34 I Jotun Group Report 2020 Customers and innovation / Exterior intumescent coating
Over the past decade, Jotun’s SteelMaster range has earned a
strong reputation for providing protection against cellulosic
fire for anywhere between 30 and 180 minutes. Like all
intumescent coatings, SteelMaster products are formulated
to react when exposed to heat, changing physical form to
provide fire protection through thermal insulation. However,
what differentiates SteelMaster products from concrete and
cementitious solutions are that they are thin-film coatings
which are more efficient and appear like a normal paint. This
allows architects the freedom to express the beauty of interior
steel design elements often used in airports, shopping malls
and skyscrapers.
LISTENING TO THE CUSTOMER
As architects continue to push the boundaries of steel design,
demand for a highly durable exterior intumescent coating
has grown. At the same time, steel fabricators have sought
a heavy-duty epoxy coating that can be applied off-site
without risk of damage during transportation. To meet these
demands, Jotun began a Research and Development (R&D)
project in 2018 to develop a highly efficient, durable solventfree
amine cured epoxy intumescent coating that could be
applied directly to steel, as a mid-coat or finish coat in harsh
atmospheric environments.
The product, named SteelMaster 1200HPE, was developed
and tested at Jotun’s state-of-the-art research and
development centre for intumescent fire protection coatings
in Flixborough, United Kingdom. Due to the coronavirus
pandemic, the product was introduced to the market using
digital tools in the summer of 2020. Since then, SteelMaster
1200HPE has been successfully specified or applied on
structures in Brazil, Qatar and the UK.
EXPANDED PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
SteelMaster 1200HPE fills a gap in the company’s intumescent
coatings product portfolio by offering an exterior solution. By
helping the company build stronger relationships with offsite
fabrication yards and leading architects, Jotun is in a stronger
position to manage project specifications. Finally, because
all SteelMaster products are designed to be used with Jotun
primers and topcoats, the company anticipates the addition of
an exterior intumescent solution will also help grow volumes
in other product categories.
Meeting market demand
In 2020, Jotun introduced SteelMaster 1200HPE, an epoxy intumescent coating engineered for
exterior steel protection and off-site application.