Epoxy and similar polymers have been used to protect and coat the floors of factories, hospitals, and other locations for more than 35 years now, and big things are occurring in the industry.
First is that the market is expected to grow rapidly over the next decade or so, between 2016 and 2024. The growth of the market will be in all sectors, including the application and creation of the concrete floor coating.
This growth comes as a by-product of the increase in the infrastructure industry across the world, and greater awareness of how the floor coatings work to protect the concrete and the individual. There are also applications for epoxy on outdoor surfaces now, rather than just indoor surfaces, thus creating more demand.
The second big industry change includes the development of what appears to be a flame retardant epoxy called EP93FRHT.
The company behind the creation of this product, Airbus, had been testing to create a floor solution that can self-extinguish any flames that had started on it, and found that EP93FRHT held the best results thus far.
The company’s senior product engineer, Rohit Ramnath, was very proud to share Airbus’ accomplishments in the field.
“These tests focus on how quickly EP93FRHT will self-extinguish when subjected to a vertical burn test and minimizes the optical density of the smoke emitted as well as the toxic gas emitted in the smoke,” he said. “This epoxy system excels in all three criteria.”
The new system will likely be used in the assembly of things like interior panels, flooring, and doors, as well as frame lining — all optimal places to prevent flames from spreading. It can also be used for electronic components, as it has reliable electrical insulation properties.
It also has a great chemical resistance to water, fuels, oils, and other common solvents, making it a great choice for any manufacturing environment.
So far the system has made it to the markets and will be available for use in half-pint, pint, quart, gallon, and five-gallon sizes.
