About

What are LUMIFLON Resins?

With their superior performance and life cycle cost advantages, it’s no wonder fluororesin paints based on LUMIFLON have been applied to more than 150,000 industrial and architectural structures worldwide.

LUMIFLON based coatings maintain gloss and color when applied to buildings, bridges, water towers, aircraft, automobiles, and other structures for over 35 years. They also protect steel, aluminum, fiberglass, concrete, and other materials of construction from corrosion, sunshine, wind, and rain.

The use of LUMIFLON resins can substantially reduce life cycle costs, including maintenance cost, replacement cost, and re-coating costs. LUMIFLON resins are available in conventional solvent grades. Powder coated, water based resins and solid resins allow for the production of low VOC and HAPS free environmentally friendly coatings.

Gurallar Business Center, Kartal Istanbul, Photography Studio Majo Engin Gercek

Features & Benefits

Feature Benefit
Fluoropolymer Segments Outstanding weatherability, chemical resistance, corrosion resistance
Alkyl Vinyl Ether Segments Solubility in common solvents, transparency, high gloss, good adhesion, flexibility, coating hardness
Hydroxy Vinyl Ether Segments Curable at room temperature for field application and elevated temperatures, standard urethane chemistry
Carboxy Vinyl Ether Segments Excellent compatibility with wide range of pigments and colors

Aesthetics

Because LUMIFLON-based coatings offer crisp, clean colors and a wide range of gloss, designers and builders choose them to achieve a superior look from day one. And with LUMIFLON’s ability to resist UV degradation, corrosion, and the ill-effects of chemical exposure, projects using LUMIFLON continue looking good for years to come with little or no maintenance required. That means markedly less fading, discoloration or chalking for the life of the coating – which is estimated at up to 60 years! Meanwhile, AGC’s research and development team continues to press LUMIFLON’s aesthetic advantage with new FEVE resin formulations that add even more improvements, like the ability to resist dirt and grime.

  • High Gloss
  • Metallic
  • Special Effects and Functions
  • Matte Finishes
  • Bright Pigments
Yarra Valley Grammar School, Harwyn, Modular Pods, Australia

Weathering of LUMIFLON

FEVE resin topcoats accelerated weathering QUV-A (ASTM D4587)
FEVE resin topcoats accelerated weathering QUV-A (ASTM D4587)

Corrosion Resistance

Corrosion is a major problem that can dramatically add to a project’s life cycle costs, especially for bridges, water towers and other metal structures.

A LUMIFLON-based coating:

  • Resists degradation due to weathering and exposure to ambient chemicals
  • Over the course of many years, loses little of its thickness
  • Keeps corrosion initiators from getting past the topcoat and degrading the zinc-rich primer underneath
  • Has an estimated coating life of 60 years or more
Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse Michigan Restoration North Group LLC Tnemec Fluoronar FEVE Lumiflon

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Accelerated Weathering Followed by Salt Fog Test

*The closer the line is to horizontal, the better corrosion resistance

Cross Section of Coating System

Cross Section Of Coating System

Corrosion Resistance of
LUMIFLON FD-1000: Salt Fog Test

product
(NCO index)
LUMIFLON FD-1000 (1.0) polyurethane dispersion1
(1.0) (1.5)
coating system primer2/topcoat/topcoat
salt spray,
1000 hours
good
(rating 0)
good
(rating 0)
very slight blisters
1mm (rating 1)
salt spray,
1500 hours
good
(rating 0)
slight blisters, 1mm
(rating 2)
slight blisters, 2mm
(rating 2)

1 Bayhydrol 145 (Bayer Corp.)
2 Waterborne 2K epoxy primer

Life Cycle Cost

There are those who make buying decisions based on price – and then there are those who are more interested in value. With LUMIFLON, the difference is clear.

  • LUMIFLON-based coatings maintain gloss and color when applied to buildings, bridges, water towers, and other structures for between 20 and 60 years – significantly longer than other coating types.
  • LUMIFLON resins protect steel, aluminum, fiberglass, concrete, and other materials from corrosion, sun, wind, rain and chemical exposure.

Over time, all that protection also protects your bottom line. Total life cycle costs, factoring in savings on maintenance, re-coating and replacement, are much lower with LUMIFLON. Based on results from numerous projects, it’s estimated that the life cycle cost of LUMIFLON coatings is only 40-80% of that of polyurethane. Price versus value. Over the course of a project’s lifetime, the difference can be monumental.

