PPG Aerospace special-effect coatings bring
Virgin Atlantic Airways livery to life
Special-effect coatings by PPG Industries’ aerospace coatings group enabled
Virgin Atlantic Airways to have the
unique reflectivity and bright, vibrant
color the airline’s design and engineering
teams wanted for its new livery, according to the company. The airline has taken
delivery of the first new aircraft – an Airbus A330 – painted with Desothane topcoats by PPG Aerospace colored with
Andaro special-effect pigment. The proprietary PPG pigment was used in coatings that create the red tail and engines
and the aubergine Virgin Atlantic lettering across the aircraft. The fuselage is
painted with Desothane topcoats in
high-sparkle silver mica.
Traditional mica aircraft coatings
have approximately 30% reflectivity,
while coatings with Andaro pigment reflect approximately 90% of visible light,
according to Alex Reid, PPG Aerospace
account manager at the North Europe
application support center in Shildon,
England.
Virgin Atlantic’s design team came to
PPG with a vision for the coloring. Reid
and the PPG Aerospace coatings team
sought input from color experts in PPG’s
automotive OEM (original-equipment
manufacturer) coatings business, and
they adapted the Andaro pigment technology for aerospace coating applications.
Desothane topcoats with Andaro pigment will be used on all new aircraft delivered to Virgin Atlantic and are being
used for repainting its existing fleet with
the new livery.
Hempel’s new intumescent
products give customers full
protective package
Hempel launched two new intumescent
coatings for passive protection of steel
structures in cellulosic fires. With the introduction of the new coatings, Hempel
can now offer customers a full package
coating solution for protecting buildings,
including industrial halls, public buildings, stadiums, airports and supermarkets.
The two new products are the first offerings in Hempel’s new intumescent
range. The company has invested in intumescent development since 2009, and
is dedicated to developing more intumescent products and expanding its offering to customers.
AkzoNobel launches Interpon
ACE powder coatings
AkzoNobel Powder Coatings has
launched the new global Interpon ACE
range of powder coatings for agricultural, construction and earthmoving
equipment.
Previously available in the U.S. and
Western Europe, the Interpon ACE range
has now been launched on a global scale.
Their widespread operations and production facilities guarantee consistent
product color, quality and performance
anywhere in the world.
The Interpon ACE range offers highly
durable coatings with excellent color
and gloss retention and superior anticorrosion properties, according to the
company. Products in the range are guaranteed by the ACE MasterSpec - which
ensures and certifies product quality -
and comply with even the most rigorous
and demanding OEM specifications. The
new product range allows customers to
choose the product performance level
that best suits their requirements. As a
result, customers can tailor the balance
of cost and performance to individual
project needs.
Sherwin-Williams adds satin
sheen to RAL color program
Sherwin-Williams, through its Product
Finishes Division, has launched satin
sheen powder coatings in RAL colors.
The new program joins the company’s
comprehensive family of Powdura powder coatings. Sherwin-Williams now of-
fers 188 RAL colors available in both
satin and high gloss finishes, all with
Super Durable TGIC-Free Polyester
Technology.
The addition of the satin sheen coatings in RAL colors gives metal finishers
the flexibility to achieve different appearance looks within the stringent color
controls of the RAL colors system. Manufacturers of building products, in particular, benefit from the availability of
the satin sheen as it meets the performance specifications set by American Architectural Manufacturers Association
(AAMA) 2603-02 for metal building
products, according to the company.
In addition to metal building products and general metal finishers, those
focused on heavy equipment applications will find the lower sheen, stringent
color matching, and transfer efficiency
of the Super Durable TGIC-free technology beneficial. Sherwin-Williams also offers liquid coatings to match these RAL
colors, providing additional production
options for finishers.
PPG expands Durabull
protective coatings in the
auto and accessories market
PPG Industries’ industrial coatings business has expanded the range of applications for Durabull heavy-duty protective
coatings in the automotive parts and accessories market. Formulated from an
aliphatic polyurea technology, DuraBull
coatings protect vehicles and their exterior components from road debris, stone
chips, chemicals and other abrasive materials. They also provide excellent UV
resistance.
For passenger vehicles such as pick-up trucks and SUVs, typical applications
are running boards, tow hooks, vehicle
steps, tool chests and storage cabinets.
DuraBull coatings are suitable for parts
of any vehicle that are regularly subjected to high levels of road debris.
Additional applications include compo-
