The nature of the solution will naturally depend on the problem. We have at our disposal:

• existing coating technology
• modified existing technology
• brand new technology

Nano Coatings

Nano coatings are very thin film coatings, often transparent, but with very robust pinhole free finishes that act as excellent barrier coats for corrosion prevention. Typical dry film thicknesses are 5 to 10 microns (0.005 to 0.010 mm, 19.5 to 39 thou / Mil).

They are available from Blocksil for both porous and non-porous surfaces.

Nano coatings are often used for anti-graffiti and for stay clean purposes. Their ability to be cleaned with all manner of detergents, solvents and wipes makes them ideal for this type of application.

Also used on stonework after cleaning to keep the surface clean for longer. And some nano coatings are capable of reducing airborne contaminants by photocatalytic action. This can be important in towns and cities, where reducing the levels of NOx is of benefit. Photocatalytic action can be used to prevent algae growth.

Nano coatings are usually applied by special cloth or brush, but can be sprayed if suitable PPE is worn to avoid inhaling the atomised coating.

The coatings will air cure and are usually touch dry after 20 minutes at ambient temperatures. Full cure can take up to five days but can be shortened with additional heat.

The Blocksil nano coatings are fire rated to EN 45545-2:2013 Railway Applications – Fire protection on railway vehicles – Part 2: Requirements for the behaviour of materials and components, set R1.

Fabric Clean Nano Coating

This is a transparent, thin, flexible nano coating that bonds to fabrics and makes the fabric water repellent. Cleaning of stains and marks is made much easier as a result of using this coating.

The coating is applied by a simple trigger spray, is air cured and requires no specialist training to apply it. PPE requirements are minimal.

For industrial use the applications on public seating are probably centred around locations with a high traffic content. Rail, bus, coach, airports etc.

Thermally Efficient Coatings

We have a new coating that will take the concept of thermal efficiency to completely new levels.  Therma-Light®.

The benefits of Therma-Light include:

• Colour is grey but it can be overpainted
• Corrosion resistance (ASTM B117) is 1,000 hours minimum
• Easy to build the coating thickness
• Excellent thermal insulation
• Fully bonded to the substrate so no corrosion under insulation effect
• Hardness of 80 Shore D
• Quick drying
• Up to 60% heat reduction possible
• Very lightweight
• Very low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels
• 100% solids
• Lambda (K) value of 0.1 W/mK

Therma-Light has many uses within the process industries, from pipework through to storage vessels.

Asbestos Wet Sealer

This moisture tolerant transparent sealer is designed to soak into, bond to and encapsulate asbestos.

Asbestos, from the Greek word for unquenchable or inextinguishable, is actually a set of naturally occurring silicate minerals which all contain thin fibrous crystals, with each visible fibre itself composed of millions of microscopic “fibrils” that can be released by, for example, abrasion. They are commonly known by their colours: blue asbestos, brown asbestos, white asbestos and green asbestos.

Asbestos was extensively used by the UK railway industry from the 1950s, primarily for fireproofing and insulation of roofs. And although asbestos use was made illegal in 1999, any building or structure built before 2000 is potentially at risk.

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) say that asbestos materials in good condition are considered safe unless asbestos fibres become airborne, which happens when materials become damaged. And it is the fibres that have been proven over the years to present a health risk, with asbestos being linked to diseases such as lung cancer and asbestosis – over time the fibres essentially build a restrictive coating within the lung. Individuals and companies responsible for maintaining and repairing premises have a duty to manage asbestos as part of the 2012 Control of Asbestos Regulations.

Blocksil offer an easily applied encapsulation coating, but why opt for encapsulation over removal?

Whilst asbestos removal may seem like the obvious choice, it is often complicated, expensive, can result in extensive downtime and dramatically increases the risk of fibres becoming airborne. In contrast, asbestos encapsulation within a Blocksil coating is possibly the safest and most cost effective method of asbestos management. Because the asbestos is not disturbed, the risk of creating airborne fibres is minimised. But there are other, perhaps less obvious benefits to encapsulation with a Blocksil coating over asbestos removal.

•  Waste disposal of the asbestos is eliminated, which reduces risk and cost to all concerned.
• The coating process is much quicker and more efficient, so less costly to the building owner.

Aside from the very obvious health and safety benefits on having the asbestos fibres encapsulated, the now sealed asbestos will give a much better finish to any coating applied on top of the sealer. Less of the top coat will be needed as well.

