Published by:QUALICOAT P.O. Box 1507CH-8027 ZrichPhone: +41 43 305 09 70Fax: +41 43 305 09 98j.schoppig@actreu.chwww.qualicoat.net

Editor:

Dagmar RieferD- 51065 Kln

Page 5INSIGHTS:

QUALICOAT Working Groups

01-2006

Page 2FOCUS:

Technical Information by TD Ricardo Boi

Page 4INTERVIEW:

A Vision on QUALICOAT versus Visem

Dear Readers,

Today I am delighted to bring you the first issue of our QUALICOAT NEWSLETTER !

QUALICOAT has now celebrated its 20th anniversary, and all the hard work going on in the Executive Committee, Technical Committee and working groups says it all: the quality label fills a real need, the quality association and its regulatory framework do function, and the spectrum of tasks is growing all the time.

These tasks and the fruits of our labours are what we would like to tell you about in our QUALICOAT NEWSLETTER, which will appear regularly in future. And as we are a technically oriented organisation that addresses all issues and problems associated with coated aluminium for architectural purpose, we will of course focus on the work of the Technical Committee (TC) and the various working groups (WG).

We are starting out in this issue by bringing you information about the outdoor exposure test in Florida. Riccardo Boi, our Technical Director, will focus on various aspects of evaluating the results of this very important test.

In each issue, we are going to profile one of the QUALICOAT national associations. As QUALICOATs President (2006 2008) is Frank Viester of the Dutch association, we are beginning with VISEM, the Dutch national association. In a double interview, both presidents will explain the visions of both an international and a national organisation.Much of the work is done by several working groups that address various technical matters. On page 5 you will find an overview.

Constantly sharing experience in partnership with you is one of our key objectives. What we are particularly keen to hear is: what are the burning issues for you?

We look forward to hearing from you!

Josef Schoppig(Managing Director)

VIEW FROM THE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

In this first issue of the QUALICOAT NEWSLETTER I have decided to take a look at the essential work performed by the technical Working Groups. As QUALICOAT has grown the ongoing improvement of the specification has been an essential component in the development of the organization. The Working Groups do not have a high profile outside QUALICOAT but these teams have played a fundamental role in advancing the technical understanding of the aluminum finishing process.

Any one time there are several groups active, each with their own mission. They can be working on specific topics, others are permanently active and some have completed their original objectives and are a referred to as sleeping, ready

to be reactivated as needed. An example of a permanent group is the Florida WG whose job is to carry out the annual evaluation of the panels sent to Florida for natural weathering testing. Other permanent groups are those covering Powders, Chemical Conversion and Alternative Pretreatments. They may not have a regular schedule but they can be convened when needed.

It is fundamental for all members to put their skills to good use and to participate in the Working Group meetings. Without active member contributions the Working Groups would not have achieved the results they have today. We thank everyone who has taken part over the years.

The work of the groups involves a series of technical discussions and technical studies. The end result of this is normally a report and a proposal to the Technical Committee (TC) for a decision on whether to proceed. If approved they are then

passed to the Executive Committee (EC) for final ratification.

In this first issue of the QUALICOAT NEWSLETTER we will take a closer look at the work carried out by the original Working Group; the still active Florida WG.

Its members are:

A. Arranz (ASELAC) J.A. Bernab (CUBSON) R. Boi (QUALITAL) G. Casati (DUPONT) G. De Colfmaeker (ALURAL) M.T. Iglesias (ROHM AND HAAS) J.P. Joseph (TESTAL) H. Sips (BODYCOTE) M. Walter (IG PULVERTECHNIK)

The group reviews the results of the annual tests on approved paint products as required by the specifications. The procedure is as follows: A QUALICOAT accredited laboratory has to test at least two colours (plus the metallic version) before it can grant the annual homologation renewal. One of the tests required by QUALICOAT specifications is exposure in Florida, recognised globally as a reference for evaluating the durability of paints (in another issue we will take a closer look at other exposure locations).

The exposure periods run for 1 year for Class 1, 3 years for Class 2 and 10 years for the new Class 3 products.

All the laboratories that have conducted studies to homologate a new product or to renew an existing homologation are required to send the panels to be exposed in Florida to the central CEDEX laboratory in Spain by FebruaryMarch. The laboratory measures the original colour and gloss before sending the samples to the Atlas exposure site near Miami. The panels are returned to Madrid after a year of natural weathering exposure. They are washed according to specifications and any variations in gloss and colour are measured after drying. The results are summarised and these are reviewed by the Working Group. All the panels are also available and are examined if necessary. The WG then defines its conclusions, based on the QUALICOAT specifications.

