Company Announcement - Protective layers of two new versions of a.b.e. Construction Chemicals' popular VIP Polyurea coatings have been applied to contrasting projects recently - including one where competitors' Polyurea coatings and their applicators had produced four rapid failures.  a.b .e. - part of the Chryso Southern Africa Group - is the licensed South African distributor of the German Voelkel Industrie Produkte (VIP) range of Polyurea protective coatings and joint fillers. Noel Abendroth, a.b.e. Polyurea Performance Coatings Division Manager, says the new version of VIP Polyurea, VIP QuickSeal LP 65, is a modified polyurea elastomer especially designed for easy, low pressure waterproofing application in a wide range of climatic conditions. "The product contains no solvents or VOCs and is designed to be sprayed through a low pressure spray machine. It is an economical lining for a wide range of applications requiring a robust, durable, flexible water-tight membrane," Abendroth stated.

VIP QuickSeal LP 65 Polyurea coating  was recently selected to seal five spawning and six juvenile prawn tanks at the Bosasa Aquaculture prawn farm in Krugersdorp. Coatings for about 500 square metres of pre-fab steel sheet tank surfaces have already been supplied by a.b.e. and the company is scheduled to provide additional volumes in future for the farm's  fresh and salt water tanks. 
In addition, VIP QuickSeal LP 65 coating was also chosen to line two old prison cells at Bosasa which have been converted into 1,2 metre high concrete tanks. The large prawn tanks - which also hold both fresh and salt water - are 100 metres by 50 metres in diameter.

"Bosasa selected VIP QuickSeal LP 65 Polyurea because polyurethane coatings' permeance  levels would not have been adequate. The prawn farm also wanted to do the application in-house and so opted for a low pressure Polyurea version instead of the high pressure, hot spray system which calls for more specialised application," Abendroth explained.

Among the many and varied benefits  of VIP Quickseal LP 65 are:
*   Fast reactivity and cure times - even in harsh climatic conditions;
               *  Spray application which produces a seamless finish without joints;
               *  Can be applied across multiple substrate types in a single application;
                *  Can be built to any thickness, also in just one application;
                *  Strong resistance to saltwater as well as chemicals, cleaners, fuels, and oils; and
                *  Excellent adhesion to concrete, steel, aluminium, wood, foam and other surfaces.

The second project for which VIP Polyurea QuickSeal was selected was for the repair of expansion joints in the raised parking deck of the new Baywest Shopping Centre, now under construction in Port Elizabeth. "The call for VIP Polyurea QuickSeal came after no fewer than four failures in a period of only four months,  using competitors' Polyurea and their applicators. For this rescue mission, a.b.e.'s  approved applicators, Thermoseal, used VIP QuickSeal PP 350, a pure polyurea which  offers exceptionally high tensile strength for the 700 square metres of joints that had to be repaired. Thermoseal completed the repair project in about two-and-a-half weeks, in time for the Centre's official opening on May 21."

Recently launched on the SA market, VIP QuickSeal PP 350 is a spray applied, instant curing flexible membrane that can also be built to any thickness in one application, in virtually all environmental conditions. Very cold, very hot or even very humid environments will not affect curing time or physical performance of VIP QuickSeal PP350. "VIP QuickSeal PP350 provides flexible, seamless, hard-wearing substrate protection for a wide range of substrates. Its rapid spray application and instant curing characteristics enable shorter shutdown times than traditional glue," Abendroth stated.

Among this product's features are:
*  Extremely fast application time;
*  Tack free in seconds – it can be walked on within minutes;
*   High elongation at break;
*   No need for protector boards during back filling; and 
*   High abrasion resistance and excellent thermal stability.