Product History and Key Achievements

In 2016, Axalta celebrated 150 years in the coatings industry. From the inception of our business in 1866 to the manufacture of next generation, environmentally compatible products demanded in the 21st century, we have continued to evolve. What has not changed is a tradition of quality, technology, innovation, and leadership that puts our customers first.

• 1942
  - Introduction of our first synthetic magnet wire coating for the electrical industry with high breakdown voltage and heat resistance
• 1960
  - First impregnating resins based on unsaturated polyester
• 1962
  - Introduction of waterborne electrical steel coatings
• 1964
  - First wire enamel based on THEIC-polyesterimide

• 1977
  - Development of a solvent-free wire enamel – hotmelt
• 1984
  - Debut: replacement of 2K to 1K resins; a world first head start in the lead of faster hardening, better handling as well as higher shelf life
• 1985
  - First polyamideimide topcoat with an improved mechanical, chemical and thermal stability
• 1988
  - Introduction of polyurethane wire enamels based on cresol-free solvents
• 1989
  - First styrene and vinyltoluene-based impregnating resins
• 1993
   - Introduction of electrical UV process: a new and innovative impregnating process for stators in combination with a new generation of UV-curable impregnating resins
• 1995
  - Introduction of polyurethane wire enamels with temperature class H (temperature index >180°C), solderable at 375°C without stripping insulation

• 1996
  - Organic-inorganic hybrid electrical steel coating
• 1997
  - Development of low emission resins in order to meet stricter environmental regulations / requirements
• 1999
  - Development of Voltron® - a corona resistant wire enamel based on nano technology with a higher life time in inverter driven motors
  - After selling Herberts to DuPont our business was renamed to "DuPont™ Herberts® Electro
• 2002
  - Introduction of a new monomer-free impregnating resin which contains a high amount of regenerative raw materials for the specific requirements needed within the wind energy sector
• 2005
  - Waterborne electrical steel varnish with reduced VOC content

• 2006
  - Renaming to EIS (Electrical Insulation Systems)
  - Market launch of a chromium-free C5 varnish
• 2008
  - Launch of our trade mark "Voltatex®"
  - Market launch of a waterborne self-bonding varnish (electrical steel coating)
  - Market launch of a C5 varnish with improved weldability
  - Low viscosity, monomer-free impregnating resins, especially for capsulated motors
• 2011
  - Replace "EIS" by "Voltatex® Energy Solutions"
• 2012
  - New Voltron® technology based on polyamideimide wire enamel
• 2013
  - DuPont Performance Coatings sold to “The Carlyle Group”, a private equity company.
  New company name since June 2013 is “Axalta Coating Systems”.

• 2014
  - Introduction of new generation C6 electrical steel varnish - Voltatex® 1262, targeted for use in special applications for large hydro and turbo generators where no formaldehyde degassing is desired.
• 2015
  - Axalta has received certification of its one-component impregnating resin, Voltatex® 4204, by the independent global product safety testing and certification organization Underwriters Laboratories (UL). The resin is formulated specifically for use in electrical motor, generator and transformer applications in thermal class 180 (H).
• 2016
  - Launch of first waterborne impregnating resin in China. This environmentally responsible product line will be launched under the brand Voltahyd. With its Voltahyd 2250 series T, M and E it will offer a carefully selected product portfolio of specialized solutions for different applications.
  - Axalta introduces a  new impregnating resin brand for medium- and high-voltage motors. Voltaprem 5000, a new one-component impregnating resin, has been specifically developed for the insulation of medium- and high-voltage equipment, such as generators for the wind, rail and energy industries or rail traction motors and motors for general industrial applications.
  

• 2018
  -Axalta introduces Voltatex 4224, a new, low-emission impregnating resin that allows for the design of smaller and more efficient motors, and for the significant reduction of the operating temperatures of standard design motors. It is manufactured using renewable raw materials.
• 2019
  - Voltaprem 5000 wins Edison Best New Products™  Silver award in the Materials Science and Engineering category.
  - Voltatex 4224 wins prestigious R&D 100 Award.
• 2020
  - Voltatex 4224 wins  a Gold Edison Award in the Materials Science and Engineering category.