Rapeseed is a plant with bright yellow flowers that is particularly important for its oil-rich seeds, rather like the castor oil plant, which grows abundantly in tropical areas. Euramax used these two raw materials as the basis for an innovative new bio-based polyester (PE) coating solution, called BioMax PE 2L, the first such solution in the world for coating aluminum. This is a key step on the pathway to a more sustainable, environmentally friendly process and finished product, especially bearing in mind how the
bio-based resin content only needs to be 35% to achieve this goal. The term
“bio-based” is used for materials obtained either partly or entirely from natural resources, from biomass which – unlike those from processing oil and fossil fuels – are produced by transforming widely-available organic elements, such as crop residues, wood, grasses or other types of plants. This becomes of particular importance since the key characteristics of a cladding or covering come from the type of resin or specific coating chosen.
These green properties of BioMax PE 2L give the product a major advantage over more traditional coating solutions, and to this one must also add its non-toxicity and the ease of replacement. The core of these coatings is that choosing to use such a green coating does not mean any changes to a product’s characteristics: it is merely the quality and origin of the raw materials that have changed.
Certifying the biomass content of this solution from Euramax was done using a radiocarbon analysis method and resulted in the product being proven to be ASTM D6866-16 conform.
Design freedom is also not compromised, with a wide range of colors available; indeed, the entire current palette in the catalogue for PE coatings can be combined with BioMax PE 2L, which also means a wide range of gloss options.
Ultimately, this new solution is best understood as a renewed expression of esthetics, quality and sustainability. This is hardly surprising since Euramax has long had European Coil Coating Association (ECCA) certification, which is awarded to pre-coated
products that guarantee precisely those characteristics – esthetics, quality and sustainability.
EURAMAX COATED PRODUCTS
Industrieweg, 6 – NL – 6045 JG Roermond
Tel. +31 (0) 475 370 303
E-mail: [email protected] – www.euramaxlab.com