For advice on which top coats will bond to our sealer, please contact us. But please note that we are not asbestos cleaning experts or contractors.

Corrosion Resistant Coating – Steel

Developed from one of our construction coatings, this solvent free hybrid coating can be a one coat or a two coat system.

Moisture and surface tolerant, the coating cures without application of external heat so can be used on site. What do we mean by surface tolerant? It will bond to rusty steel so long as all loose rust debris has been removed – St3 standard.

With a typical dry film coating thickness of 200 microns (just under 8 thou / Mil), the top coat on its own will give 5,000 hours of QUV testing. A typical uPVC as a comparison may achieve 500 hours and epoxy paint some 250 to 300 hours.

The QUV accelerated weathering tester simulates outdoor weathering by exposing the coating or item under test to alternating cycles of UV light and moisture at controlled, elevated temperatures.

Coating solution for Corrosion under Pipeline Insulation

Lagged or insulated hot process pipelines often suffer corrosion thanks to the steel pipe sitting in water. The water will both ingress from outside and condensate from the air within the mineral or foam lagging. As the water cannot easily escape, corrosion has a field day.

Changing from traditional lagging to our Therma-Light^® coating will certainly improve the insulation. More importantly, because the coating is impermeable and permanently bonded to the steel, water cannot condense onto the steel or reach it from outside.

So no more corrosion.

Making use of the colours available for Therma-Light allows pipeline identification.

Bellows (Gangway) Repair Coating

Bellows, or gangways, are the flexible connectors between two passenger rail carriages. They are essential if the walkway between two carriages is to be kept dry and clean.

Over time and in use, these connectors split through their constant twisting and flexing, or they become damaged through vandalism.

Instead of taking the rail carriage out of service for a costly bellows replacement or using the somewhat primitive approach of electrical ties to try and hold the split together, a Blocksil permanent coating solution can be used. Our Bellows Repair Coating can be applied in situ with minimal training at the local depot.

Rail use approved and air cured over a matter of hours, our UV stable and rain repellent coating is available in a wide range of colours.

Another huge advantage, in addition to massive time and money savings, is the capability to remain water repellent even if subjected to damage.

Solar Panel Coating

Solar panels may already be coated by the original manufacturer for non-glare, but Blocksil can improve the panel’s performance.

One of our easily applied air cured thin film coatings allows the solar panel to become effectively self cleaning. The coating works by making it harder for dirt or snail slime to adhere to the coated surface. The effective self cleaning comes from the action of rain washing away the dirt.

One client established a performance benefit, as measured by energy generated, of 8% by using our coating. Over time such a benefit would be magnified as less labour time would be needed to keep the solar panels clean.

Such a coating is ideal for the ground level solar panel fields found throughout the country.

Floor Coatings

Our floor coating range is formulated from high quality epoxy resins to give a hard wearing coating. A summary of the performance benefits are shown below.

• Dust free
• Easy application
• Easy clean
• Fast curing
• Good abrasion resistance
• Good chemical resistance
• Good low temperature curing
• Solvent free options
• Very good dry film thickness
• Wide colour range

The Blocksil floor coating range includes a coating system for most applications, including:

• coloured quartz systems
• solvent free and solvent based
• water dispersible
• matt or gloss finish
• floor coating and wall coating
• slip resistance
• clear and pigmented
• tank lining
• concrete repair grout

For the precise coating needed, ask our advice.

An example of a successfully coated industrial floor using a Blocksil floor coating is shown below. This floor was laid by Protec Painting Ltd., a specialist industrial painting contractor.

Joe Jamison, Managing Director of Protec Painting Ltd., commented that “this is a great product, excellent durability, delivers an excellent finish”.

Hybrid Coating Systems

Hybrid coatings are constructs consisting of two constituents at the molecular level. Often one of these compounds is inorganic and the other organic. Mixing at the molecular scale leads to a more homogeneous coating.

If the resultant coating exhibits new properties it is classed as a hybrid, rather than just a composite.

Two examples of hybrid coating chemistry would be:

• Epoxy-Polysiloxane Hybrids, these coatings create weather and corrosion resistant systems. They provide superior resistance to weathering over other conventional epoxy coatings.
• Acrylic-Polysiloxane Hybrids, these coatings have a low VOC level and offer a top coat with high weatherability.

The chemistry of hybrid coatings is complex and is constantly developing.  Blocksil is at the forefront of this chemistry.

