Altana Division Honored With Innovation Award

Every year, the Altana Innovation Award honors the specialty chemicals group’s developments. For 2023, Altana selected a team from its Eckart division that came out on top. The award went to the Metalure C series which was developed in the U.S. and Germany. The award recognizes research accomplishments on the part of Altana’s employees, based on criteria such as creativity, economic efficiency and sustainability.

The product series creates chrome looks and offers a choice of light and dark silver metallic shades. The effect pigments create a mirror effect. Plus, the light-dark shades of the surfaces are comparable to those of products that have been coated with a metallic layer and, therefore, serve as a substitute for metallization processes containing chrome VI.

The Metalure C series relies on a concentration of ultra-thin, vacuum-metallized pigments (VMP). The products are easy to process and can be used in different printing and coating systems. In addition to the printing industry, the pigments are used in coatings for consumer electronics, household appliances and the interior and exterior trim of vehicles. Compared to products already available on the market, the carbon footprint is slashed by more than 10%, thereby helping improve ecological balance.

“The innovative effect pigments are a trendsetting development, as they set new standards in terms of sustainability and quality,” says Dr. Petra Severit, Altana’s chief technology officer. “The fact that the development centered on customer benefits is clearly reflected by the mounting demand in the market. The interdisciplinary winning team has impressively demonstrated what distinguishes Altana — innovative strength and customer focus.”