Press Releases

NEW INFIN™ COATING TECHNOLOGY THAT APPLIES LONG LASTING COATINGS TO WOOD PLASTIC COMPOSITES BEING UNVEILED AT THE 2007 WOOD-PLASTIC AND NATURAL FIBER COMPOSITE SHOW.

Baltimore, MD, October 8, 2007: INFIN™ Coating Technology,  a new process to coat wood plastic composites in virtually any color while enabling them to resist fading, heat retention, mold, mildew, stains and abrasion will be introduced at the 2007 Wood-Plastics and Natural Fiber Composites Show in Baltimore October 8 and 9.  INFIN Coating Technology was jointly developed by Inhance / Fluoro-Seal Ltd. and Finishes Unlimited. Additional information is available at  http://www.paintablecomposites.com 

WPC decks, railing, window and door profiles and trim can even be repainted by home or property owners years later. 

The new technology provides these characteristics to the composite by changing the molecular structure of the surface and then coating it with a patent pending  UV curable coating. During the process, the extruded composite is first fed through a second chamber where it is exposed to a reactive gas atmosphere that oxidizes the surface so it will accept the coating. It is then immediately fed through an inline vacuum coating chamber where the coating is applied and instantly cured by UV lamps. The composite can be handled immediately after the coating step.

Finished Unlimited developed the UV curable coating specifically for this application and has applied for a patent. The system to expose the composite to the reactive gas was developed by Inhance / Fluoro-Seal.  

The INFIN Coating Technology process system, can coat composites at speeds of up to 200 fpm, and can be installed as the final step of a composite production line or a manufacturer can produce boards and profiles to be coated at a later time or even at another location.   

Ken Burton, president of Finishes Unlimited, and Kelly Williams, business development manager  of Inhance / Fluoro-Seal emphasized that the new technology is an extremely environmentally friendly procedure. They explained that the first phase of the process utilizes very small amounts of reactive gas at any given time and is conducted at less than atmospheric pressure, eliminating chemical emissions. All process gases are completely neutralized. The coating is a 100 percent solids coating containing no water or solvents. As a result it contains no VOCs or HAPs to be emitted into the manufacturing environment and contains no flammable elements.

“Our process requires very little floor space, said Williams, “and we offer composite manufacturers a high degree of flexibility because they can choose to coat their products immediately or they can coat them much later to meet customer specifications. They even have the option of installing the system at a separate location due to the permanence of the oxidized surface.”

When describing the coating portion of the process Burton commented, “we have  worked with UV curable coating line designers to be able to create a coating station that will cover 100 percent of the surface of a composite board or profile with one pass through and any excess coating is recaptured for future application eliminating any waste. We have the ability to adjust our formulation to create any color or texture a customer might want at any gloss level. This product has undergone extensive laboratory, accelerated weather and field testing to assure that it meets the appearance and performance standards we are promising.”

Burton and Williams said they are currently working with several composite and vinyl profile manufacturers to test the INFIN Coating Technology on their specific products. Other companies that are interested in testing can call Kelly Williams at 513-683-4667 or Ken Burton at 630-466-4881 x 23.

About Finishes Unlimited....        Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Sugar Grove, IL, Finishes Unlimited www.finishesunlimited.com is a leading producer of industrial coatings including 100 % solids UV cured coatings as well as baked enamel and air dry water borne coatings.     

About Inhance / Fluoro-Seal ... Inhance/Fluoro-Seal, Ltd, headquartered in Houston is a sister company of Fluoro-Seal International ( which has been in business since 1983. Both companies are highly active in the field of reactive gas modification of polymeric surfaces.