PPG Aerospace basecoat/clearcoat system saves weight and time, adds life

Citation

(2009), "PPG Aerospace basecoat/clearcoat system saves weight and time, adds life", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 38 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2009.12938dad.014

PPG Aerospace basecoat/clearcoat system saves weight and time, adds life

Article Type: New products From: Pigment & Resin Technology, Volume 38, Issue 4

A basecoat/clearcoat aerospace coatings system developed by PPG Industries’ (NYSE:PPG) aerospace business can save airlines millions of dollars annually because of its reduced weight, added durability and shorter process time compared with traditional coatings.

Airplanes are traditionally painted with two coats of the same pigmented topcoat. With PPG’s basecoat/clearcoat system, the first coating applied has a significantly higher amount of pigment than in one topcoat of a conventional two-coat system. The system’s second coat is clear, providing gloss, smoothness and better durability.

According to Alan Schoeder, PPG Aerospace commercial coatings global segment manager, the weight savings with the PPG basecoat/clearcoat system would be about 100 pounds for a small commercial airplane and close to 600 pounds for a large airplane.

“With the PPG basecoat/clearcoat system for painting aircraft, we expect a 15 to 35-percent weight reduction compared with the traditional two-coat system at the same cured paint thickness,” Schoeder said. Darker colors would be about 35 percent, while lighter colors would be about 15 percent, he said.

“If each pound taken off a plane represents $1,000 a year in fuel savings, an airline could save $100,000 for a small aircraft and up to $600,000 for a large airplane. Translate that across a fleet, and the potential exists to save millions of dollars with PPG’s basecoat/clearcoat system in fuel costs alone,” he said.

The PPG basecoat/clearcoat system also reduces process time, removing one full day from the painting cycle, Schoeder said. The color coat dry time is only about 2 h, instead of five to seven for traditional systems, because drying slowly is not required for a glossy, smooth finish when using a clearcoat. Also, only about a half-hour dry time is needed after logo colors and placards are painted over the basecoat before the clearcoat is applied, compared with about 2 h for a traditional paint system.

Using a clearcoat improves gloss and color retention as well as cleanability, Schoeder said. “Therefore, airlines can expect the life of a paint job to double from lasting about five years on average to lasting about ten years using the new PPG system.”

Also, with increased paint durability and shorter repainting process time, a plane won’t need to be repainted as often or to be grounded as long for maintenance. An airline that loses $50,000-$150,000 in revenue every day an airplane sits for repainting will therefore reduce those maintenance-related losses, Schoeder said.

Customer trials of PPG’s basecoat/clearcoat system are under way at Airbus and Boeing, with qualification to OEM specification expected this year.

PPG Aerospace is the aerospace products and services business of PPG Industries. PPG Aerospace – PRC-DeSoto is the leading global producer and distributor of aerospace coatings, sealants, and packaging and application systems. PPG Aerospace – Transparencies is the world’s largest supplier of aircraft windshields, windows and canopies. For more information, visit: www.ppg.com