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PPG Industries Wins Two `Oscars Of Invention'

25 September 1998

PPG Industries Wins Two `Oscars Of Invention'

    CHICAGO, Sept. 24 -- Two automotive innovations by PPG
Industries will be honored tonight when the 100 most significant
technological breakthroughs in new products and processes for 1998 are
recognized by R&D magazine.
    Officials from PPG representing the Sungate antenna windshield and
automotive powder clear coat products will attend a black-tie banquet here to
receive R&D 100 Awards, which have been dubbed the "Oscars of Invention."
    The editors of R&D magazine and a team of as many as 70 experts, including
professional consultants, university faculty and industrial researchers,
judged the entries, which were received from researchers and corporations
around the world.
    PPG's Sungate antenna windshield helps keep the sun's heat out of
automobile interiors through the use of a high-performance coating
incorporated within the windshield's laminated layers.  The coating also
enables the windshield to operate as the vehicle's radio antenna.
    The transparent coating keeps car interiors cooler than conventional
tinted windshields, reducing the workload on air conditioners and improving
fuel efficiency.  The same coating that reflects heat also acts an antenna,
capable of receiving the full range of signals for AM/FM radios as well as
cellular telephones and navigation systems.
    PPG, Delphi Delco Electronics and General Motors, which uses the
windshield in its minivans, submitted a joint entry for the R&D award.
    Meanwhile, PPG and BMW teamed up to introduce the first powder clear coat
in the automotive industry.  The Enviracryl coating is used on BMW 5- and
7-Series car bodies produced at the Dingolfing, Germany, assembly plant.
    Clear coat is a colorless finish that protects the auto's color coating.
Unlike conventional liquid coatings, PPG's powder product is solvent-free, can
be recycled and requires no chemicals for cleanup.  Because over-spray can be
recovered and reused, creating little or no waste, powder clear coats give
automakers a cost-effective alternative to liquid clear coats, with no
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from application.
    The R&D 100 competition began in 1963.  Past winners include the
flashcube, the digital wristwatch, antilock brakes, the automated teller
machine, the halogen lamp, the fax machine, the Kodak Photo CD and the
Nicoderm anti-smoking patch.
    With more than 100 plants in 21 countries and annual sales of about
$7.5 billion, PPG is the world's largest producer of automotive and industrial
coatings and a leading maker of fiber glass, flat glass and chemicals.  About
45 percent of its business involves original equipment and repair products for
the transportation industries.