PPG opens industrial wood coatings research and development lab

PPG is opening a wood coatings research and development lab at its Springdale, Pennsylvania, USA location.

The lab is dedicated to developing industrial coatings for wood products, such as flooring, kitchen cabinets, millwork, moulding and doors, used in the interior of commercial and residential buildings.

The lab employs chemists, technicians and colour stylists and is equipped with the latest application, mixing, testing and analytical technology.

Kevin Braun, PPG Vice President, Industrial Coatings, Americas, said the new lab enhances PPG’s ability to innovate and transfer coatings technologies from wood to other building product substrates, such as rubber, vinyl and luxury vinyl tile, to meet the evolving demands of the industry.

"There are three main factors driving coatings development across the wood and interior building product segments,” said Braun.

"They are differentiation through colour and aesthetics, product durability and improved process efficiency to control manufacturing costs.

"By combining our product development capabilities at Springdale, our staff can quickly assimilate technical advances for all types of building product coatings and improve our collaboration with the staff at PPG’s Coatings Innovation Center in nearby Allison Park.”

PPG’s environmentally sustainable wood coating technologies will remain an area of technical emphasis for the laboratory.

They include ultraviolet-cure coatings, which emit virtually no volatile organic compounds when applied, waterborne and solvent-borne coatings, and specialty products such as electro-beam-cure coatings and ink resins for resilient flooring.