Coatings
New Varnish Goes Formaldehyde Free
The Product Finishes Division of Sherwin-Williams has developed the formaldehyde-free Sher-Wood® F3 Kemvar® varnish for industrial wood finishing applications. As a drop-in replacement for conventional conversion varnish technology, finishers can now meet the high performance and appearance expectations of their customers while addressing the growing interest in reducing indoor air contaminants, such as formaldehyde.

The Sher-Wood® F3 Kemvar® varnish is the first offering in Sherwin-Williams line of F3- formaldehyde free finishing products, with other Sher-Wood® F3 topcoats and sealers to be launched in the coming months. The company says that once complete the F3 product offering will meet the varied performance and technology needs of industrial wood finishers across markets and industries.
http://oem.sherwin.com

Get a Wood Finish for Fiberglass
If you are looking for a waterborne stain to offer a wood finish for fiberglass doors, Evotech Industrial Coatings, offers its 528 stain series to meet these needs. The series offers a flexible coating for fiberglass doors, that provides a rich and warm wood appearance, but without the cost or maintenance, according to company literature.

Other advantages cited include a coating that is isocyanate free, low VOCs and low heat build up. In addition, it is durable in all weather conditions and available in a variety of colors including red oak, red mahogany, Sedona red, red chestnut, cherry and dark walnut.

The series also features a satin finish that comes with a 10-year warranty, adheres well to PVC, fiberglass, pre-painted steel and other synthetic substrates.

The coatings also meet AAMA 613-02 specifications.
http://www.evotechind.com

Finishing Touches
Midwest Prefinishing in Middleton, Wis., offers the ProFinish™ finishing process that it says combines the latest technologies, quality control checks and many other details designed to help manufacturers save money. For example, the company offers a top-flight spray, color and curing technology it says offers consistent quality. Other details include a hand-wiped oil finish, accurate, custom-color capabilities and large production capacity that helps reduce lead times.

Through its process, the company says doors are sanded as needed with a combination of wide belt, random and touch-up sanding. The stain is sprayed onto the door automatically in a controlled path and movement, and sealer is also spayed in metered, consistent amounts and often cured. Doors are also mechanically and hand-sanded, sprayed with a topcoat and dried in an infrared oven. The company adds that moulding prefinishing is performed in the same controlled manner.
http://www.midwestprefinishing.com

Hardware
Secure and Sustainable Solutions
Sustainability and security are primary concerns for window companies. To address these needs Securistyle has expanded its offerings with two new products, the Defender door lock and the Parallel Plus hinge.

“Unlike any other multi-point door lock, [the Defender] offers excellent flexibility so that homeowners can be secure in their properties, but have an easy escape route in the event of a fire. The Defender door lock allows the door to be secure from the outside—conforming to all relevant standards, while the inside of the door is unlocked allowing easy escape in the event of a fire,” says sales manager Paul Joyce.

The lock has a fully secure mode, which not only helps prevent burglars from getting in from outside, but also prevents them from using the door as their escape route if they gain entry by other means. It also has two other settings that allow the door to be closed but not locked and to allow it to be locked from the inside and out with a key.

Joyce says the Parallel Plus hinge is perfect for green buildings.

“This hinge system is a unique product that offers excellent natural ventilation by providing a balanced airflow around the entire window opening. The Parallel Plus has also tripled the weight of window sash that can be operated manually. In the past windows weighing 60kg needed to be motorised, but the Parallel Plus hinge system allows vents of up to 200kg in weight and 2.5 metres in height to be manually operated. It’s a particularly popular system because installing parallel opening windows into the building façade is the most effective way to achieve a sustainable, naturally ventilated solution and being able to maintain the parallel aesthetics when the window is open.”
http://www.securistyle.co.uk

SCREENS
To the Max
Screen manufacturer Stoett Industries in Defiance, Ohio, now uses WeatherMax 80 fabric by Safety Components to create enclosures that withstand harsh weather while still maintaining aesthetics.

The company says because its vertical panels are pulled up and down frequently, the fabric must be lightweight yet durable. WeatherMax, it adds, has twice the strength and six times the abrasion resistance of acrylic and is recyclable. It also has a HydroMax finish that can repel water and is breathable, limiting the growth of mold and mildew.

WeatherMax 80 fabric is available in 20 colors.
http://www.stoett.com

Sun Windows Selects Quanex for Replacement Window Screens
Quanex Building Products announced a new partner with its growing online resource for made-to-order door and window replacement screens and grilles. Quanex’s ScreenItAgain.com has been selected to provide replacement window screens for Sun Windows, Inc., a supplier of windows that are available through authorized dealers across more than a dozen midwestern and southern states.

“Sun Windows Inc. is excited about the opportunity to best serve our end users through this new innovative and intuitive website for replacement screen products,” said Frank Anderson, president of Sun Windows.

ScreenItAgain’s production facilities are optimized for precision craftsmanship and fast turnaround. Once an order has been confirmed, the ScreenItAgain production team takes over and product is guaranteed to ship within three business days.
http://www.quanex.com

No Bugs About It
Interlock USA has upgraded its HEMISPHERE™ retractable insect screen with a number of new features designed to deliver heightened performance and more options.

Included in the upgrades are a number of new finishes. Three powder-coat colors, black, gray, and white, are available for aesthetic diversity and architectural options. In addition, the screens have been engineered to accommodate applications of greater magnitude. They are now available in 9-foot, 9.8-foot and 10.5-foot heights.

Also, newly designed adjustment blocks no longer require fixing screws, and are delivered pre-assembled for quick installation.
Likewise, the company adds that the screens feature easy-to-install cord cassettes with greater tolerance for double screen applications.

