In June 04, the paint manufacturer DuPont Performance Coatings and seven other German firms and institutes were awarded the Ecology Prize 2004 by the Federation of German Industry (BDI) in the "eco-friendly technologies" category. Having joined forcesin a network known as "Thermoface", the participating companies and institutions have developed an innovative pretreatment for high-quality MDF boards (MDF=medium density fiberboard) under the leadership of the Institute for Wood Technology Dresden (Institut fur Holztechnologie Dresden (ihd)). The ecologically compatible, user-friendly method allows the MDF surface to be smoothed and pretreated without dust prior to being coated with newly developed powder coatings which cure at low temperature. The new method significantly reduces woodworkers' exposure to sanding dust. Uniform, faultless application of the coating, even on the edges of the boards, is another advantage. Volker Rekowski, Global R&D Director for DuPont Powder Coatings: "We are all veryproud to have won this prize. The team has worked hard to produce this truly emission-free coating for wooden surfaces. The name "Thermoface", by the way, is derived from babyface, for it is supposed to recall the smooth and even skin on a baby's face."
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