MIAMI - Even though plastic industrial flooring can be costly, interest is increasing in Latin America as plants modernize. To keep pace, Atlas Minerals and Chemicals Inc. of Mertztown, Pa., has hit the floor running by introducing a new flooring resin in Latin America.
John Keiser, vice president of Atlas, which makes epoxy, acrylic, polyurethane and vinyl ester flooring, as well as tile, concrete and other materials, said it introduced a family of epoxy novolacflooring types in Latin America last month.
Keiser said the advantages of plastic flooring are that it can be smooth, waterproof, easy to clean, impervious to high temperatures and resistant to abrasion, corrosion, solvents and chemicals.
The epoxy novalac varieties, in general, are very hard and heat-resistant, giving them great potential for tropical applications.
``We have done polymer flooring in El Salvador, Santo Domingo, Honduras and throughout the region,'' Keiser said. ``There are advantages to using it in this region, especially the fact that it is waterproof and temperature-resistant.''
He said in most cases the polymer flooring is applied in liquid form and troweled level before it hardens.
``One problem with some polymer floors is that they tend to be more expensive than others, but they are useful in milk and dairy facilities and other places where their advantages are crucial,'' Keiser said at Foodpack of the Americas in Miami.