Construction World April 2019

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Waterproofing IN BOTSWANA A world-renowned high-performance coating supplied by a.b.e. Construction Chemicals was used to waterproof and protect several sections of a new Chloride Batteries factory in Botswana.

N oel Abendroth, a.b.e. National Sales Manager: VIP High Performance Coatings, says a.b.e.-approved applicators, Diamond Linings, applied VIP pure Polyurea Quickspray Industrial coating to a total surface area of over 2 400 m 2 to waterproof the new factory in Phakalane, an industrial area near Gaborone, the Botswanan capital. a.b.e. Construction Chemicals – part of the Chryso Southern Africa Group – holds the exclusive Southern African distribution rights for the full range of protective coatings and joint fillers produced by VIP (Voelkel Industrie Produkte) in Germany. “VIP pure Polyurea Quickspray Industrial is a fast setting, 100% solid coating/elastomer with an intricate pore density that provides excellent corrosion protection to all substrates. The product reacts within seconds and once cured, leaves a flexible, durable and rough surface. It is suitable as protective coating for virtually any surface including concrete, steel, wood, polystyrene, fibre glass, and plastic. “It is also not affected by moisture and fluctuations of temperature and has high elongation and superior tensile strength. This means there is little or no downtime during repairs or while applying the coatings – even outdoors under adverse weather conditions,” Abendroth states. Renowned for durability, protection, ease of application, and turnaround times, VIP’s innovative, two-part polymers cure in seconds to form a seamless, rubber-like skin that is not only waterproof but also highly resistant to impact, punctures, corrosion,

chemical attack, and abrasion. “As VIP High Performance coatings contain no VOCs and are solvent-free, they are now increasingly popular as environmental-friendly sealants,” Abendroth adds. 

BENEFITS OF EXPANDED METAL Durable, dependable and incredibly versatile, Mentis Expanded Metal continues to be an economical and cost effective material. The manufacturing process ensures optimummaterial integrity and strength and allows it to be used for a wide range of applications.

material is made by slitting and expanding a solid sheet of metal into a web of diamonds. “The metal sheet can, in fact, be expanded up to ten times its original size, losing no material in the process and resulting in a remarkably light mesh,” he says. “And expanded metal offers flexibility because it is available in a variety of sizes and materials.” One of the most important features of expanded metal is its inherent structural integrity and strength. Quinlan says this facilitated by the network of rigid strands which also permit light and air to pass freely through it. The material is also lighter than the original equivalent mass. High quality local mild steel is used in the manufacturing process, but any other ductile metal is also suitable. The finished product can be painted, stove-enamelled, plated and galvanised. The company produces expanded metal with a raised mesh, known as Mentex, and with a flattened surface, known as Flatex. Quinlan says that the most appropriate type of expanded metal is selected depending on the application ion which the material will be used. The range of mesh sizes and thicknesses of both Mentex and Flatex is extensive and the expanded metal can be bent, shaped to radii, angled or notched. Customers can select a broad spectrum of mesh sizes, from the smallest mini-meshes with openings of 2 mm by 4 mm and a thickness of 0,4 millimetres to the larger versions with openings of 75 mm by 200 mm and a thickness of 6 mm. 

L ance Quinlan, national technical sales consultant at Andrew Mentis, one of the country’s foremost engineering and manufacturing companies based in Elandsfontein, explains that the The range of mesh sizes and thicknesses of both Mentex and Flatex is extensive and the expanded metal can be bent, shaped to radii, angled or notched.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD APRIL 2019