Anti-Corrosion Coatings
Anti-corrosion coatings offer environmentally responsible
products that can withstand the harshest conditions.
BY KERRY PIANOFORTE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Anti-corrosion coatings are an indispensable tool in
fighting the battle against rust. Used on everything
from automobiles to bridges and tunnels, anti-corrosion coatings protect structures in some of the harshest
environments.
Today there are a number of growth areas for anti-corrosive
coatings. Key markets include oil and gas, power, industrial
and infrastructure, according to Anders Braekke, category
group manager, topcoats at Jotun Coatings. “The oil and gas
industry still show good growth and we have good insight in
the industry. The Norwegian oil industry is located on Jotun’s
Above, Jotun’s Hardtop Flexi polyurethane is being applied to
a gas tank.
doorstep and this is an industry that we understand quite
well,” he said. “We also see the alternative power industry as
very interesting. Windmill production is one area that has
potential. This is an industry where we may see innovative
solutions for the future. New alternative power will hopefully
try to be environmentally friendly throughout the whole value
chain and we can expect that waterborne technology will be
preferred in this type of business.” The reason is that customers will not sacrifice any anti-corrosion properties since
maintenance here can be difficult and expensive, for example
windmills located at sea.
Another important area for anti-corrosion coatings is transportation infrastructure. “We are addressing the requirements
of repairing/rebuilding the transportation infrastructure
including highways and bridges,” said John Steele, president,
Substrate, Inc. “We also see significant opportunities within
the Armed Forces. Above ground storage tanks and off-shore
oil platforms are also high on our priority list.”
DEVELOPMENT HURDLES
Developing anti-corrosion coatings for a wide variety of
applications is no easy task. Coatings must meet specific
performance requirements, as well as meet increasingly
strict environmental regulations.
“The constantly increasing requirements on the performance of anti-corrosion coatings combined with cost and
environmental awareness make all-important areas such
as OEM, car refinish, heavy duty, industrial and specialty
coatings the key areas of the corrosion protection coating
makers,” said Lars Kirmaier, business development manager, anticorrosives, Heubach GmbH.
One important trend is the growth of the water-based
paint area and the decreased use of solventborne coatings.
“It looks like a rise of water-based industrial protective
coatings will occur in the future, because of the increased
regulations to produce low VOC,” said Kirmaier. “These
coatings are more convenient to use due to their low odor
and are safer for the environment.”
“VOCs are a necessary component of all organic surface
coatings,” Kirmaier continued. “Of the available low VOC
content paint technologies to date, only high solids or
