Extra Life
Extra Life is a programme of coating systems that offer product protection for up to 25 years for liquid and powder coatings. These systems has been developed to protect against a wide range of environments, from the interiors of heated buildings to much more aggressive external situations, such as industrial or coastal areas. Extra Life for liquid encompasses standard air drying and stoving products through to the latest developments in two pack technology. Extra Life for powder coatings incorporates the latest powder primer technologies.
There are 3 steps to specifying the correct Extra Life system:
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Identify the Environment
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Determine the Design life
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Select the Correct Coating System
1. Identify the Environment
Extra Life has five key environment classifications. Select the environment where your product will be used. If in doubt, select the more aggressive environment or contact your nearest Cromadex centre for advice.
|
Classification* |
Interior |
Exterior |
|---|---|---|
|
C5 |
Buildings or areas with almost permanent condensation and with high pollution |
Industrial areas with high humidity and aggressive atmosphere and coastal areas with high salinity |
|
C4 |
Chemical plants, swimming pools, coastal ship and boatyards |
Industrial areas and coastal areas with moderate salinity |
|
C3 |
Production rooms with high humidity and some air pollution, e.g. food-processing plants, laundries, breweries, dairies |
Urban and industrial atmospheres, moderate sulfur dioxide pollution, coastal areas with low salinity |
|
C2 |
Unheated buildings where condensation can occur, e.g. depots, sports halls |
Atmospheres with low level of pollution: mostly rural areas |
|
C1 |
Heated buildings with clean atmospheres, e.g. offices, shops, schools, hotels |
*These are the environments as described in ISO12944: 2018
2. Determine the Design Life
Choosing the right durability is a question of cost. If the system doesn’t last long enough, rectification could be expensive. However, with Extra Life, you can be specific in terms of the durability and investment required. With the test data and track record we have, the durability of each system can be given in terms of years which enables a more accurate coating specification for both powder and liquid systems.
3. Select the Correct Coating System
Preparation
Coating systems are only as effective as the surface to which they are applied. Therefore, correct preparation is essential to ensuring the system achieves its’ design life. Relevant instructions can found on the product data sheets. With Extra Life, particular attention should be paid to problem areas such as:
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Sharp edges
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Weld seams
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Fixing
Cromadex recommend that these areas are always stripe coated prior to application.
Technical Support
For further technical information or advice on any of the Extra Life systems please contact your nearest Cromadex Centre.
Care and Maintenance
Industrial coatings are no different to the paint on your car – they need cleaning and maintaining. Accumulated dirt may affect the design life of the system, and any mechanical damage almost certainly will. Therefore regular inspections should take place and minor damage must be touched up.
At the end of the design life, major maintenance must be carried out. This includes spot priming where necessary, and as a minimum, rubbing down and applying a full coat of the original topcoat when wet paint was used. If powder was originally applied then a suitable Cromadex liquid system should be used. Please contact your nearest Cromadex Centre for the necessary technical advice.
Reducing Environmental Impact
It is an AkzoNobel policy that all Interpon Powder and Cromadex Liquid products are free from lead chromate pigments and TGIC (triglycidyl isocyanurate). The Cromadex Liquid systems also include isocyanate-free options.