SIGMA Paints, a pioneer in cutting-edge paint solutions, has shown that it can think both big and small by launching a paint system that takes building protection to “cosmic levels” and addresses not just the extreme exposure conditions of the Middle East but also the reason for paint failures worldwide.

Sigma Guardian Nano is the most technologically-advanced range of products within the paint industry in the Middle East, says Sigma Paints, which introduced the innovative system in Saudi Arabia last month. The result of a revolutionary idea translated into a small protective particle against humidity, scratches, dulling and aging, the system is said to offer the ultimate in exterior decorative protection for concrete and cement-based substrates.
The paint system is based on nano-technology, which involves the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale, deals with structures nanometres in size, and entails developing materials or devices within that size. A nanometre is by definition one millionth of a millimeter.
The revolutionary paint range is truly “out of this world”, says Dammam-based Sigma Paints, which conducted a series of launches – first at the Meridien hotel and then at the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Science and Technology Centre in Al Khobar – to drive home the nano concept as applied to the paint industry.

The launch
Sigma deployed a fusion of creativity and technology, nano-tech movies and even a scientific presentation by a nano-scientist – Dr Zeid Al Othman, the assistant professor from King Abdullah Institute for Nano-technology – to elucidate the technology to an audience that included 150 invitees, prominent architects and consultants. Sigma’s DTS manager Mike Murphy then provided an in-depth insight into the nano-structure with his technical presentation.
Sigma Guardian Nano has been engineered in cooperation with the Sigma/PPG laboratories in Europe to ensure that it is not only more than a match for the extreme Middle East exposure conditions but also addresses the common causes of paint failures worldwide, says Murphy. Sigma introduced nanometric technology to Europe and is the pioneer in nano-technology for aerospace.
This unique product responds to King Abdullah’s recommendation to use nano technology, says the company. Ira Linea von Witte, PR and communications manager of Sigma Paints, explains: “Last October, the King urged Saudi manufacturers to incorporate this revolutionary technology into their production processes. Sigma has since then been in close contact with the King Abdullah Institute for Nano-technology in a bid to promote the technology in the kingdom.”
Sigma Guardian Nano – based from the latest nanometric formulations – has been developed with the belief that ultimate protection for buildings can be achieved by providing resistance to external elements such as ultraviolet rays, humidity and carbonation, but also from superior resistance to the universal challenges of moisture vapour, evaporation, efflorescence and alkalinity, which emanate from the substrates.
“Sigma Guardian Nano is in every sense extraordinary and the technology is unprecedented. With the active nano-particles, Sigma has raised the level of protection to the ‘cosmic’ level,” says Steven Rijkaard, brand manager for Sigma. “Demand for Sigma Guardian Nano is expected to reflect the increasing expectations of architects, consultants, contractors and owners, who recognise the long-term financial benefits of extended paint life protection coupled with superior quality of decoration, which translates to a radiating top coat. Sigma is continuously providing durable protection for homes, properties and buildings, which ultimately translates to considerable cost reductions.”
“Sigma Guardian Nano gives comfort to all in the knowledge of having secured maximum paint protection for their buildings,” he continues. “This coating not only protects buildings and structures from the extremely harsh Middle Eastern climate but also resists the main causes of failures emanating from the substrate to which it is applied. The superior UV resistance, colour fastness and resistance to fading, in combination with low dust pick-up, results in the paint finish looking fresher, brighter and newer for longer.”
Murphy adds: “Higher resistance to water ingress, particularly at ground level, combined with superb moisture vapour permeability and vice-like gripping adhesion results in a significant reduction in the formation of destructive efflorescence, and the common associated paint failures found around the base of many buildings.”
While there are paint systems available that can resist perhaps one or two of the destructive external elements, Sigma Guardian Nano paint system protects from all the main destructive elements both from the outside and from the inside, he adds.

Nano-technology
While pointing out that one of the challenges of scientists and technologist today is to communicate the scope, range and potential applications of nano-technology to a layman, who generally associates it with science fiction, Murphy says: “Nano-technology deals with the smallest parts of matter that we can manipulate and it is anything but science fiction – neither is it synonymous with computers, software and communications only. Scientists have been working at the nanoscale for decades through electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopes or simply growing and analysing thin films. Nobel prizes have been awarded in nano-technology and many companies are now applying nano-technology to a variety of consumer products, such as automobile parts, clothing and ski wax.
Though the initial applications of nano-technology are related materials, such as additives for plastics, nano-carbon particles for improved steels and coatings, the current $600 million nano-coatings market will grow to more than $5 billion globally by 2013, according to a new market forecast of industrial applications for nano-scale coatings.”
Some of the Middle Eastern companies within the oil and gas industry have already incorporated nano-particles into their production and operation. Sigma with its pioneering 300-year heritage says it is the first consumer-oriented company now offering the ‘nano fruits’ to the public.
“Sigma is not about scoring points; it focuses on providing cutting-edge technically advanced solutions to the challenges faced by our customers. Our nanometric technology and this coating system in particular, is so far ahead that it is comparatively not just from another world but from another galaxy. Sigma not only thinks big, but also small, very small, so as to provide superior cosmic protection. This minute space-age development and nano particles offer a superior defence mechanism and invisible microbial protection, thus providing a dream in earthly surface radiance,” says von Witte.
Sigma, founded in 1722, has once again proved that its impressive heritage continues to accelerate development of stunning innovations around the globe and the Middle East.