Thanks to the efficient and professional approach adopted by the technicians of the CEDEX laboratory and the manager, who was until 2005 was Dr. Andres Arranz and is now Dr. Hernandez Fernandez, the WG can evaluate the results of the tests easily and transparently.

01-2006 Page 2

Mr. Ricardo Boi

Numerous panels have to be checked. For each homologation procedure, 2-3 colours must be tested each year, and 3 panels are sent for each colour for Class 1, and 10 panels for Class 2.

Currently, QUALICOAT has issued over 320 Class 1 homologation certificates and over 40 Class 2 certificates, which means about 3000-3500 panels are examined every year.

The Working Groups job is to evaluate the results and examine any additional problems that may have developed. For example:

a) Characteristics of the exposure site: Atlas supplies the figures and CEDEX transforms them into graphs so they can be compared with the previous year. The following two curves provide an example.

This helps to determine whether the exposure year was more or less severe than the previous year in environmental terms.

b) The dirt that has deposited on the surface of exposed samples.

c) The angle of exposure; currently QUALICOAT uses a 5 angle (with respect to the horizontal). This angle favours dirt deposits, which also influences the final result.

The first question that springs to mind is that globally accepted standards or specifications refer to 1 year of exposure, in particular from April to the following April, but given the continuous climate changes, what justification is there for considering 12 months as standard?

A first answer to this question has been given by a programme of exposure that has proved that exchanging the exposure time with other measures, such as absorbed energy, is insufficient. The debate continues, but it is probably advisable to use a series of samples exposed in different years and check the reproducibility of results, as well as the amount of deposited dirt.

In fact, the dirt that accumulates on the surfaces of the panels plays an important role for two reasons. The first is that it can form a kind of protective film on the surface, and therefore reduces the variations in gloss, but it can also interact with the film of paint, increasing the variation in colour (which tends to become darker). Clearly, it all depends on the properties of the painted product.

Lastly, a question on the exposure angle is whether there is a difference between 5 and 45. A 5 exposure means the surface absorbs more energy (see the Atlas curves) than a 45 exposure, but this also means greater dirt deposits, incurring the problems discussed above. Initial results indicate that after the 1st year of exposure in Florida, panels exposed at a 5 angle had deteriorated notably, as far as gloss variation is concerned. Other experts claim that this difference could reverse over many exposure years.

The work of the QUALICOAT technical teams is ongoing and there are still many research projects underway to investigate issues affecting our industry. Given the length of the trials answers sometimes only become available after months or even years.

We will report further on some of the topics mentioned in forthcoming issues of QUALICOAT NEWS.

Riccardo Boi

01-2006 Page 3

Appearance of a sample after 1 year in Florida, on the right cleaned half

ULTRAVIOLET SOLAR RADIATION (MJ/m2)

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A vision on QUALICOAT versus Visem

Interview with Mr. Frank Viester, President of QUALICOAT and Mr. Jos van de Werken, Secretary General of VISEM

What is Visems business?Visem is the Dutch organization for coating companies, in which three pillars can be distinguished, namely: Coating on Aluminium, Coating on Zinc and Coating on Industrial Applications. In this short statement we will concentrate on the Aluminium Group, because this concerns the QUALICOAT business.

Objective of Visem?The main objective of Visem is representation of the interests of all sorts of coating companies. The main issue regarding this representation is getting to know each other. Generating surveys, including

Powder Navigator, leading to the exchange and transferral of knowledge.

Simultaneously Visem draws up uniform purchase- and sales conditions that will serve as an assurance for the future. The ways in which this is to be achieved can be varied and diverse. Therefore Visem prefers to aim for these goals through the system of separate working groups for

each discipline. Each working group will concentrate on a different substrate and will focus on the corresponding issues related to the substrate.

Every member can join the working group that corresponds most closely with his individual activities and specialities. Consequently, the members will work with colleagues that are active in the same field and they will be able to tackle problems quicker and more efficiently. They will get to know each other as amicable colleagues and will have the opportunity to benefit from each others know-how.

As a result of this system with working groups, a lot was achieved last year in the field of quality standards and great progress was made with regard to the alignment of different interest, consequently

improving consistency levels within the market and providing for a common standard throughout the industry. Consequently, QUALICOAT is the standard for aluminium in the Netherlands, not only for architecture but for the entire aluminium industry which works with coated objects for outside applications.