Polyaspartic Coatings

Robust wall, roof and floor coatings.

With regards to long term durability, Polyaspartics are the next generation of topcoats and should easily exceed ten years colour and gloss retention.

Polyaspartic coatings are based on the reaction of an aliphatic polyisocyanate and a polyaspartic ester, which is of course an aliphatic diamine.

Developments in polyaspartic coating technology have concentrated on achieving coatings with low or near zero volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), so called compliant coatings. The unique and adjustable reactivity of the polyaspartic esters allows for the design of fast curing coatings, which can also provide high build, low temperature curing. The pot life of the mixed two component coating can typically be adjusted from a few minutes to a few hours. Improved abrasion and corrosion resistance is also achieved.

Polyaspartic as a name is used to differentiate the coating from polyureas and polyurethanes. By definition, a polyaspartic is an aliphatic polyurea. However, polyaspartic coatings are very different in both application and coating performance properties from conventional polyureas.

Many polyaspartic coatings can be applied with conventional spraying equipment, making application much less complicated and less prone to error.

Other differences between polyaspartic and aliphatic polyurethane coatings include the ability to be formulated to a very high solids content (70% to 100%) and to be applied at higher film builds (300 to 400 microns [11.8 to 15.7 thou / Mils] in a single coat). The faster drying of the polyaspartics compared with typical aliphatic polyurethanes enables a quicker painting operation.

Blocksil has proven experience in being able to have this coating type spray applied onto a 15 metre (49 feet) high GRP clad building.

Polysiloxane Coatings

Polysiloxane coatings are industrial coatings used in applications where abrasion, chemicals, high UV and high temperatures are experienced.

A polysiloxane is a polymer with a silicon-oxygen backbone. This type of backbone is much more resistant to the effects of UV radiation than the carbon-carbon backbone of organic polymers.

Polysiloxanes have excellent aesthetic weathering attributes in terms of gloss retention.

They also exhibit excellent abrasion and corrosion resistance, good chemical resistance, good anti-graffiti properties and resilience to dirt pickup.

UV is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm, shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. One nanometre, nm, is one billionth of a metre. Ultra Violet, UV, radiation is naturally present in sunlight. Approximately 10% of the sun’s output that reaches the Earth is in the UV wavelength range and it is responsible for tanning our skin, amongst other things.

UV radiation effects paint and coatings in two different ways.

• UV-A radiation (at the longer wavelength end of the UV spectrum) will dry out the resin in a paint or coating leading to cracking.
• UV-B radiation leads to a fading or loss of colour of the paint or coating by breaking down it’s chemical bonds.

The technical term for colour fading is photodegradation. The colours we can see are based on which colours (wavelengths) the paints or coatings absorb as well as the nature of the chemical bonds holding the paint or coating together.

Certain resins, like acrylics and polyurethane are slow to absorb UV rays and are thus much slower to dry up and lose their colour. The addition of UV blockers during the design stage of any coating or paint is clearly an essential step.

UV radiation also breaks down organic compounds within coatings and paints, such as binders.  This break down will clearly mean the paint is no longer retaining the chemical and physical properties with which it was designed. It is not uncommon for coating and paint break down to accelerate over UV exposure time as the initial damage results in the coating or paint being increasingly unable to withstand the UV attack.

Polyurethane Coatings

Polyurethane polymers are most commonly formed by reacting a di- or tri poly-isocyanate with a polyol. Both the isocyanates and polyols used to make polyurethanes contain, on average, two or more functional groups per molecule. So the polymer is composed of organic units joined by urethane links.

A polyurethane coating can be glossy or matt and can be opaque or transparent, with most being thermosetting polymers that do not melt when heated.

Polyurethane coatings adhere very well to a wide variety of base materials. They usually require no additional processing after application, using moisture in the air to cure. They have a range of cure times and can be applied and cured in a broad range of temperatures. Application is usually by spray or roller.

Silicone Coatings

Silicone resins are formed by branched oligosiloxanes. These groups are further condensed in many applications to give highly crosslinked, insoluble polysiloxane systems.

Suitably formulated silicone resins can resist temperatures up to +650°C (1202°F).

Silicone resins are also impressive for their outstanding oxidation resistance, their ability to repel water with simultaneous vapour permeability, as well as their outstanding mechanical properties.

Silicone resin based coatings are durable, sustainable and economic.

