Lumiflon Press Release
Posted on Apr 24 2002 at 12:00 AM
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THE ARCHITECTURAL COATING THAT PROTECTS THE WORLD’S LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE IS NOW AVAILABLE TO BRIDGE BUILDERS IN THE U.S.


Asahi Glass Company Introduces Lumiflon To The US Market



CHARLOTTE, NC, APRIL 24, 2002—AGA Chemicals Inc., a subsidiary of Japan’s Asahi Glass Company, is now offering Lumiflon, the architectural coating that covers and protects some of the most spectacular bridges, to the US bridge building community. Lumiflon, a backbone ingredient for heavy-duty paint, has been used on numerous bridges throughout Asia, including Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge, the Daiichi Mukaiyama Bridge in Hiroshima, and Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge _ the world’s longest suspension bridge. The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge connects mainland Japan to the island of Shikoku and stretches 12,828 feet — 4 times the length of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Lumiflon was developed in 1982 as the first solvent-soluble fluoroploymer for coatings that can be cured under room temperatures. Since then, fluoro paints based on the Lumiflon raw material have been produced by many paint makers in Japan and other countries and applied successfully to over 150,000 architectural structures worldwide. In fact, in October 2000 the bridge coating subcommittee of Japan’s Society of Steel Contruction determined that Lumiflon-based paints could last 50 years on bridges inland and 30 years by the ocean.

One of the main benefits of Lumiflon is that it extends the life of a coating by boosting its weatherability, often by as much as five years. Lumiflon also prevents corrosion due to elements such as water, oxygen, and chlorine. This means that the cost of re-painting, which includes labor, paint, and potential closure during renovation, is greatly decreased over the lifetime of the paint job. Because of its superior weatherability, Lumiflon has a more affordable lifetime cost when compared to common hydrocarbon-based coatings on the market today. In addition, Lumiflon can be combined with various types of resins to create a long-lasting coating.

“Lumiflon has been used as a bridge coating all over Asia and has developed a strong reputation overseas for its superior durability and gloss,” stated Ron Quail, US National Sales Business Manager. “That reputation has followed Lumiflon to America, where we are already testing products to paint American bridges. We have started working on several bridge projects in the US and are very pleased to bring the benefits of Lumiflon to the U.S. bridge building market.”

Asahi Glass Company Ltd. of Japan markets Lumiflon in the US through AGA Chemicals, its marketing, distribution and sales subsidiary in North America. For more information on Lumiflon coatings call 704-329-7614 or visit www.lumiflon.com.