FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             Jan Kosko
June 30, 1994                      (301) 975-2767

                                   TN-5982

                  CONSORTIUM TO HELP U.S. PAINT INDUSTRY

                   GET BETTER PRODUCTS TO MARKET FASTER


     Three paint manufacturers and the Federal Highway
Administration, a large user of paint products, have joined the
National Institute of Standards and Technology in a cooperative
research and development consortium to help get new, highly
predictable products more quickly to market.

     In addition to NIST and FHWA, consortium participants are
DuPont Automotive, Troy, Mich.; Duron Inc., Beltsville, Md.; and
Pittsburgh Plate and Glass Industries Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.

     The group's goal is to find a better way to predict the
service life of paint.  Because of health and environmental
concerns, the chemical makeup and manufacturing process of paints
have changed tremendously over the past decade.  Unlike older
paints, new formulas do not have a well-established history of
performance, says Jonathan Martin, leader of the organic building
materials group in NIST's Building and Fire Research Laboratory.

     "Reliable methods of predicting performance have not kept
pace with the rapid changes," says Martin.  "Current methods rely
heavily on outdoor exposure tests that are time consuming, and,
since the weather is never the same day to day or year to year,
are difficult to duplicate and do not provide a uniformly
reliable prediction of long-term performance."

     As a result, potential problems with painted products,
including cars and buildings, could cost manufacturers millions
of dollars to repair.

     The consortium's main project will be to develop a test
method that will quickly and reliably predict the service life of
a painted product exposed to the elements.  Sunlight, temperature
and wetness are the prime weathering factors that determine how
paint will perform.  "We believe we can determine scientifically
what happens to a painted product exposed to the outdoors and
reproduce that degradation process in the lab.  The result will
be a faster test that will allow manufacturers to comfortably
predict the lifetime of a coating from laboratory results alone,"
says Martin.

     NIST and the other consortium members also will work
together to tailor a weathering test program for each member's
needs.  In addition, NIST will develop a menu-driven, user-
friendly software system to help weathering laboratories design
experiments, test assumptions, fit models to the data and analyze
the data.

     The consortium is expected to last for three years.
Membership will be open until Sept. 10, 1994.  After that time,
new members will be admitted only with NIST's consent after
consultation with consortium members.  New members may have
limited rights.  Membership fees are $30,000 annually.
For information on joining the consortium, contact Martin,
B348 Building Research Building, NIST, Gaithersburg, Md.
20899-0001, (301) 975-6717.

     NIST has participated in over 400 cooperative research and
development agreements since 1988.  CRADAs typically cover joint
research efforts in which both NIST and the cooperating company
provide staff, equipment, facilities and/or funds, in any number
of possible combinations, for a project of mutual interest.

     An agency of the Commerce Department's Technology
Administration, NIST promotes economic growth by working with
industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and
standards.

                                  - 30 -


 COATING SERVICE LIFE PREDICTION CONSORTIUM

INDUSTRY MEMBERS

DuPont Automotive

Contact:  Jack P. Wineburg

Address:  P.O. Box 3886
          Philadelphia, Pa. 19146
Phone:    (215) 339-6267
Fax:      (215) 339-6305


Duron Inc.

Contact:  F. Louis Floyd

Address:  10410 Tucker Street
          Beltsville, Md. 20705
Phone:    (301) 937-4700 ext. 3526
Fax:      (301) 595-0421

PPG Industries, Inc.

Contact:  Dennis Carson

Address:  4325 Rosanna Drive
          Allison Park
          Pittsburg, Pa. 15101
Phone:    (412) 492-5260
Fax:      (412) 492-5588

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MEMBER

U.S. Federal Highway Administration

Contact:  John Peart

Address:  6300 Georgetown Pike
          McLean, Va. 22101-2296
Phone:    (703) 285-2329
Fax:      (703) 285-2791