Resin Systems

We work with a wide range of resin systems above and beyond those outlined above.

Our intention is to offer you, our client, the best solution for the job. The type of coating resin system used is chosen by us, it just depends on what problem you ask us to solve.

And of course a coating or paint isn’t just made up of resins, though these do act as the “glue” which holds the complete coating or paint chemistry together. Other constituents include pigments, solvents, binders, flow promoters, thickeners, driers, anti-caking agents, anti-skinning agents, de-foamers, electrostatic additives, accelerators, retarding agents, wetting agents and water scrubbers. Not all of these will be present in every coating or paint, but that is where Blocksil’s expertise comes into play.

Mastic X

Mastic X is a very high strength UV stable mastic, needing some 800 Newtons to break the bond of the mastic to the substrate. It can be applied onto most surfaces and has good surface tolerance.

Air cured, it will skin over in 15 minutes at room temperature with full cure coming after 24 hours. It has a ± 70% accommodated movement and 220% elongation at break. Highly flexible with an in service temperature of -40°C to +120°C (-40°F to +248°F), Mastic X is a great sealant and adhesive. Compared with other high performance adhesives and sealants, Mastic X is slower to cure but it retains its flexibility when the other systems become brittle.

Available in 310ml or 380ml mastic tubes and applied using a standard mastic gun, the tubes can be provided with your label on them. Minimum quantities apply.

Mastic as a noun is thought to derive from the Greek or Latin for masticate, as mastic is an aromatic gum or resin that exudes from the bark of a Mediterranean tree.

Anti-Graffiti

Anti-Graffiti Coatings. We have a number of anti-graffiti coatings in our range that are available right now. The choice of coating depends on the objectives of the client, the site location and budget. Site application is an option we can offer as well.

Our anti-graffiti coatings can be applied to a wide range of substrates. For example: concrete, stone, steel, Copper, painted surfaces etc.

The coating technology is based either on nano coatings or silicone.

Anti-Algae

If you have issues with algae build up, whether by the sea or within inland lakes and ponds, Blocksil has a coating solution.

The coating solution may prevent algae growth in the first place or it may be designed to kill the algae.

The coating choice is between nano coatings and silicone hybrids, with an extra option of a specific algae killing additive.

The sea defences at Blackpool, in the north west of England, have been successfully coated by Blocksil, partly for anti-graffiti and partly for anti-algae purposes.

Application Support

We can offer a range of solutions from supply only through to ‘Supply and Apply’ through our associate company Churchill PPS. All application work would be carried out at the client’s site.

Reverse Engineering

We excel at reverse engineering. All we need from you are samples of the coated component and a detailed brief of what you want from us.

And simply because we’ve not listed your coating need on our website doesn’t mean we can’t help you.

Our knowledge base is worldwide yet we are based locally. And no job is too small or too large.

Patents

We are experienced in patenting coatings and coating application solutions and we offer this service through our attorney partners.

A patent is a government licence conferring a right or title to an invention for a set period of time for the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling your invention.

In summary, the patent process is as follows:

• The start of a UK patent registration system is the filing of the patent application at the UK Intellectual Property Office.
• After filing, what is called a novelty search has to be completed. This official search is designed to discover earlier documents which might describe the invention. In other words, your invention might have been invented by someone before you.
  A search request must be filed at the UK Intellectual Property Office within twelve months of the date of filing the original patent application.
• An Intellectual Property Office examiner will search through selected publications and will produce a list considered to be relevant to the potential patent application of the claimed invention. The search usually takes about six months to complete.
• A patent application is automatically published approximately eighteen months after the filing date of the original patent application.
• Within six months of publication it is necessary to request the Intellectual Property Office to carry out a substantive examination of the application.
  Examination can be requested earlier if required. During examination the specification and the results of the novelty search will be reviewed. Any objections to granting the patent will be reported.
  These objections must be overcome by argument and / or amendment of the specification before a patent can be obtained.
  In the UK there is no opposition procedure for third parties to challenge the patent, but they can draw relevant material to the attention of the examiner before the patent is granted.
• Once the examiner is satisfied that all objections have been overcome, the application is accepted and a patent is subsequently granted.
  Typically this can be four to five years from the date of filing.
  Subject to payment of annual renewal fees, the term of a patent is twenty years from its initial filing date.

The whole patent process is quite slow as you can see, but then Blocksil is going to be here for a long time.