Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/752514
POWDER COATING, November 2016 7 and regulatory manager, with the award for her exceptional industry contribu- tions. For the past seven years, Johnston has worked with CPCA in various roles, and also represents CPCA on the gov- ernment of Canada's Workplace Haz- ardous Materials Information System Current Issues Committee. Engineers tout ultrarobust waterproof coating CANBERRA, Aus.—Scientists in Aus- tralia have announced a new superhy- drophobic protective coating that could one day find uses ranging from prevent- ing ice formation on airplanes and pro- tecting boat hulls from corrosion to wa- terproofing mobile phones. That's be- cause their new spray-on material boasts a remarkable ability to repel water, ac- cording to scientists at the Australian National University (ANU). The ultrarobust coating can be applied to clay, stone, bricks, cardboard, wood, paper, metal, plastics, windows, building materials, and marine applications. And whereas existing superhydrophobic coat- ings are reported to be very susceptible to wear damage, the ANU team says it was able to retain the micro nanostructures of its coating, even after extensive wear. The team was able to develop a coating more robust than existing coatings be- cause it was created by combining two plastics–one tough and one flexible. The two plastics, polymethyl methacrylate and polyurethane, make the coating up to 60 times more functionally robust than other test materials. They also developed two ways of creating the material, which happen to be cheaper and easier than cur- rent manufacturing processes. One method uses a flame to generate the nanoparticle constituents of the material. For lower temperature applications, the team dissolved the two components into a sprayable form. The water-repellent coating is also transparent and extremely resistant to ultraviolet radiation. In addition to waterproofing, the ability to control the properties of materials could be applied to a wide range of other coatings. For instance, the same principles could be applied to func- tional coatings to make them more ro- bust in order to be anticorrosive, self- cleaning, or oil-repellent. Dow to lay off 2,500 workers MIDLAND, Mich.—Within weeks of The Dow Chemical Co,'s completion of its strategic ownership restructuring of Dow Corning Corp., the specialty chem- ical giant announced the elimination of 2,500 jobs as part of the integration process. In addition to the job cuts, which reduce Dow's workforce by 4 percent, the company said it would be closing two sil- icone manufacturing sites as well as other administrative corporate and manufac- turing locations. Dow frames the actions as a means to better accelerate the antici- pated benefits of the restructuring while increasing value for shareholders. Dow anticipates its integration of Dow Corning's silicone technologies and products will help it expand its footing in high-growth, high-value markets such as building and construction, transportation, and others. Having spent $4.8 billion to end the 73-year joint venture, Dow expects the deal to achieve approximately $500 million in annual savings. It also expects the own- ership change to deliver $1 billion of ad- ditional annual earnings. Dow Corning will operate as a wholly owned sub- sidiary of Dow, and will be headquar- tered with Dow in Midland. In an effort to consolidate its workforce and operations, Dow said it plans to eliminate 2,500 positions globally over the next two years. Employee notifica- tion has already begun, but the com- pany will work to place affected em- ployees into other open roles within the company if eligible. In addition to the workforce reduction, the company in- tends to shutter select administrative, corporate, and manufacturing facilities as a means to further enhance competi- tiveness and streamline costs associated with the deal. Additional savings are ex- pected from actions to institute materi- als and maintenance best practices, standardize energy contracts at large sites, optimize warehouse and logistics assets, consolidate IT service, and make better use of existing research and devel- opment systems. President Obama signs bipartisan bill to update the TSCA WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Barack Obama has signed a bipartisan