Articles about our products are regularly published in various magazines.

See here the article about our micfil ToughGuard-NHP top coat from the Binnenschiffahrt magazine (January 2020, german only).

By Thomas Wägener
micfil has acquired the so-called toughGuard-NHP (Nano Hybrid Polyurethane), a transparent topcoat, as an exclusive distributor. It is a moisture-curing, multifunctional one-component product made from proprietary 3D polymers and is intended to provide improved protection for the underlying paint through this complete 3D matrix. No hardeners or thinners are required.
According to micfil, the top coat is suitable for coating oil and gas tankers, pipelines, lifeboats, cargo ships and epoxy floors. It can also be used on bridges, railway and chemical tanks, heavy loads and anodised aluminium.
Now, for the first time, micfil toughGuard-NHP is to be used in inland waterways. “All parts of the surface vessel can be coated”, says Alexander Proch, Managing Director of micfil, who himself has been at sea for many years.
In spring, the product is to be applied on three river cruise ships belonging to a Basel-based shipping company, which is to use it for around a year. The coating of parts of the superstructures and the stern area is planned, says Proch. If the results are positive, the entire fleet could gradually be coated with the top coat.
The product penetrates deep into the pores of base coats. This is intended to improve colors, gloss retention and surface hardness as well as increase UV light resistance. In addition, it is intended to protect against chemical spills, abrasion, salt and moisture in a wide range of weather conditions and climatic zones.
Additives increase the flexibility for application on different surfaces. A selection of additional additives has therefore been developed, They are combined with the micfil toughGuard base product to provide the desired high, gloss or matte result, to increase the curing speed, to provide a hydrophobic anti-graffiti surface and to improve adhesion to correctly treated crude steel or aluminium.
The one-component formula reduces working and preparation time, and also reduces repainting cycles by a factor of two to three, the manufacturer says. micfil NHP is the only industrial coating that can extend the life of “fresh” or “oxidized” painted surfaces and extend it by more than ten years, micfil continues.
The company’s core business is the manufacture of modular, ultra fine filter systems to clean oil and diesel from bacteria, water and the smallest particles (0.5 µm) – even at high flow rates. In this way, 98% of bacteria could be removed in just one pass.
These filters are also in use on the ships of the river cruise line from Basler, which will soon be testing the top coat.
Six models are currently available for flow rates from 50 l/h to 250,000 l/h. The products are certified by RINA and Bureau Veritas.
The filter systems are suitable for all oil and fuel types including biofuel, bio-oil and gas. In addition to use on seagoing and inland vessels, they can also be used for trains and for water treatment.