Entrepreneurial companies who bring novel coating technology to market and then succeed are increasingly rare. Nycote Laboratories, located in North Hollywood, has achieved this goal.
Coatings World (CW) interviewed Pennie Burnham, VP of North America for Nycote Laboratories, to learn more about their technology and how the company has continued to grow and flourish for over 60 years.
Personal Background
Coatings World: To start can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Pennie: I have been working with Nycote for six years. My role in the company involves wearing several hats. Perhaps my most important role in the company is adding vision and contributing to the future direction of the business. I also work with our incredible team providing a support bridge between product development, research, and our business development efforts.
My background is eclectic, which has proven to be a benefit. It includes private banking and finance, retail marketing, and even running my own motion picture camera rental company for over 18 years. These experiences have added a level of creativity and imagination to how I approach our business development activities.
Nycote Laboratories’ Background
CW: How has Nycote Laboratories evolved as a company from its inception?
Pennie: Nycote is a family-owned business. Founded in the 1960s by Lloyd Washburn, today it is owned jointly by Marcie Simpson (president and CEO) and her parents, Jane and Robert Washburn. Robert, as the second generation owner, has successfully grown the business, building excellent collaborative relationships with our OEM customers and key engineering contacts.
At its inception, the company identified an unmet need for a superior protective coating in aircraft. Specifically, corrosion of metal parts caused by chemicals like Skydrol phosphate ester hydraulic fluids, JP fuels and specialty greases were creating safety and reliability concerns that had to be addressed. Previously available protective coatings were not able to meet the high standards required for protecting such critical components.
Lloyd Washburn saw this as an opportunity to bring a novel coating technology he had identified to market. Lloyd felt it could provide a solution to this problem and at a level of performance that would ensure long-term component reliability. This was the birth of Nycote and Nycote Laboratories.
Nycote’s Unique Positioning
CW: Tell us a little about the Nycote coatings and what makes it unique.
Pennie: Nycote is a liquid nylon polymer, epoxy hybrid coating technology. It is a unique, high-performance, protective coating technology that has many distinctive features.
Features
- Clear coatings
- Applied via brush, dip, or by conventional spray application
- Applied at an extremely thin coating (0.4 to 0.6 mils)
- Self-leveling and pin-hole free. Suitable for hi-reliability applications.
- Corrosion resistant and barrier protective properties
- Lasting in-service life
- Excellent chemical resistance
- High temperature, heat resistant. Low temperature tolerance.
- Excellent adhesive to many substrates
- Excellent UV resistance
- Good lubricity, wear resistant
CW: Can you tell us how you go to market?
Pennie: Nycote is marketed as a family of high-performance, value-added protective coatings. Our focus is on finding those applications where the technology can bring a combination of features and benefits that set it apart from alternative coatings and make it the right choice in the eyes of the customer. Nycote fits best in applications where compromise in coatings performance is not an acceptable option.
For a smaller, specialty coatings manufacturer such as ours, establishing and retaining “brand value” is difficult to achieve. Brand value is, however, something that our company has achieved and been able to build-upon over time.
Markets and applications where safety and the importance of assured long-term reliability of key components or equipment are essential represent the focal point for our business. When liability issues are present and safety issues exist, the value proposition for selecting Nycote® technology to protect critical parts and systems is strongest.
Market Applications
CW: Are there other adjacent market applications in aerospace where your technology has made in-roads?
Pennie: Space is one application area which offers a unique fit for Nycote. The greatest challenge in protecting advanced materials in space is the degradative effects of radiation, atomic oxygen and other extremely harsh conditions spacecraft (and their component parts) are exposed to over extended periods of time.
Our coatings were proven on the Space Shuttle many years ago because they did not add significant weight, but provided the needed protection from the extreme temperatures, conditions and the environment found in space. Furthermore, several of our products were tested and met outgassing requirements for space applications.
In space, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to maintain parts and systems while in service. Small LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites, for instance, have a life span of about five years. Considering the cost of manufacturing a satellite and then putting it into orbit, insuring reliability in-service easily justifies the use of a high-performance, value-added coating like Nycote.
