Garnalex Attains Seaside Class
Martin Froggatt and Daniel Grover of Garnalex.
As the QUALICOAT Specification continues to gain traction with powder coaters across the UK and Ireland, the Association is delighted to announce that one of our newest members, Garnalex, has also succeeded in gaining their Seaside licence for optional coating protection when in more exposed conditions, such as within 5Km of the coastline.
Martin Froggatt, Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality Manager at Garnalex comments, “We are thrilled to have been awarded the coveted Qualicoat Seaside applicator class licence. This ensures our products are manufactured to the highest standards for use in seaside and coastal environments and provides the highest levels of Quality Assurance and confidence for our customers. The award demonstrates the commitment our Team have in improving and maintaining the vigorous requirements of this international standard of excellence.”
Introduced in 2008, QUALICOAT began to offer a ‘Seaside Class’ of powder coating where the minimum removal of aluminium surface is increased from 1g/sm to 2g/sm using a dip or spray process of either an acid or a combination acid/alkaline etch. This deeper etch removes more contaminants and therefore offers a more robust pretreatment for areas where local atmospheres carry corrosive salts (chlorides) and other aggressive pollutants.
QUALICOAT licensed applicators who wish to offer ‘Seaside’ class coatings need to apply for an additional licence. The applicator needs to demonstrate that they can remove the 2g/sm by process and monitoring, plus the applicator must offer a coated ‘Seaside Class’ sample for an additional filiform corrosion test carried out at the IFO laboratories located in Germany. IFO provide independent inspection and testing services for all QUALICOAT powder coat applicators in the UK.
The up-to-date QUALICOAT Specification is available for download via the UK & Ireland Association website, qualicoatuki.org and the website offers an up-to-date list of licensed UK and Ireland Powder Suppliers, Pretreatment Suppliers and Applicators including the applicators who carry the Seaside class accreditation. Telephone support is available from QUALICOAT UK & Ireland Head Office in the Midlands on 0330 240 9735, the Association can also be followed on Twitter @Qualicoatuki or on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/qualicoat-uk-&-ireland.