even better durability and release. We are also working on new products for areas where our coatings have not been utilized in the past. It is exciting to see the growing interest in this market segment. I receive daily inquiries for new molding applications.

Q: What associations or trade shows within the industry are you involved in?
Nicole: I am highly involved in the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE). I will be attending ANTEC™ Indianapolis 2016, an SPE event. It is the largest, most respected and well-known technical conference in the plastics industry. I am looking forward to using this experience to find additional ways to serve the mold industry with Teflon coatings.


For further information on Teflon coatings in the molding industry, contact Intech Services Inc. at (302)366-8530, and ask for Nicole McCall.