In addition, the top track, bottom channel and jamb mount aluminum extrusions come pre-drilled and countersunk; top cover strips have been eliminated and replaced by cassette retainer clips, which snap into place, preventing bowing of the cassettes under tension; and the new screen now features handle bar cover strips designed to conceal the handle and adjustment block channels.
http://www.interlockna.com

GLASS
New Spaces
Pilkington North America Inc. says it is now offering a solution for balancing historical preservation with modern comfort and environmental requirements with its new Pilkington Spacia™, a vacuum construction that seals low-E glass with clear float glass with a thin vacuum layer. With an overall slim profile, it can be used in existing frames in older buildings and maintains the building’s original aesthetics while providing modern comfort.

According to the company, the new vacuum glazing can help improve energy costs and acoustic performance, as it offers improved thermal insulation compared to single glazing. The vacuum gap also helps reduce heat flow by minimizing convection and conduction between the glass lites. The gap between the two lites can be as small as 0.2 mm, giving an overall thickness of just over 6 mm, according to the company. Heat loss through radiation is limited through one of the glass lites having a low-E coating, similar to that used in conventional modern double glazing.
http://www.pilkington.com/na

WINDOWS
Window Expansions
Vytex Windows has expanded its window offerings with the new Fortis Series®, which it says has an R-50 DP rating and an air infiltration rating of 0.05 cfm/ft2. The main frame sill has three sealing locations, including a structural sill interlock that nests into a receptor on the bottom sash. This, coupled with a frame sill dam that is mortised behind the jambs, provides for increased structural integrity and decreased air and water infiltration, according to the company. The new series comes standard with VyCore™ insulating foam in the frame and sash members as well as ThermaCore™ composite reinforcement in the meeting rails. The standard dual-pane low-E/argon double-hung unit achieves a 0.26 U-Value, with U-Values as low as 0.16 in a triple pane configuration, the company adds. An R-5 dual-pane insulating glass unit with out hard coat low-E on surface number 4 is also optional. 

The Fortis Series® utilizes a new, inverted constant force balance system that the company says provides up to a 50-percent reduction in operating force for a smoother operation compared to typical balance systems. 
http://www.vytexwindows.com

Play it Safe
The latest from Gorell was developed with child safety in mind. The new window opening control device (WOCD) is optional on the company’s double-hung, single-hung and sliding window models. As a ventilation limit latch, the WOCD is “always on,” designed to make it less likely that a child could open a window and accidentally fall out.

WOCDs can replace the company’s existing ventilation latches for homeowners who need to comply with new building codes to help prevent children from falling out of second-story (or higher) windows. The option is also ideal for those who are concerned about child safety. The WOCDs feature a bright red color and always stick out—they must be operated to open the sash more than 4 inches—unlike standard vent latches, which can be toggled on or off.

The new WOCDs meet the fall protection requirements of ASTM F2090-08 and ASTM F2006-10, according to the company.
http://www.gorell.com

Assuring Performance
WinDoor Inc.’s V-100 Series, vinyl tilt and turn has undergone a number of testing and certifications that demonstrate performance abilities. The window achieved Anti-Terrorism Force Protection protocols under the ASTM F 1642-04 and the GSA TS01 testing requirements. The V-100 series, according to WinDoor, achieved Performance Criteria 1 and Protection Level Safe, with a Hazard Level None under the GSA qualifying conditions. Under the ASTM test hazard condition it achieved, No Break. The size tested was a 48- x 72-inch unit and all blast test calculations were performed by a third-party licensed engineer in accordance with UFC requirements.

In addition, the series achieved the R-5 super-insulating standard by the National Fenestration Rating Council. According to the company, test labs certified a U-factor of 0.18 and SGHC of 0.05, qualifying for R-5 category under the DOE’s guidelines.

The company notes that the V-100 window has design loads of non-impact +130/-150 and impact qualifications of +100/-130, as well as water performances up to 30 PSF and air infiltration as low as .014.
http://www.windoorinc.com

Need to Hydro-Treat Your Lumber?
Are you looking for equipment to aid in hydro-thermo-treatment for lumber? If so, CS Industries, based in Suwanee, Ga., offers equipment for optimizing your rough mill. The company explains that thermo modification of lumber is a new process in which lumber is exposed to high temperature and low oxygen for controlled time periods. The process results in structural changes offering dimensional stability, durability and weather-resistant qualities while also darkening the wood uniformly.

TOOLS
Accuracy Assured
To help companies determine the argon and krypton levels in glass layers, the Check Point portable O2 analyzer is now available from PBI-Dansensor America Inc. in Glen Rock, N.J.

According to the company, the analyzer features a small, compact ergonomic design and operates on four AA batteries for a minimum of 2500 measurements. The O2 sensor is electrochemical and the O2 sample volume is less than 15 ml. The company says accuracy is 0.2 percent in the range of 0 to 10 percent; 2 percent relative in the range of 10 to 100 percent.

In addition, the Check Point II portable analyzer with data logging/download capabilities and optional bar code scanner is also available.
http://www.pbi-dansensor.com

LIT BITS
Highlighting Product Details
Ventana USA has created a new brochure titled “Light – Open Space – Comfort,” about its Euro lift and slide doors. The brochure is designed for window manufacturers in communications with end customers, builders and architects.

Featuring large format photographs, the brochure details numerous applications for the lift and slide doors. Also included are technical details as well as product advantages such as energy efficiency, operating comfort, barrier-free thresholds and light-filled rooms.
http://www.ventana-usa.com

DWM
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