11 Apr 2005
Great Lakes Picks GE’s GELOY* Resin for Enhanced Color, Aesthetics & Long-Term Weatherability on New Line of Hot Tubs
BERGEN OP ZOOM, THE NETHERLANDS — Great Lakes Home & Resort, manufacturer of Great Lakes Hot Tubs™, today announced a new line of hot tub shells in vibrant, highly weatherable colors for which it has selected GE Advanced Materials’ GELOY* XTW E290 resin, a new extrusion grade of acrylic-styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA) resin for large-part thermoforming. GE developed the material for Great Lakes to help enable the hot tubs to withstand the rigors of prolonged outdoor abuse while retaining their outstanding aesthetic appeal and functionality.
GELOY XTW E290 resin provides exceptional beauty and strength, helping Great Lakes’ new hot tub shells retain their high-gloss finish with excellent depth of image for the stylish “wet look” the pool and spa industry currently demands. By combining a base of tough engineering thermoplastic with a core of advanced GELOY XTW resin and a clear top layer, the new material system – called WeatherPro G™ and developed jointly by GE and Spartech Plastics Custom Sheet and Roll Stock Group – provides exceptional high performance where the GELOY resin can maintains its superior appearance for three- to five-times longer than conventional ASA resins.
GELOY XTW E290 resin virtually eliminates clouding, fading, or cracking under tough outdoor conditions and offers excellent chemical and UV resistance. And, unlike cast acrylic shells, the GELOY resin system allows homeowners and resorts to more easily repair the hot tub shells if they are damaged.
Great Lakes Home & Resort selected GE’s GELOY ASA resin based on this outstanding balance of high-performance properties, as well as for the wide range of unique and dramatic color options the material provides. Great Lakes’ customers can now pick from six new shell colors, including Sunset Sienna, Espresso, Amethyst, and Mediterranean Blue. An additional six colors are planned for commercial release in 2005. GE also offers its own expanded selection of hot tub colors for GELOY XTW E290 resin, including Champagne, Pearlescent, and Silver Star.
“Our design engineers worked closely with GE to develop this exceptional portfolio of colors,” said Rick Mouw, president of Great Lakes Home & Resort. “GELOY resin helps our hot tubs perform with superior weatherability and shell strength, helping to keep Great Lakes at the forefront of the pool and spa industry. It not only helps improve hot tub performance for our customers, but also helped boost our dealers' sales performance. The enhanced color and high-gloss finish of the GELOY resin is dramatic – so much so that it stands out from across a showroom floor.”
“The long-lasting beauty that GELOY resin delivers represents more than mere surface enhancement,” said Craig Williams, industry manager for Transportation & Outdoor Materials at GE Advanced Materials. “It demonstrates a step-change in how materials technology can improve the look of the home or resort. Great Lakes’ new hot tub line is an excellent example of this breakthrough weatherable technology at its best.”
GELOY XTW E290 resin offers brighter whites, deeper blacks, an extended color palette, and a range of gloss levels from 20 to 90 percent. The material performs exceptionally well in
accelerated G26, SAE J1960, and QUV weathering tests, as well as in two-year outdoor exposure studies in Florida and Arizona. All tests indicate that the material will likely exhibit a prolonged delay in aesthetic shift after seven to ten years.
GELOY XTW E290 resin is also compatible with ABS and PVC as a capping stock. Injection molding grades of this ASA resin perform equally well, offering a superior balance of impact resistance, flow, and aesthetics vs. traditional materials.
GE’s offering of high-performance materials for the pool and spa industry also include XYLEX* resin, typically used in pool and spa pump housings, pool cleaners, and other pool and spa accessories. XYLEX resin is a transparent product that offers high UV and chemical resistance, good color retention under wide temperature extremes, and excellent overall weatherabil
Reader enquiries
GE PlasticsPlasticslaan 1
4600 AC Bergen op Zoom
Netherlands
Helen Vandebovenkamp
helen.vandebovenkamp@ge.com
Tel: +31 164 29 20 97
Fax: +31 164 29 10 66
Netherlands
Notes for editors
About GE Advanced Materials
GE Advanced Materials (www.geadvancedmaterials.com) 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 – which is a global plastics materials supplier and distributor, serving 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 (www.geplastics.com).
• Silicones – which includes GE Toshiba Silicones in the Pacific region and GE Bayer Silicones in Europe, offering 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 (www.gesilicones.com).
• Quartz – which provides high-purity quartz and advanced ceramic materials for the semiconductor, telecommunications, lighting, electronics, personal care, water purification, and various other industries (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 www.ge.com.
About Great Lakes Resort & Home Products
For additional information on the entire family of Great Lakes Resort & Home products, including Great Lakes Hot Tubs, Almost Heaven Saunas®, and the Greenbrier Collection™ of casual furniture, visit www.greatlakeshomeandresort.com. Founded in 1969, Great Lakes Home & Resort is headquartered at 935 East 40th St., Holland, Mich. 49423; (800) 458-1476.
* GELOY and XYLEX are trademarks of General Electric Company.
™ WeatherPro G is a trademark of Spartech Corporation.
™ Great Lakes Hot Tubs and the Greenbrier Collection are trademarks of Great Lakes Home & Resort.
® Almost Heaven Saunas is a registered trademark of Great Lakes Home & Resort.
Related images
Great Lakes Selects GE’s GELOY* XTW E290 Resin for New Hot Tub Shells
Great Lakes Home & Resort today announced an exciting new collection of hot tub shells in six new vibrant, highly weatherable colors for which it has selected GE Advanced Materials’ GELOY* XTW E290 resin. GE developed the material for Great Lakes to enable the hot tubs to help withstand the rigors of prolonged outdoor use while retaining their outstanding aesthetic appeal, strength, and functionality. In fact, UV-resistant GELOY resin can help hot tub shells and other home and resort spa equipment retain their high color and deep gloss finish for three- to five-times longer than traditional thermoplastic materials.
Editorial enquiries
Helen Vandebovenkamp
GE Plastics
Folke Markestein
Marketing Solutions NV
fmarkestein@marketingsolutions.be
Jim Allison
AH&M Marketing Communications