The most powerful "green" cleaners on the market

We are very pleased to announce our new range of ecologically-friendly RENEW products from sales partner Techspray.

The innovative Techspray RENEW line takes advantage of current green technology, and still maintains the cleaning strength Techspray products are known for. Techspray’s goal was to create eco-friendly products that surpass what is currently available on the market by taking advantage of our decades of experience in solvent cleaning. Initial feedback from customers indicates they’ve hit the mark!

The benefits of RENEW products are many, including:
• Low Ecological Impact - low VOCs and no global warming impact
• Sustainable and Biodegradable - uses materials such as corn-based ethanol, seed oils, soy-based oils, and citrus-based oils
• Recycled/Recyclable Packaging
• Regulatory Compliant - meets European REACH and WEEE requirements

Two innovative products in particular are designed specifically for industrial applications: ECO-SHINE™ Glass and Surface Cleaner and ECO-SHOWER™ Cleaner and Degreaser. Both are effective, safe, and eco-friendly, and feature the following advantages:
• Non-flammable
• Biodegradable
• Low VOC, zero GWP
• Non-ozone depleting

ECO-SHINE™ Glass and Surface Cleaner cleans glass, stainless steel, chrome, mirrors, tile, plastic, ceramic, and enamel. It vigorously removes fingerprints, light oils and other soils, all while leaving behind a streak-free finish.

ECO-SHOWER™ Cleaner and Degreaser uses naturally-based ingredients like citrus and soy oils to soak in and quickly cut through oil and grease. ECO-SHOWER Cleaner and Degreaser can be used full strength for heavy grease or diluted with water for general cleaning. It is ideally used for cleaning tools, parts, shop equipment, motors, and industrial working surfaces, and leaves behind a high-gloss finish, perfect for use with stainless steel.

The Techspray lab has worked vigorously to give our customers ecologically sustainable alternatives that will suit their needs.

Mixing it

James Kent (Ceramic Materials) Ltd had relied for many years on a manual mixing system for their research and quality control of specialist glass powders, but embarked on a search for a process solution that would be more effective, more consistent, quicker and simpler. The glass powders produced by James Kent Ltd are tailored to customer need – primarily for dental fillers and restorers, they vary from 0.5 to 10 microns average particle size. For testing purposes the glass powder needs to be mixed with a high viscosity acrylic resin monomer to check for high transparency and low discolouration – but the manual process, while well understood, continued to give problems of non-homogeneity and air inclusion, both of which preclude colour checking of the glass.

The search for an improved system led Dr Philip Frampton to the Thinky ARE-250, which incorporates both planetary mixing and centrifugal degassing in one unit.

Tests with the Thinky equipment involved mixing 60% glass with 40% acrylic by weight in viscosities varying from “thick honey to stiff bubble gum,” according to Dr Frampton. Empirical investigation supported by our advice rapidly determined suitable program parameters based on viscosity and these samples were then pressed and cured into standard £2 coin sized discs for comparison with established colour standards.

Dr Frampton explained “James Kent are one of probably only 4 or 5 companies in the world operating at the top level in this technology and we were looking to improve the mixing stage as a first step to overall improvement of our glass grinding process. Intertronic’s expertise and supply of the Thinky mixer has allowed us to achieve that initial goal in a single operation – so now we have a reliable quality control process we can move to purchase of a spectro-photometer. This will enable us to refine our operation further toward development of an even cleaner and finer grinding process.”

The mixing of glass and ceramic powders into resins is a perfect job for a Thinky mixer!

Clock this!

World renowned clocks have been made in Derby since the mid-1700's, when clockmaker John Whithurst entertained his friends Benjamin Franklin and Erasmus Darwin (grandfather of Charles Darwin) at his house in Queen Street. So, when the Finesse Collection of hotels were planning the reception area of their new boutique hotel in the town it was natural that they seek out the present day flag carriers of the Whithurst brand. Smith of Derby worked closely with James Blick, the Hotelier, to derive a contemporary design in keeping with the modern refurbishment of their traditional building.

The spectacular design by Kevin Litchfield did however call for some very specialist work. Explains Kevin, “We needed to fit a glass map of the world into a fine stainless steel frame. The two-part adhesive we were using gave us problems so we called the team at INTERTRONICS to discuss a UV cure alternative. Paul Whitehead arrived two hours later and basically did the job there and then.”

Our solution was to use DYMAX 429, which allowed plenty of time to accurately position the one-off and highly expensive components before rapid curing initiated with an IUV 250 UV Curing Flood Lamp. Paul described the situation, “They were having problems getting the joint bubble free using a two-part epoxy – whereas the DYMAX 429 completely eliminated this problem and gave a virtually invisible bond in a matter of minutes.”

Reaction to the finished clock has been extremely positive with its unusual two-part electromechanical construction showing local time in one quadrant and global time in the other. The two elements are actually two separate clocks. One shows local time, indicative to the quarter of an hour. From 12am to 12pm (and vice versa) the hand travels through the quadrant, there are hour and quarter hour markings. As an example, if it is 11:59, the hand would be positioned at the bottom of the quadrant pointing downwards. At 12:00 the hand would travel back through the quadrant.

The second clock depicts world times through 24 zones – or the 24 countries mentioned on the clock itself. The reference point for clock is the UK, and then countries were selected that were an hour apart from the previous one. When looking at the clock the world map travels around and the time can be taken from the dial that surrounds the globe.

This was clearly a unique one-off situation with very expensive components where no mistake could be allowed for – but it was also a valuable learning experience and we understand that Smith of Derby already have another commission with similar requirements and already know the solution – DYMAX 429 UV Curing Glass Adhesive.

Not just flying high, cooking too

Part of our range of silicone adhesive/sealants from ACC, the Silcoset range has a long-established reputation. They are approved for use by the MOD and Rolls Royce in aerospace and other critical applications.

With high temperature resistance and good adhesion, you would expect there to be other, perhaps more conventional, applications as well. You would be correct. Silcoset 158 is the product of choice for fixing glass panels onto doors and hinges in domestic ovens.

It's clear: Opti-tec 5013 is great for glass bonding!

We sell a lot of UV adhesives for glass bonding - this application is perfect for UV curing, and we have a lot of capability.

Sometimes, our customers need another solution. For example, they might not have a UV curing lamp, and the production volumes do not justify a purchase at this stage.

In these cases, we invariably recommend Opti-tec 5013, which is a two part clear epoxy which bonds very well to glass (and metal). It has the viscosity of honey, which means it is fairly easy to use, and a fast cure time, which minimises fixturing and holding. It is supplied in a convenient side-by-side double syringe cartridge.

Opti-tec 5013 is used for bonding and repairing glass