New Nycote Products
CW: Do you have any other new Nycote products you are introducing?
Pennie: We recently designed and will begin to manufacture “permanent” antiviral, antimicrobial coating solutions that will outlast other solutions that are much more temporary. Most alternative products are sprayed on as a biocide. These coatings are temporary and have to be reapplied every few days. We have named our new products Nysafe-AV™ 700 and Nysafe-AV™ 900.
Nylon is naturally antimicrobial. Thus, current Nycote products are capable of preventing microbial attachment and proliferation on the coating surface. Our research and development team has now added a safe, effective antiviral additive into our traditional nylon coating technology, which provides sustained antiviral properties. Unlike other antiviral coatings on the market, Nysafe’s efficacy has been tested to SARS-CoV2 virus protocol. Results show that it provides significant viral protection while still maintaining its superior performance.
During the pandemic, our research team decided to take this concept further and develop a sister product for aircraft interiors- Nycote-AV. This became our Nysafe-AV 700 and 900 products. These coatings are intended to protect aircraft interiors and other interior aircraft surfaces. Nysafe’s value proposition includes its ability to deliver sustained antiviral and antimicrobial performance, avoiding the need for frequent re-coating or replacement of interior fabrics.
Our coating is both durable and flexible due to its nylon composition. Thus, it is able to withstand the rigors of continual in-service use expected for commercial aircraft interiors. In addition, Nycote is clear with good UV resistance. As a result, the appearance of the coated fabric is not altered allowing retention of the interior cabin appearance.
Applications in Automotive, Medical, and Electronic Markets
CW: Where do you see growth opportunities for high performance protective coatings outside of aviation?
Pennie: For Nycote, we are focused on growth in specialty applications within the automotive, medical and electronic markets. Nycote is currently being tested on new medical device applications where its anti-friction properties, along with its protective properties, address the corrosion problems which result from the fluids that these devices are exposed to in-service.
Another important market opportunity for Nycote is in its use as the resin used in 3D printing. This application not only includes its use for prototyping and small lot manufacturing of 3D parts, but also extends to additive manufacturing part builds.
3D printing and commercial additive manufacturing is a high-growth market area where the unique features of Nycote can bring significant value to the process. This is due, in part, to the range of features and benefits provided by our nylon coatings. It is also due to its ability to help system engineering with materials of construction that hold-up over an extended period-of-time in a production environment.
Nycote as the Solution
CW: Any comments on the key challenges that coating manufacturers face?
Pennie: The biggest challenge we see is developing products from green raw materials and chemicals. Industry has to comply with sustainability demands. Two years ago, we began using updated chemicals. We also created a new product, Nycote 99 Ecoshield, which has been well received in the aerospace industry. Our Nycote products will never be waterborne. Our polymer technology is not suited for formulating in a water-based system.
Another challenge is keeping up with the changes occurring in engineered materials used to manufacture next generation equipment. For Nycote, the transition to composites as materials of construction, including their use in some structural applications, is significant. The traditional value propositions we have relied on in the past are now shifting, especially in aerospace. Most aircraft are now 50% carbon-fiber. This transition is critical to reduce the weight of the aircraft, which permits greater fuel savings and cuts the carbon footprint significantly.
CW: Any parting insight you want to offer the readership?
Pennie: My parting message is that our company’s successes are a result of a motivated, well-developed team and our ability to be a collaborative partner with our customers to provide unique solutions to their problems. We have remained nimble as a company. We work quickly to satisfy our customers and give our team members the autonomy required to do their jobs effectively.
At work, I often hear our president, Marcie Simpson, talk about the importance of helping everyone be their “best self” and the importance of paying attention to how your team receives information and learns. She is inspirational and passionate about people and mentoring women considering a career in coatings.
For more information regarding Nycote products, including the release of Nysafe-AV™ 700 and Nysafe-AV™ 900, please email our sales department at sales@nycote.com or call +1-818-764-9498.
