The technology is based on retro-reflectivity, the return of light to the human eye along the same path as the light source. (It is the functional principle in all nighttime safety tape used on products such as street signs, truck delineation, or bicycle reflectors.) With the Halo Process, retro-reflective powder coatings can now offer tremendous benefits in place of tape application and “light up at night” for improved safety, the parties said.

“Aside from being a pioneer in the powder coating industry, we are glad to partner with ITW Gema so that our customers take advantage of the expertise and support they need to use the Halo Coating Process,” said Aaron Bates, MKB’s chief executive officer.

Chris Merritt, general manager of ITW Gema, North America, agreed. “Halo Coatings has developed a truly innovative material technology that opens markets to the improved benefits of powder coating while enhancing the end use product appearance,” he said. “We are excited to be an integral part of the solution for this application with Halo Coating’s products.”

This new partnership allows ITW Gema, a leading supplier of powder coating application and recovery equipment and Halo Coatings—a leading developer of retro-reflective powder coatings—to join together and provide a manufacturing solution for producing products with a retro-reflective surface on nearly any substrate and in three dimensional configurations and shapes. Guardrails that become life-saving rays of light at night; bicycles that can be fully seen in the dark from more than 1,000 feet away; and “hi-viz” shopping carts are just a few of the new products that are now made possible with the ITW Gema/Halo Coatings partnership.