From BodyShop Business
Axalta Coating Systems announced that it has won three prestigious 2023 Edison Awards.
Axalta’s Abcite 2060 Flame Spray Powder Coating, AquaEC Flex, and Self Priming Kitchen Cabinet Coating have won for the Sustainability, Smart Transportation and Material Science categories, respectively. Named after Thomas Edison, the Edison Awards have recognized and honored some of the most innovative new products, services and business leaders in the world since 1987.
“We are thrilled to be an Edison Awards recipient for a fifth consecutive year,” said Robert Roop, chief technology officer of Axalta. “Our recognition is testament to how Axalta continues to innovate smarter surface solutions for better living and a sustainable future. We are committed to providing the quality, innovative products and services our customers have come to expect.”
Axalta products recognized this year are the following:
- Abcite 2060 uses breakthrough Flame Spray technology and has exceptional anticorrosion and mechanical performance. Conventional powder coatings can only be applied in a manufacturing setting where ovens are available for cure. With Abcite 2060, large metal structures can be protected on site and damage can be easily repaired without dismantling the structure. This single-layer coating offers a sustainable solution compared to typical multi-layer liquid coatings, has no VOC emissions and can be applied directly to the metal with no primer required, saving time and cost while also providing enhanced durability extending asset life. Powder coatings also offer additional benefit to be reclaimed, reused and recycled. The product recently won a 2022 R&D 100 Award for providing best-in-class protection against corrosion and driving productivity.
- AquaEC Flexis is a sustainable electrocoat (e-coat) that enables electric vehicle (EV) designs. This product cures over a broad range of temperatures while also reducing emissions, eliminating hazardous materials and enabling water recycling. It also provides an enhanced appearance, better edge-corrosion protection and increased flexibility. With this breakthrough technology, OEMs can co-produce EVs and standard combustion vehicles on the same manufacturing line. AquaEC ensures that critical areas that carry and protect the battery packs are properly cured with the rest of the body frame. This patented e-coat built with new generation chemistry offers several sustainability advantages compared to previous generation technology, including 60% lower VOC emissions and 15% less energy use. The product recently won a 2023 BIG Innovation Award presented by the Business Intelligence Group (BIG).
- Axalta’s Self-Priming Kitchen Cabinet Coating was engineered to consolidate a conventional three-coating finishing system into a single coating that provides outstanding performance and aesthetics. It is the only coating of its kind that provides moisture and chemical resistance without the need for a clearcoat layer. It increases productivity and provides a more sustainable solution by reducing the number of coats applied. The kitchen cabinet industry can achieve improved process yields and reduce the number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) needed. It is formulated with novel chemistry and improved properties that allow for a longer life for kitchen cabinets, demonstrating improved resistance to humid conditions. As a result, cabinets look newer, longer thus reducing environmental impact and decreasing the use of hazardous materials by 90%.
All winners will be officially recognized at the 36th annual Edison Awards event in Fort Myers, Fla. April 19-21, 2023, where innovations will be granted gold, silver or bronze status.
