Plastics-coated Steel Possibilities
Page 38
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N" processes and materials are often described as revolutionary, but sometimes with no real justification. However, this term might well be applied to the new British material Stelvetite, a..John Summers product comprised of. .polyvinyl chloride,_ provided by B.X. Plastics, bonded to sheet steel.
This plastic's coat, With a thickness of about 0.014 in., is added in the form )if sheet applied to steel strip, at present up to 4 ft. wide, through the medium of a suitable adhesive, under comparatively low pressure and at a cost akin to that of . good-quality enamel.
This coated sheet can be provided in a variety of colours and plain or embossed as required, whilst the exposed side of the steel can be treated by one of the ordinary methods of protection. Moreover, in fabricating articles from it, normal processes, such as welding, bending and even deep drawing, can readily be adopted.
The p.v.c. coating will, no doubt, not only resist corrosion, but will provide a surface difficult to scratch and easily reparable in case of damage. Think what this would mean to the user of commercial vehicles. Painting would• be obviated, cleaning could be effected with detergents and the cost of the, often frequent, repaints' would be avoided.
At present an immense tonnage of sheet steel with various protective finishes, such as galvanizing, is used. Much of this might be replaced by this new product. There arc, of course, many other uses to which such a material as this could be put, but the fine surface which could be produced during manufacture, and which would, no doubt, be retained almost permanently, would seem to make Stelvetite one which possesses great potentialities for our industry, provided that the price, which must be considered in relation to other savings, is on a par with other • materials now employed and their useful life.