Neue Westfälische newspaper, 24 April 2008

"It seems like trying the impossible."

The paint is supposed to adhere to glass, to all types of glass and to be suitable for any purpose in any imaginable colour - and preferably be free of solvents. This paint does not yet exist, and the Peter-Lacke company based in Schweicheln intends to develop it. With this project the company has participated in the "CheK.NRW" chemistry and plastics competition and has won a sponsorship together with three other companies in Eastern Westphalia, Germany.

According to Ingolf Ruepke, Manager of the "Glass" business line, Peter-Lacke is developing the product in cooperation with its partner company CWS Resins in Düren. As a matter of fact, the coating of glass is nothing new, says Ruepke. Peter-Lacke has been offering such products for flat glass for about ten years.

Three years ago a perfume bottle manufacturer approached the Schweicheln company. Since then Peter-Lacke has been working on the coating of hollowware. "The demands on such paints are extreme", says Ruepke. Perfumes contain alcohols and oils.
The bottles are being touched with hands with skin cream on. The paint must be impact-resistant and durable and must also look good. "Visually, it must be possible to do anything with it", says Ruepke, implying that high-gloss and matt finishes, etching and sandblasting effects must be possible.

The demands on beverage bottles are even higher. They are cleaned several times prior to filling. "Naturally humidity is an issue and sterility must be guaranteed", says Ruepke. A paint for returnable bottles is a particular challenge because they are cleaned with aggressive substances even more often after being used for the first time.

Our objective is to develop a paint for this purpose, says Ruepke. But this is not enough for the developers. They want to produce a substance which is suitable for all requirements. Up to now the Schweicheln company has been offering paints for flat glass, plates, cups and glasses, non-returnable beverage bottles, perfume bottles and cosmetics containers.
This is all supposed to change within the next 30 months. By then Peter-Lacke intends to have developed a coating for all these.
The new paint will have to comply with the particularly strict regulations of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The problems with glass paint are that there is no chemical bond between glass and paint and that the glass surface is very smooth.

Moreover, there are different types of glass, says developer Ludger Roters. Ceramic paints could be used which would be stoved into the glass, but these would not have the brilliance of a paint.

Furthermore, we could not generate all possible colour shades like this, says CEO Andreas Peter. Ruepke is confident that the new paint will be ready to be launched in a little over two years and will be a success. There would only be one competitor world-wide.