E-Gard^® Plus™ is a new specially formulated E-Coat process designed to provide superior corrosion protection on carbon steel hardware components used in casement and awning hardware products. Examples of products include carbon steel hinges, operators, brackets, and operator tracks.

E-Coat technology has evolved over the past 20 years and AmesburyTruth™ has lead the way in developing an enhanced product that delivers improved performance. E-Gard Plus is specially designed to provide better edge protection by reducing sharp corners and burrs with an improved burnishing process. Additionally, the special E-coat formula improves coating coverage on the various edges of hardware components.

Below are two samples of casement operator tracks tested to ASTM B117 test method. The testing includes 1,000 hours of salt spray. The new E-Gard Plus performed very well with minimal red rust as compared to the original E-Gard product.

E-Gard

E-Gard^® Plus™

Below are examples of an operator and hinge that have been treated with E-Gard Plus (notice the use of stainless steel and zinc rivets):

Operators

Hinges

Appearance:

E-Gard Plus appearance will be very similar to the existing E-Gard product enabling mixed components on the same unit. There are some situations where the black epoxy E-coat may be visible in tight corners or near the surface from which the part is secured during the coating process (traces of black epoxy may be present as illustrated below). The black epoxy is generally on surfaces that are not highly visible after the component is attached to the window and this condition does not negatively impact the performance of the product.

Black epoxy on a hinge arm

Black epoxy on an operator track

Assemblies:

E-Gard Plus hardware assemblies can achieve 300 hours with minimal (less than 1/16") red rust which exceeds the AAMA 907 specifications.

E-Gard hinge joint with steel E-Gard coated rivet

E-Gard Plus hinge joint with stainless steel rivet

1. What is the difference between E-Gard and E-Gard Plus?
   1. The current E-Gard is a U.V. stable liquid Acrylic based coating that is electrostatically applied to the parts with E-Gard coated rivets and studs.
   2. E-Gard^® Plus™ is a liquid black Epoxy high edge build coating that is electrostatically applied to the parts with a powder top coat to match the current color and to provide U.V. protection. The rivets and studs have already been changed to Stainless Steel (SST) or Service Class 3 (SC3) coating.
   3. The benefits over the current E-Gard is improved corrosion resistance and a more reliable and environmentally friendly process.
2. What Products are affected by the change to E-Gard Plus?
   1. All parts currently being E-coated today will receive the E-Gard Plus coating (Operator Arms, Hinge Arms, Brackets, etc.).
3. Why do you have to change part numbers?
   1. Changing part numbers enables AmesburyTruth and our customers to efficiently transition through older inventory to ensure product consistency for the end user.
   2. E-Gard Plus will be designated with a .93 in the part number. Anything remaining as .92 will be a powder coat only product (mostly zinc components and tie bars).
   3. Finished good part numbers with a suffix of .1XX will be changing to a .2xx for the E-Gard Plus coating.
4. When will E-Gard Plus be available?
   1. E-Gard Plus will be a running change. AmesburyTruth will begin making changes to our process on January 5, 2015 to incorporate the E-Gard Plus formulation into our production parts.