Agreement between Visem and QUALICOAT Visem provides the licenses for QUALICOAT and is the licensee as long as QUALICOAT is operating on the Dutch market.

From an organizational point of view, both organisations share many similarities. The working groups report directly to the management-team, which will carefully weigh the issues presented to them, and will, in most cases, follow the suggestion of the working groups. The communication between both organizations proceeds smoothly, with direct communication lines, thus making information available instantly and in a straightforward way.

DifferencesAll things considered, there are only a few differences, because both organisations are working in the same business. There is, however, a clear, noticeable difference: Visem executes the work while QUALICOAT has a prescriptive role. QUALICOAT concentrates solely on the aspect of quality and quality requirements, whereas Visem represents a lobby group of which QUALICOAT is simply one component.

In conclusion, we are pleased to say that Visem considers itself fortunate with the situation that QUALICOATs current president, Mr. Frank Viester, is an active member of Visem.

Mr. Frank Viester

Mr. Jos van de Werken

01-2006 Page 4

WORKING GROUPS(currently active) OBJECTIVES

CURRENT MEMBERS(* chairman)

ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVE PRETREATMENT SYSTEMS

To evaluate the results of new and already approved alternative pre-treatment systems A. Arranz, R. Boi*, A. de Boer, M. Holz

CAST ACCESSORIES To update Appendix A5 of the Specifications T. Barthelet, R. Boi*, G. Casati, M. Pitarque

CHANGES IN PRETREATMENT

To define when a new formulation needs a specific approval and other matters of interest of the chemical manufacturers

A. Arranz, R. Boi*, M. Pitarque, J. Torres Pao

FLORIDA To assess and evaluate the panels having been exposed in Florida for outside exposure

A. Arranz, J. A. Bernab, R. Boi*, G. Casati, G. De Colfmaeker, M.T. Iglesias, J.P. Joseph, H. Sips, M. Walter

OBJECTIVES AND FUTURE ACTIVITIES

To submit proposals to the Executive Committee regarding PR activities

J.A. Bernab, R. Boi, G. Casati, G. De Colfmaeker, F. Derouen*, H. Sips, F. Viester

POWDERS To develop rules for new powder classes and other matters of interest of the powder manufacturersJ.A. Bernab, R. Boi*, G. Casati,F. Derouen, B. Karlsen, H. Sips, M. Walter

RESISTANCE TO FILIFORM CORROSION

To make investigations about the introduction of a filiform corrosion test to the QUALICOAT Specifications

A. Arranz, R. Boi, F. Falcone, M. Pitarque, F. Viester*

QUALIDECO Committee To develop and up-date the specifications for QUALIDECO. J. A. Bernab*, R. Boi, G. Casati, G. De Colfmaeker, T. Sagot, J.M. Sanchez

SPECIFICATIONS To prepare up-date sheets on the basis of the resolutions taken by the CommitteesT. Barthelet*, R. Boi, G. Casati, F. Derouen

SEASIDETo conduct investigations to find other cycles than those prescribed in the specifications to reach a removal of 2 g/m2 .

A. Arranz*, R. Boi, G. Casati, G. De Colfmaeker, F. Falcone, G. Hllweck, P. Leclainche, M. Pitarque, H. Sips, J. Torres Pao

(no activity since 2005)

CLEANING OF METALLIC SURFACES

To specify the best way of cleaning metallic surfaces R. Boi*, R. Franiau, H. Pfeifer, J. Torres Pao

ETCHING DEGREE To establish rules regarding a minimum removal of aluminiumE. Arnoux*, T. Barthelet, R. Boi, G. De Colfmaeker, P. Droniou, C. Gonzlez, J. Torres Pao

INSPECTION REPORTS To prepare revised inspection reports including the resolutions of the QUALICOAT Committees R. Boi*, M. Schack, H. Sips

SAMPLING OF POWDERS To establish rules regarding the sampling of powders for testingE. Arnoux, R. Boi, M. Osmond, H. Sips, L. Vrit

PRETREATMENT To discuss matters regarding pretreatment including preparation of rules for the batch pretreatmentE. Arnoux, T. Barthelet, R. Boi*, G. De Colfmaeker, C. Gonzlez, M. Panam, M. Pitarque, H. Sips, J. Torres Pao

* = chairman

The QUALICOAT Working Groups

01-2006 Page 5

(no activity since 2005)