GE's conductive, powder-coatable Noryl GTX* resins provide new design options for furniture makers

Citation

(2005), "GE's conductive, powder-coatable Noryl GTX* resins provide new design options for furniture makers", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 34 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2005.12934ead.010

GE's conductive, powder-coatable Noryl GTX* resins provide new design options for furniture makers

GE's conductive, powder-coatable Noryl GTX^* resins provide new design options for furniture makers

Keywords: Resins, Powders, Coatings technology

GE's Noryl GTX^* resins, a family of widely used conductive grades originally developed for European automotive manufacturers, are becoming equally successful in a new industry – office furniture. Specifically, Noryl GTX conductive resin is being used in powder-coated moulded plastic furniture, providing a host of design, aesthetic, environmental, and cost benefits compared to moulded-in colour, wet-painted parts, and even powder-coated metal. Among these are greater design freedom that helps enable part consolidation, lower weight than metal, and the elimination of paint solvents that can negatively impact the environment.

The two key properties required for successful powder coating are conductivity and high heat performance, both of which are features of Noryl GTX resins – a blend of polyamide (PA) reinforced with modified polyphenylene ether (MPPE) polymer technology. In the powder coating process, a fine, dry electrically charged powder is sprayed on the plastic part surface, which holds an opposite charge. The attraction between the charged powder and part results in an even coating. The coated part is then cured at a high temperature to create a durable finish.

Finishing process that supports the environment

One of the most valuable benefits of GE's Noryl GTX resin for powder-coating applications is that it helps eliminate conventional wet-paint systems, which typically have a high solvent content. The powder-coating paint system contains no solvents that can cause harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to be released into the environment. Noryl GTX resin may also reduce costs by eliminating secondary operations, such as applying a conductive primer to non-conductive plastic parts. Furthermore, companies can potentially avoid capital costs for VOC recovery systems which may be required with solvent-based paint systems.

Greater design freedom

Another important advantage from using powder-coated plastic for furniture is design flexibility that far surpasses that of metal. Used for furniture components, GE's Noryl GTX resins can be moulded into unique shapes that are highly conductive, providing exceptional coating adherence. The powder coating process also yields exceptional colour depth, quality, and richness for a competitive differentiation. Finally, plastic parts can now be powder-coated in the same process and with the same colour as metal parts for improved aesthetics avoiding the colour mismatch often seen between powder-coated metal and injection-moulded plastic.

“Our customers are achieving great results by using Noryl GTX resins to elevate utilitarian office furniture into beautiful designs”, said Kristi Dolan, product market leader, Noryl resin, Europe, GE Advanced Materials. “This versatile resin helps designers to achieve the same finish as on metal parts, but with the design freedom that plastic has to offer”.

High performance

GE's Noryl GTX resins offer a number of outstanding performance characteristics, including high-temperature resistance that enables it to withstand the curing process, which requires temperatures from 180 to 200°C. They also exhibit excellent chemical and impact resistance.

In addition to office furniture such as chairs and cabinets, applications for Noryl GTX conductive resins include lighting fixtures, appliances, and parts for vehicles including motorcycles and scooters. Their use continues to expand in the global automotive industry, as well.