More than 40 years ago, while many of us where still in school, a brilliant man in Europe named Ir. Pieter Gillis de Lange was working to come up with a new coating material that would radically reduce VOCs compared to traditional solvent-based coatings.

Pieter de Lange was an R&D manager at powder coating manufacturer Teodur (now DuPont Teodur) in Breda, the Netherlands. He graduated in chemistry and chemical techology at the Technical University of Delft and joined the paint industry in 1952. Drawing on his extensive experience working on the research and development of various types of wet and powder paints, in 1961, he developed one of the first commercially available, electrostatically applied, thermosetting epoxy powder coatings.

Mr. de Lange became widely known as a powder coating pioneer and expert in Europe but was less well known here in the United States.

Though he retired in 1989, he continued to work in the powder coating field as a consultant for Teodur. Much of his research activities were published in more than 40 articles in various magazines. For his combined fundamental and practical powder coating research, he received the FATIPEC Award in 1976. Some years ago, Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands appointed him "Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion" for the "extraordinary way in which he fulfilled his very successful life-time work regarding Powder Coatings."

Recently, I received an e-mail from a friend in Europe informing me that Mr. de Lange had died. He was a very important person to the coatings industry and a fine gentleman. His death is a loss to us all. Pieter de Lange was a genuinely nice man and so important to the coatings world, and I felt privileged to have known him. I met Dr. de Lange in 2003 while traveling in Belgium with DuPont Powder Coatings Star Coaters group on a business study tour of Europe. He was in his 70s and working on completion of his new book, a completely updated version of Dr. Misev's book "Powder Coatings - Chemistry and Technology," written 13 years ago (available at www.coatings.de). It is an excellent text with valuable information on powder formulation, application and attributes. This book is just one more major contribution to the powder coating industry from this extraordinary gentleman.

Over lunch one day in Belgium in 2003, Mr. de Lange shared his story of the invention of powder coating with us and spent time with us answering questions and talking about his work. We had not met before this trip but he had attended one of my presentations at a powder coating event in Amsterdam, and naturally I had heard of his work and read material he wrote. It was a unique experience to spend time with someone who had been involved with the powder process from the very beginning.

After that meeting, I had a few opportunities to communicate with Mr. de Lange and he wrote some materials for our magazine and advised me on issues related to powder coating chemistry. It was an honor to have known him, however briefly and I was sad to hear that he had passed. We salute you, Mr. de Lange, and thank you for your immense contribution to our industry.

FTS Receives Environmental Leadership Award

FTS Technologies, Flint, Mich., owners of the ATmaP (Accelerated Thermo-Molecular Adhesion Process) Surface Treatment Technology have received third place honors at DaimlerChrysler's biannual Environmental Leadership Awards ceremony held in Magdeburg, Germany. ATmaP is designed to eliminate the use of environmentally damaging adhesion promoting primers in the manufacture of painted automotive components.

This co-sponsored event, held between DaimlerChrysler and the United Nations Environment Programme, was contested by 125 teams from DaimlerChrysler and their partners from around the world. These awards are designed to promote innovative thinking and encourage the adoption of new technologies and manufacturing practices that enable DaimlerChrysler and their tier suppliers to become more environmentally responsible.

The ATmaP Surface Treatment Technology is a process of grafting a water-borne nitrogen-based coupling agent into the surface of a material being treated via atomization and vaporization through the center of a Cirqual gas burner. When the Cirqual flame (with the atomized and vaporized coupling agent) contacts a component being treated, it chemically bonds oxides of Nitrogen into its surface providing exceptional bonding sites for paint or other coating adhesion. ATmaP achieves a level of paint adhesion that far exceeds that obtainable via the use of current chlorinated polyolefin adhesion promoting primers and does so as a cheaper, 100 percent environmentally friendly process, with no discharge of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

On November 15, 2005, the nominated team, which included members from FTS Technologies as well as DaimlerChrysler Jeep Truck Engineering, received third place honors based on the ATmaP technologies pilot application involving the complete removal of adhesion promoting primers from a Dodge Dakota Wheel Flare program manufactured by a DaimlerChrysler supplier.

CLARIFICATION

The story in our October 2005 issue on page 29, "Dye Sublimation for Powder Coating," neglected to mention contact information for Kolorfusion, the maker of the dye sublimation for powder coatings process. To contact Kolorfusion, visit www.kolor fusion.com or call 303-690-3910.

BRIEFS

Bunge announced that its new web site dedicated to Biphor white pigment is up and running and located at www.biphorpigments.com.

Clariant's Pigments & Additives Division, a global market leader for organic pigments and additives, announces a significant price increase of selected products that became effective December 1, 2005. Main drivers for this price increase are the continuously rising costs of raw materials, energy, and logistics. Clariant says it is obliged to undertake this price adjustment, which reflects the changing business environment.

PEOPLE

Wagner Systems Inc., Carol Stream, Ill., has hired Bruce Bryan as regional sales manager. Bryan has more than 20 years of experience in the finishing industry, with the majority of that time involved with powder coating equipment and systems. He is active with the Powder Coating Institute (PCI) and serves on the local and national boards of the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI). Bruce will be responsible for powder systems sales and distributor coordination within his territory, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

Tiger Drylac Canada Inc., a Guelph-based powder coatings manufacturer, appointed Larry McNeely vice president of marketing and sales. McNeely's experience in Canada and Europe encompasses management roles ranging from creating new business opportunities to streamlining operations and heading up sales divisions. Most recently he was a group executive vice president for a powder coatings company based in Europe.

Steve Joest was named technical sales manager, coatings and plastics, for Eckart America Corp. In his new role, Joest will work closely with customers to understand their specific needs and applications for special effects products. He brings more than 25 years of sales and technical experience to the company.