Plastics Opportunities Expand in Window and Door Profiles

The latest developments in window, door and siding profiles were discussed at the international conference in June in Charlotte, USA, organized by Applied Market Information LLC. Profiles 2007 attracted a wide audience from window and door manufacturers to material suppliers and provided a unique venue for business experts to get together. The hot topic was decorative effects. John Swanson described window and door markets in North America - there is an increasing shift to vinyl materials (over 40 million units used in window profiles in 2006 compared to 25 million in 2005). There is also growth in the use of glass fibre materials, particularly in doors with around 4 million units in 2006 compared to 1 million in 2000. There has also been extensive consolidation from builders to manufacturers. Gorell Windows and Doors discussed hurricane proofing of windows. Aluminum was tested as an alternative but the rigidity increases stresses and the finish is not as durable. They have developed heavy duty, fusion welded frames that pass the missile impact testing requirements for hurricane zones and shutters are not required. Millennium Inorganic Chemicals described the industry certification and standards for color retention of siding, windows and doors, and plastic lumber. ASTM D3679 and D6864 cover siding; D4726 covers windows and doors; D6662 relates to plastic lumber. The American Architectural Manufacturers Association also specifies 2-year exposure in a variety of different climates and includes impact testing after weathering. The use of titanium dioxide in protecting profiles was highlighted. Q-Lab described accelerated weathering testing and carries out accelerated testing for heat, moisture, sunlight and other factors. Titanium dioxide has 72% market share in colouring of plastics and provides good color and UV resistance, as described by Tom Racal of Tronox LLC. The undertone and tint reducing strength of the pigment vary with different grades. PolyOne has new dark color PVC materials with enhanced weathering in all climates, for capstock or solid profile applications. Dark greens, blues and browns have all been tested for durability from Arizona to Ohio (industrial). The Shepherd Color Company has developed high performance inorganic pigments in a wide spectrum of colors for the profile market. These are compatible with all polymers, are easily dispersed, do not migrate, are heat stable and have very low bio-availability. Shepherd has also invested in 'cooler' technology - dark colors tend to absorb light and heat up so the company has developed IR-reflective pigments. Lustran has new ASA materials for siding applications in high impact, high and low gloss grades. There are also medium and dark color materials for siding and profiles, all used over PVC. Lanxess has a range of different pigments to give the 'curb appeal' that gets customers to choose a product. Experiments were conducted using a range of polymers with inorganic and organic pigments and dyes, and looking at lightfastness and cost effectiveness. Profile wrapping can add an infinite variety of finishes. Düspohl Maschinenbau GmbH provides equipment for this process. Surfaces are primed (for example using solvent free primer and vacuum coating to minimise material use) and then flashed off with IR lamps to dry them. Generally a slot coater and a PU based glue are then used to attach a PVC overlay material from a roll. American Renolit has developed a range of laminates to add value to PVC profiles with effects from solid color to wood grain, textures and embossed. Durability has been tested from windows to fences and facades. There are alternative decorative patterns for interiors. Acrylic base film is being used in exterior films with a transparent PVDF outer layer/transparent acrylic/pigmented acrylic make up. Patterns, such as woodgrain, are incorporated on the surface of the pigmented layer. Jowat supplies PUR hot melt glue for attaching overlay materials. The high green strength helps to overcome the stresses in the coating layer. Basell presented new TPO resins that can be formulated to be halogen-free and flame retardant (using aluminium trihydrate, magnesium hydroxide or ammonium polyphosphate). They are in use in window profiles, siding, reinforced fencing and wood composites. Dow Chemical (Texas) has worked on an alternative to PVC in profile - ethylene/alpha-olefin elastomers blended with polypropylene. These materials have 70-90 Shore A hardness and can be processed at similar line speeds to PVC. Jeff Miller, President of Comfort Line, described the benefits of fibreglass for fenestration applications: outstanding U factor (high R-values/low U-values), can be refinished in the field, extremely hard and scratch resistant, high condensation resistance and high performance finishes in many colours. One case study was the St. Ursula Academy in Toledo with 1300 windows, where steel was replaced with fibreglass units. DuPont Titanium Technologies demonstrated the benefits of adding titanium dioxide to profiles in terms of weatherability, using chalking and non-chalking grades. Wood-plastic composites are also being used in profiles. Inhance/Fluoro-Seal has a reactive gas treatment using fluorine to make composites paintable. UV curable coatings have been tested for durability. DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers have worked on compatibilizers for the mixed waste recycled polymers that are utilized in wood composites, to improve the interface between polar and non-polar materials. The new ethylene-maleic anhydride improves properties such as impact strength in mixed waste streams. American Wood Fibers has worked on the wood part of the composites to develop improved fiber properties. Cincinnati Extrusion has worked on coextrusion technology for profiles. This technique was first used for incorporating 85% recyclate in the 1990s and is now also used to add a colored top layer of PVC, ASA or PMMA. Krauss-Maffei presented data on its latest 32D machines for profile manufacture with reduced wear. Pallmann addressed the issue of waste profile and how to recycle this by grinding to a powder or granulate. Profiles 2007 gave a unique opportunity for the industry to get together and see the latest developments with top experts to provide practical advice and support. The decorative effects and material enhancements open up new possibilities for manufacturers to give consumers exactly what they want. The next event by AMI LLC is scheduled for June 3-4 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Hilton Charlotte Center City.