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MPI, an organization that establishes architectural paint standards, approved-products lists and quality-assurance programs in North America, announced plans to move its coating-performance lab testing operations from its Canadian headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, to KTA-Tator Inc., an accredited lab in Pittsburgh, Pa.
MPI (Master Painters Institute) said it will continue to make all decisions regarding the acceptance of a coating, based on the test data provided by KTA.
MPI has tested proprietary coating products from industry suppliers in its own lab since 1995 to determine if products meet its performance paint standards and should be listed on MPI’s Approved Products Lists. MPI President Barry Law said that in making the change, the institute is taking into account the fact that nearly 90% of MPI’s current testing originates from U.S. paint and raw material manufacturers.
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| MPI President Barry Law |
KTA-Tator is an Accredited Laboratory for a specified scope of testing (Certificate #2455.01) by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation in accordance with the ISO Standard for Testing and Calibration of Laboratories.
KTA’s analytical and physical testing laboratories work together to conduct independent coatings performance testing and generate test data for associations such as AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and their National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP), which helps state agencies generate Qualified Products Lists for bridge and highway structures.
MPI’s performance-based paint standards, Approved Products Lists, and standardized paint systems and specifications are designed for architects, contractors, and facility/property managers who purchase or specify paints and coatings for commercial/architectural structures. The MPI system is used extensively by Canadian and U.S. government agencies including the military, GSA, NASA, and Veterans Administration; the American Institute of Architects for their MasterSpec® program; and thousands of other North American designers and facility managers. More than 80 coatings manufacturers have 2500+ product approvals with MPI.
KTA’s laboratories conduct a multitude of routine analyses called for in many of MPI’s performance standards, including appearance tests (color difference, gloss retention, hiding and contrast ratio); wet tests; physical properties (chemical spot testing, hardness, resistance to chipping, and scrub resistance); and free-film testing including tensile/elongation/flexural and water vapor transmittance.
KTA’s coating laboratory provides paint, corrosion, and material testing services including coatings research, compositional analysis, accelerated weathering, cyclic corrosion testing, abrasive performance, and other physical testing, and is also a premier provider of forensic evaluations of coating-system failures. The lab houses a complete supply of test panels and surface-preparation and coating-application facilities, including a walk-in abrasive blast cleaning room.
Questions on KTA’s laboratory can be directed to Cynthia L. O’Malley, laboratory services manager, KTA-TATOR Inc., 412/788-1300 extension 180, or comalley@kta.com.
Questions on MPI Approved Products can be directed to Ian Miles, MPI senior lab chemist, at 604/291-7500, or ian.miles@mpi.net.
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