Mila’s new GRIP (green reliable intelligent polymer) espag handle was launched at October’s Build Show. Manufactured from a high strength ABS material for use with PVC-U, timber and aluminium window systems, it is described as ‘a truly pioneering product’ which Mila boldly claims will redefine the window hardware market.
Certified by The Carbon Trust, with a carbon footprint which is 60% lower than Mila’s standard zinc espag handle, Mila claims that the new GRIP handle has huge advantages for fabricators and installers working in several key market sectors.
One of the most significant is the fact that it is available in an anti-microbial version specifically for use in schools, healthcare environments, offices and public buildings. Branded GRIP CleanTouch, this is the only window handle on the market which is protected with hygienic, anti-microbial silver ion technology from market leaders, BioCote.
BioCote’s anti-microbial additive permeates the ABS material to provide continuous lifetime protection against the spread of surface borne microbes – even the H1N1 influenza virus.
To illustrate the effectiveness of the technology, Mila had a display of standard GRIP and GRIP CleanTouch handles on its stand at the Build Show, which visitors were encouraged to touch as much as possible. Now that the show is over, BioCote is carrying out a full swab analysis of all of the handles to analyse and demonstrate the actual bacterial reduction achieved on the CleanTouch versions.
The results of this will be released shortly, but they are expected to be in line with a recent extended environmental study carried out by BioCote in a Hertfordshire primary school. Here, samples were taken regularly from two comparable classrooms – one equipped with standard equipment and furnishings and one with equivalent BioCote treated alternatives. A 95.68% reduction in bacterial count was recorded.
The GRIP CleanTouch looks identical to Mila’s standard new GRIP handle but has the Biocote logo and traceable batch number under the lever for easy identification. It has exactly the same performance benefits too – including a warm touch grip, high gloss finish, corrosion and chemical resistance, and high strength which even outperforms zinc.
In choosing BioCote as its partner for this new product, Mila says it has deliberately aligned itself with the market leader. BioCote already supplies leading brands such as Dyson, Akzo Nobel, Formica and Rehau and according to Mila, is the only anti-microbial supplier which requires partners to have its products validated before launch and then re-tested on a regular basis during production.
