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A powder coating product developed by Dulux Powder Coating
and CSIRO, that is being tailored for use in the
automotive industry, was one of five winners at the Victorian
Premier’s Sustainability Awards announced recently.
Davey Water Products was another winner for its focus
on resource efficiency.
Orica-owned Dulux Powder Coating and CSIRO won the award
in the products and services category for its powder coating
- known as Trimatrx - that is suitable for plastics.
It replaces conventional wet paint finishes or liquid coatings
traditionally used on plastic components.
Dulux Powder Coatings technical manager, Bill Matthews said
that a major sustainability advantage of the coating is that
it does not contain toxic solvents - which means no harmful
chemicals are released into the atmosphere or into waterways
and the environment.
It also reduces the amount of solid waste ending up in landfill.
Traditional liquid coatings do not have a high rate of spray
transfer onto plastic parts and up to 70% is lost as waste.
However, almost all of the new powder coating ends up on plastic
components and any residual powder can be reused before it
is cured.
Up to 50% less energy is used during the curing - or hardening
- process. The powder coating can be cured at much lower temperatures
and for shorter times than in the case of traditional powders
used on metal finishes.
The product is now being customised for use in the automotive
industry. It could replace the 10 ML of liquid paint used
by the Australian automotive industry every year to coat surfaces
of vehicles - including decorative finishes on plastic components
such as engine covers, body parts and bumper bars.
Meanwhile, the award winner in the large business category
was Davey Water Products - a manufacturer of rainwater
pumps, filtration and water treatment equipment.
The company has reduced potable water use in manufacturing
operations by 50% - or one ML per year - and reduced waste
generation by 82% by volume and 42% by weight - or 3,420m³
per year. The reduction in waste generation was largely the
result of using less cardboard, paper and plastic wrapping.
Davey also captured the rain water which falls on the roof
of its building. Over one ML of rainwater was harvested in
the past year and stored. It was used to flush all the building
toilets as well as supply rinse water for the powder coating
pre-treatment line.
Other award winners included -
Community Award – The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee;
- Small Business Award – Etiko Fair Trade and;
- Public Sector Award – Williamstown High School,
Bayview Street Campus and Spowers Architects.
For more information on the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability
Awards - Click
Here
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