{"id":81805,"date":"2016-04-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.corrosionpedia.com\/2016\/04\/21\/geoff-binks-how-the-polymer-repair-market-has-changed-in-50-years"},"modified":"2020-03-10T22:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T18:51:02","slug":"geoff-binks-how-the-polymer-repair-market-has-changed-in-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.corrosionpedia.com\/2\/5381\/coatings-and-lining\/geoff-binks-how-the-polymer-repair-market-has-changed-in-50-years","title":{"rendered":"Geoff Binks: How the Polymer Repair Market Has Changed in 50 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
A native of Harrogate, UK, Geoff Binks joined Belzona in 1965 direct out of technical college with a chemistry background. He first worked in Research & Development on a broad range of products, particularly metallic coatings<\/a>, which saw radical development in 1968 with the introduction of the first Belzona Super Metal formulation. (Learn how How Metallic Coatings Protect Metals from Corrosion<\/a>.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Binks was instrumental in the development of metallic coatings.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n In the early 1980s, he joined a newly formed Molecular Engineering Department (MED), responsible for field visits, inspecting and supervising applications, and delivering in-plant training. His exposure to all aspects of Belzona’s business ultimately led to his position as Technical Service Coordinator acting as a link between chemists, engineers, sales and marketing.<\/p>\n With his wide-ranging knowledge and experience, Geoff provides global technical support to customers, distributors and staff. This interview with the “Belzona Guru” occurred shortly after the company celebrated his 50-year anniversary, to share his personal account on how the industry has changed over the years.<\/p>\n First of all, polymer<\/a> repairs were almost unheard of. We had to show people exactly how the polymer works, changing from a liquid to a solid state. Health and safety was not a major priority at the time. This was throughout the industry, with little personal protective equipment (PPE)<\/a> such as gloves or eye protection, as well as in our laboratory, where pranks were commonplace.<\/p>\n I will not go into too much detail, but one prank involved polystyrene<\/a> drinking cups being attacked with solvent<\/a>, leading to loss of containment<\/a>!<\/p>\n We always say that Belzona does not corrode, which is of course true, but there was a time when Belzona Metals could corrode. Back in the early 1960s we used iron powder in the polymer, which was able to rust, before silicon<\/a> steel alloy<\/a> was deployed into Belzona Metals in 1968.<\/p>\n The number and variety of products over the years has increased dramatically, with product ranges such as the Belzona Magma and Elastomer systems being introduced. Our old motto used to be “Total Maintenance Capability,” which meant that we endeavored to have a product for every problem a customer may face. So, we ended up with a diverse offering of repair and protection materials covering a broad range of substrates<\/a> and operating conditions. (Learn about new coatings in Coating Advances: Nanoparticle Technology and Cold Sprays<\/a>.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Belzona injected to bond bearing to housing.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Additionally, Belzona was mainly sold in small quantities, as pack sales. Now we get increasingly involved in large-scale projects, sometimes requiring several tons of Belzona materials. For example we recently did a job on a new Ichtys (oil and gas) platform installing riser bearings which involved over 25 tons of Belzona 1321.<\/p>\n At first, the word “Oil and Gas” did not exist in our vocabulary. In the 1960s we mainly concentrated on the UK market, and at the time oil was imported from America. Petrochem was the word used; referring to the work we did in the downstream refineries. We really became seriously involved with the upstream Oil and Gas industry in the late 1980s, when we successfully carried out a lining job on a separator<\/a> in the North Sea. (For more on offshore Oil and Gas coatings, see Coatings for Marine Applications and Offshore Platforms<\/a>.)<\/p>\nYour career started in the 1960s. Can you describe some of the standard industry practices of that time in terms of repair and maintenance?<\/h2>\n
Can you share some of your favorite pranks?<\/h2>\n
How have the coatings evolved over time?<\/h2>\n
How has the Oil and Gas industry changed over the last 50 years?<\/h2>\n
What are your career highlights?<\/h2>\n