Coatings World - MAY 2013

“As airlines review their costs and reorganize, often merging to
greater critical mass in which to face today’s challenges, this will
create a demand for re-liveries and rebranding, which in turn leads
to a demand for more coatings as fleets are repainted.”
-Vincent van der Laan

weight compared to a typical wash primer scheme,” said van der Laan.

A second driver is time saving during the paint process. “Basically get the aircraft in and out of the paint shop quicker so that it can get back to creating revenue for the airline,” said van der Laan. “Of course all this comes with an increased paint performance and longer lasting, more durable topcoats like with the Aerobase and Aerodur Base Coat/Clear Coat systems.

Airlines are looking for longevity of the livery brand image. The livery and interior of the aircraft play an integral role in shaping an airlines’ brand image.

“AkzoNobel’s reliable base coat/clear coat systems
maintain the worldwide brand integrity of airlines by get-
ting the color mix exactly right and by keeping colors right
by the protection of the clearcoat,” said van der Laan.
“Environmental and health regulation and in particular
the demand for chrome-free technology is another indus-
try driver. In 2012 we had the first application of a totally
chrome-free system and expect AMS 3095A qualification
for this system anytime soon.”
Accordng to Cancilla, PPG’s customers continue to drive
innovation toward reduced weight, faster application times
for coatings, longer service life and increased functional-
ity. “The Aerocron product can be consistently applied
with uniform, thin film layers, contributing to the weight
reduction of the overall aircraft components being coated,”
he added. “Also, our Desothane HD basecoat clearcoat
products permit the topcoat systems application to be ac-
complished in a faster time frame, minimizing the time out
of service while enhancing the durability of the gloss level of
the coated aircraft. Finally, our customers are recognizing
that functionality can be designed into aerospace coatings
system including the ability of the coating to reduce heat
load onto the aircraft, improve the ability of the skin to
minimize the accumulation of ice, and to improve the drag
resistance of the aircraft. All of these key factors are consid-
ered in PPG’s innovation pipeline for aerospace coatings.”
Recently, PPG Aerospace Coatings has launched its
Desothane HD basecoat clearcoat products into the after-
market segment of the industry. “We have received qualifi-
cations to the AMS 3095A specification from independent
laboratories for several systems that include this technol-
ogy,” said Cancilla. “We have also launched our chrome
free Desoprime CF/CA7502 primer systems. These have
been qualified to both OEM and the AMS 3095A specifica-
tions. Recently, PPG proudly announced our new Andaro
technology used to enhance the new livery of Virgin
Atlantic aircraft.

PPG to Acquire Deft

PPG Industries recently reached an agreement to acquire certain assets of Deft Incorporated, a privately-owned specialty coatings company based in Irvine, California. Deft’s primary business is supplying structural primers and military topcoats to the North American aviation industry, and it has smaller architectural and industrial coatings businesses.

“Acquiring Deft will advance PPG’s strategy to remain a leading aerospace coatings supplier,” said Barry Gillespie, PPG vice
president, aerospace. “Deft’s waterborne and chrome-free technologies complement PPG’s existing coatings capabilities and
will provide PPG with a broader product portfolio, particularly within the aerospace industry.”
Gillespie added, “The aviation industry continues to drive toward improved environmentally sustainable solutions, and
both PPG and Deft have long histories of developing technologies that support this trend. Deft’s ‘green’ coating systems sup-
port PPG’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, and we will be able to offer an even wider selection of innovative coatings
that benefit our customers and lessen the impact on the environment.”