LIQ Fusion 7000 FBE™ (interior coating system)

EXT Fusion 5000 FBE™ (exterior coating system)

Tank Connection’s fusion powder coating systems are formulated from thermosetting resins, binder, pigments and additives to meet today’s storage requirements of durability, chemical resistance, chip resistance, flexibility, heat resistance and UV protection.  Tank Connection’s fusion powder coating formulations are created by blending the various components and processing them through an extruder into a continuous mass with a completely uniform composition.  This homogenous mass is then cooled and broken down into small chips, which are then ground into a fine powder.  Each particle of powder contains within it the necessary components for reforming into the finished coating after fusion application and oven baking.

LIQ Fusion 7000 FBE™, EXT Fusion 5000 FBE™ and EXT Fusion SDP™ powder coating systems are electrostatic applied from an automated state-of-the-art, fusion powder coating line.  (Reference TC flowchart document detailing over 20 step fusion coating process.)  Tank Connection maintains the only fusion powder coat line “certified” to apply these coating systems to bolted steel panels for liquid storage applications.

The pre-stages of LIQ Fusion 7000 FBE application are critical to provide the best substrate surface and anchor profile.  All bolted steel panels are chemically washed and blasted to an SSPC-SP10 near white finish. LIQ fusion powder is fed pneumatically from a reservoir into automated spray guns where a low amperage, high voltage charge is imparted to the particles.  The bolted panels to be coated are grounded, so that the charged particles will seek the opposite charged metal surfaces.  By utilizing the latest in today’s technology, this coating process can produce a uniform, monolithic, fusion-bonded surface with superior edge and bolt-hole coverage.  (In comparison, this coating system is a stronger system than vitreous enamel/glass in liquid storage applications. It addresses all deficiencies in glass coated bolted panels. Additionally, a bolted storage tank coated with LIQ Fusion 7000 FBE can be recoated in the future, increasing the expected service life by up to 1.5 to 2 times over glass coated tanks. LIQ Fusion 7000 FBE™ is today’s premier coating technology.)

The proprietary fusion powder coating systems offered by Tank Connection are thermoset powders that utilize low-molecular-weight solids that go through a fusion and chemical reaction to form higher-molecular-weight polymers. Once the powder is applied, the bolted steel panels enter an oven where the resins, pigments and other reactive agents crosslink to produce a high molecular weight binder system, resulting with a tough, durable coating system designed for high chemical resistance, corrosion resistance, flexibility, chip resistance, weatherability and UV protection.

The BEST Exterior Coating System – EXT Fusion 5000 FBE™ + EXT Fusion SDP™ (super durable polyester hybrid powder that demonstrates an excellent mixture of flexibility with impact, chemical and UV resistance). The advanced chemistry of this system has proven to be the best bolted steel tank exterior coating system available worldwide.

Tank Connection’s thermoset processes are irreversible. Once curing and crosslink takes place, the powder coating cannot be returned to its original form by any means. Testing data by Akzo Nobel clearly shows that LIQ Fusion performance is unmatched in liquid storage applications.

Fusion:  The melting and flowing of heated polymer particles to form a continuous film.  

Tank Connection’s Fusion-Bond System Advantage — Get the facts on dry bulk storage.

The Fusion Bond Epoxy (FBE) Advantage over Competitor Coatings:

• Electrostatic applied “powder-on-powder” system provides complete wrap-around on panel edges and in bolt-holes, a major deficiency in liquid applied coatings.
• All internal tank components are coated with Fusion 5000 FBE and fusion bonded to substrate surface.
• Fusion 5000 FBE can be repaired in the field if damaged.
• Fusion 5000 FBE + EXT Fusion SDP is applied at twice the DFT (dry film thickness) compared to competitor coatings.
• Fusion 5000 FBE performance testing depicts superior performance compared to coatings offered for API 12B construction.
• EXT Fusion 5000 FBE maintains a std. two year warranty in dry bulk storage.
• EXT Fusion SDP is fused to substrate primer and cannot be scratched off independent of base coat.  (Liquid polyurethane topcoats can easily be scratched off base prime coat.)
• EXT Fusion SDP (super durable polyester) exterior topcoat maintains a 2 year std. warranty versus competitor coatings offered with a one year std. warranty.

Fusion 5000 FBE + Ext Fusion SDP is the ULTIMATE EXTERIOR TANK COATING system ever developed for dry bulk storage applications.  Outperforms ALL tank exterior coating systems offered today worldwide.  This coating system utilizes the protective properties of our exclusive FBE epoxy powder fused to substrate with a fused topcoat of SD (superdurable) Polyester.

In recognized exposure testing (Southern Florida Exposure Tests) our exclusive system was rated at “5 years” without change per AMAA 2604-05 specification.

Additional details of Tank Connection’s unmatched performance of our FBE system can be found on our website – www.tankconnection.com.

The Kansas Department of Commerce recently held their annual celebration of Kansas businesses and their contributions to their communities and the state economy. At the event, Regional Business Excellence Awards and Merit Awards were presented. Among the recipients, Tank Connection Affiliate Group had two companies recognized for their achievements. Tank Connection, nominated by the City of Parsons, received a Regional Business Excellence Award. Another affiliate company, ATEC Steel of Baxter Springs, KS, received a Merit Award. The Tank Connection Affiliate Group is honored to be recognized by the Kansas Department of Commerce in this manner. We wish to thank all employees for their contributions that make it possible for us to be recognized for business excellence and our contribution to the SEK economy.

Tank Connection’s RTP (rolled tapered panel) design approach to bolted tank construction combines the best qualities of field-weld and bolted tank construction into the highest quality modular design ever developed in the bolted storage tank industry.  RTP tanks have no internal ledges, can be manufactured with up to 1/2″ plate thicknesses and are constructed with synchronized screw jacks from grade.

API-12B flanged panel designs utilize an exterior chime (flange) connection which has a long history of leaks and rust issues.  This approach to bolted tank construction was originally developed by an archaic oil field specification and has been adapted for use with other products such as potable water, wastewater and dry bulk products.  API-12B tanks are manufactured with up to 5/16″ plate thicknesses and are constructed with scaffolding from the bottom up, creating a very unsafe working environment for installation crews.

VFP (vertical flat panel) designs were developed to remove the problematic chime associated with API-12B construction.  These tanks have similar sized panels as that of API-12B and are typically constructed with scaffolding.  Their lack of ridgity makes them difficult to construct in the field due to their unstable profile and lack of rigidity.

In short, TC’s RTP tank design is superior in every way to both the API-12B and VFP designs.  For a side by side comparison please click on the link below.

RTP vs API vs VFP