LUMIFLON FEVE Resin, Kiyosu Bridge

Life Cycle Cost Advantages

Initial applied cost of FEVE-based topcoat:
  • 5-10% higher than standard polyurethane topcoat
FEVE-based topcoat life expectation:
  • 30-60+ years
Expected maintenance of standard polyurethane topcoat in this time frame:
  • 2-3 repainting cycles
Additional costs of repainting:
  • Asset downtime
  • Staging costs
  • Environmental costs
  • Emissions and CO2 from equipment

Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Comparative Life Cycle Costs:
LUMIFLON Coating and Chlorinated Rubber Coating

Coating Type Process Cost, $/m2 Initial Cost Ratio Life, years Cost/year, $/m2
chlorinated rubber Surface Preparation $10.08 $0.19
staging $27.48 $0.52
coating $15.53 $0.29
TOTAL $53.09 $1.00 8 $6.64
LUMIFLON coating Surface Preparation $10.08 $0.19
staging $35.08 $0.66
coating $32.98 $0.62
TOTAL $78.14 $1.47 >21 $3.72
LCC Ratio 0.56

Technical Bulletin-Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Sustainability

“The best way to predict the future is to design it.”

– Buckminster Fuller

The weatherability, longevity and the ability to formulate low VOC coatings with LUMIFLON resins are all features that contribute to its sustainability.

Using LUMIFLON FEVE Coatings may qualify for the following LEED v4 credits:

Materials and Resources Credit Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction:

A requirement of this credit includes demonstrating a reduction in materials use through life-cycle assessment. The life of materials coated in FEVE technology far outlast materials with no coating, or with a lesser quality material.

Sustainable Sites Credit Rainwater Management:

Use of emulsion-based FEVE coatings over existing roof coatings improves quality of storm water from roofs by eliminating water contact with the underlying roof surface. FEBE coatings are very stable and do not bond with water molecules.

Sustainable Sites Credit Heat Island Reduction:

A FEVE clear coating added to an existing roof coating will help maintain solar reflectivity of the roof, reducing the what island effect. Tests performed in Japan indicate that the use of FEVE resins reduces dirt accumulation on a roof, helping to maintain effectiveness of the reflective roof system. FEVE resins have been formulated in white coatings that have been tested buy the Cool Roofs Rating Council (CRRC) lab for Solar Reflectance Index (SRI). At SRI’s exceeding 100, FEVE based coatings qualify as cool roof coatings.

Energy and Atmosphere Prerequisite Minimum Energy Performance:

FEVE coatings on roofs and curtain walls perform at optimal levels after years of exposure to the elements. resulting in less heat transfer through the envelope and reduced cooling loads.

Sustainability of LUMIFLON

Chase Center, San Francisco, Gensler, Manica Architecture, Kendall Heaton Associates, LUMIFLON USA, Jason O Rear Photography

Comparative Analysis

Industry insiders know that, from buildings and bridges to water towers and automobiles, LUMIFLON-based coatings look great. But they look even better when cold, hard data comparing LUMIFLON with high-performance polyesters and other competitors are collected from tests and studies conducted in laboratories, simulators and harsh, real-world environments. The results confirm what you see with your own eyes every time you look at an attractive, long-lasting LUMIFLON coating. All over the world; LUMIFLON outperforms the competition.

Advantages of FEVE Based Coatings
  • Ambient or elevated temperature cure – field or shop applied coatings
  • Solvent soluble – clean crisp colors and a wide gloss range
  • Versatile – solvent grade, solid, water based and powder coating resins offered
  • OH functional – polyurethane chemistry, use standard paint equipment
  • Fluoropolymer segments-ultra-weatherable and corrosion resistant
  • Longer life cycle – up to 60 years
Alkyd part: Peeling has occured
Alkyd part: Peeling has occured
LUMIFLON part: no chalking
LUMIFLON part: no chalking or peeling
Alkyd part: chalking and discoloration have occured
Alkyd part: chalking and discoloration

LUMIFLON Vs. PVDF

LUMIFLON PVdF
Resin Type Solution solvent Dispersion
Curing Temperature Room Temp.
to 230°C
>250°C
60° Gloss 5 to 90 5 to 35
Color Range > than 230 colors Color selection is Limited
Recoatability Excellent difficult

Weathering of LUMIFLON

Natural Exposure Test on LUMIFLON
Miami, Florida (ASTMG7)
Natural exposure test on LUMIFLON Miami, Florida (ASTMG7)
Okinawa weathering chart
Okinawa Weathering Chart

FEVE Resin Topcoats Accelerated Weathering
QUV-A (ASTM D4587)

FEVE resin topcoats accelerated weathering QUV-A (ASTM D4587)

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Accelerated Weathering Followed by Salt Fog Test

*The closer the line is to horizontal, the better corrosion resistance