29 Jul 2004

GE’S RAPIDSTRENGTH SILGLAZE® SEALANT SPEEDS CURING, BUILDS TO ULTIMATE STRENGTH IN 60 TO 90 MINUTES

NEW GE SILICONE SEALANT CAN IMPROVE PRODUCTION; HELPS WINDOW AND DOOR UNITS PASS TOUGH HURRICANE CODE TESTS

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands — July 29, 2004 – Responding to fenestration industry demand for materials that reduce production cycle times, GE Advanced Materials, a division of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), today announced a new silicone glazing sealant that accelerates strength build to slash product movement time to just 10 to 30 minutes. Other products require six to 24 hours for the sealant to set. RapidStrength SilGlaze® RG7700 builds to near maximum strength in 60 to 90 minutes.

Based on time-tested and familiar two-part silicone chemistry, RapidStrength SilGlaze sealant provides excellent primerless adhesion to a broad variety of sash substrates. It offers proven weatherability to maintain properties for 20 years. Further, window and door units glazed with the new sealant pass hurricane code testing.

“GE developed RapidStrength SilGlaze sealant to help manufacturers reduce production times,” said Ken Anderson, global marketing manager, GE Advanced Materials. “With its exceptionally fast curing and strength build, this new sealant gives customers the speed they want in a technology they need to support their production goals. In fact, our primary validation partner was so enthusiastic about RapidStrength that the company began using the product prior to commercialization.“

In addition to fast strength build, RapidStrength SilGlaze sealant surpasses competitive products in simplicity and flexibility of the application process. In contrast to hot melt products requiring complex heating equipment that may present a burn hazard, the GE sealant’s pumping and application equipment is simple and operates at room temperature. Silicone cure times, tooling times, and open times (the interval between the silicone application and the installation of the glass unit) can be customized by varying the ratio of the base to the curing agent.

The base component of RapidStrength SilGlaze sealant is available in fiber and steel drums, and the curing agent is offered in steel drums or five-gallon pails.

RapidStrength technology will soon be applied to new products that will bring the productivity benefits of fast strength build to the structural glazing and insulating glass sectors.

Reader enquiries

GE Bayer Silicones GmbH & Co. KG
Building V7
51368 LEVERKUSEN
Germany

Robert Scheib
robert.scheib@ge.com

Tel: +49 214 306 71 37
Fax: +49 214 306 71 26
Germany

+49 214 306 71 37

robert.scheib@ge.com

www.ge.com

Notes for editors

About GE Advanced Materials

GE Advanced Materials is a world leader in providing materials solutions through engineering thermoplastics, silicon-based products and technology platforms, and fused quartz and ceramics. Among its businesses are:

• Plastics is a global plastics materials supplier and distributor, which serves customers in a variety of industries including aerospace, appliances, automotive, building and construction, data storage and optical media, medical, electrical and electronics devices, telecommunications, computers and peripheral devices, outdoor vehicles and devices, and packaging (https://www.geplastics.com).

• Silicones, which includes GE Toshiba Silicones in the Pacific region and GE Bayer Silicones in Europe, offers silanes, specialty silicones, urethane additives, adhesives, sealants, resins, and elastomers for a variety of industries such as personal care, automotive, tire and rubber, construction, healthcare, electronics, household and institutional, agriculture, textiles, appliances, bedding and furnishings, foam control, and consumer (https://www.gesilicones.com).

• Quartz provides high-purity quartz and advanced ceramic materials for the semiconductor, telecommunications, lighting, electronics, personal care, water purification, and various other industries (https://www.gequartz.com).

• GE (NYSE:GE) is a diversified technology, media, and financial services company dedicated to creating products that make life better. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, medical imaging, television programming, and plastics, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website at https://www.ge.com.

SilGlaze is a registered trademark of General Electric Company.

Related images

Responding to fenestration industry demand for materials that reduce production cycle times, GE Advanced Materials has introduced RapidStrength SilGlaze® sealant, a new silicone glazing sealant that accelerates strength build to slash product movement time to just 10 to 30 minutes. Other products require six to 24 hours for the sealant to set. RapidStrength SilGlaze RG7700 also builds to near maximum strength in 60 to 90 minutes. Based on time-tested and familiar two-part silicone chemistry, RapidStrength SilGlaze sealant provides excellent primerless adhesion to a broad variety of sash substrates and offers proven weatherability to maintain properties for 20 years. Further, window and door units glazed with the new sealant have passed hurricane code testing.