Aerospace Coatings
May 2015 www.coatingsworld.com Coatings World | 25
industry, with recent cost cutting and lower fuel prices, adds
further robustness to the current environment. While, in gen-
eral, military spending has eased, it is still substantial enough to
maintain positive overall performance.”
AkzoNobel saw solid growth in the commercial OEM and
maintenance segments driven by the increasing production rates
at Boeing and Airbus and some large re-branding programs. “The
Business Aviation segment is beginning to rebound from the 2008
recession, and the defense segment is steady,” said John Griffin,
business director North America for Specialty Coatings, respon-
sible for global strategy for Aerospace Coatings, AkzoNobel.
Joe Krebs, director of marketing at Sherwin-Williams
Aerospace Coatings also reported that 2014 was a strong year.
“It’s been a long road back since 2008, but we are seeing an
upward slope. In terms of builds we saw it pushing five percent
in 2014 and increasing more in 2015. We saw 2014 as being
very strong within the commercial segment. OEMs had a record
year too. We saw a rebound in private planes being repainted.
We also saw strength in refinish at the maintenance, repair and
overhaul (MRO) level both for repaint and rebrand. The first
quarter has been much of the same. It’s been good and we an-
There are a variety of factors driving growth in the aerospace
coatings market. “Airline mergers are a massive driver,” said
Krebs. “When mergers occur it pushes coatings demand not just
for one year but for three to four years as the livery is rebranded.”
“The aerospace coatings industry will see growth in the U.S.
with an increase in military budget now that the Republican
party has taken hold of both houses in Congress,” said
Athansopoulos. “Increase in military spending and the elimina-
tion of the sequestration will provide the growth.”
Outside the U.S., the military growth will be limited,
Athansopoulos noted. “On the commercial side of the business
we are seeing an increase in orders by major airlines for more fuel
efficient airplanes at all OEMs Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier and
Embraer. China and India’s increase in air travel continues to be
strong and in turn the need for more jetliners. China is becoming
a contender to the other OEMs with the introduction of Comac’s
ARJ21 regional jet. Low oil prices provide opportunities for bet-
ter financing that airlines can use to purchase new jets.”
Innovation Driving Growth
Efficiency is the key driver of the aerospace coatings mar-
ket. “Operators want to reduce their down time, they want
improved durability allowing them to extend maintenance
cycles, and they want fast, easy touch-up solutions,” said
Griffin. “Manufacturers want to reduce material usage and
eliminate waste and they want a more efficient supply chain.
Our focus at AkzoNobel is on reducing the amount of coating
required and the time it takes to apply the coatings to aircrafts,
parts and assemblies. We also look to maximize the utility of
our products (for example, a longer pot life to reduce waste)
helping to reduce waste and inventories. By developing multi-
purpose coatings that satisfy more than one specification or use,
we can help customers reduce inventories and complexity.”
The aerospace coatings market will continue to be robust
with the need for new technologies. “Air-frame manufactur-
ers are introducing new material for the manufacturing of jets
like composites, and new metal substrates that will require new
coatings,” said Athansopoulos. “New technologies like envi-
ronmentally friendly chrome free primers, low density prim-
ers, fluropolymer topcoats, basecoat clearcoat topcoats, are
some of the new products that are providing the OEMs with
opportunities to increase the quality and efficiency in painting
their airplanes. Research is ongoing for improving the quality
and performance of paint systems like exterior durability,rivet
rash and flexibility. Reducing weight, by reducing the numbers
of coats and or products for the exterior surfaces is becoming a
requirements by OEMs and airlines. New composite primers for
protecting the interior surfaces of commercial airplanes provide
reduced weight advantages.”
The largest impact on demand for aerospace coatings re-
sults from changes in the design of aircraft to improve overall
efficiency and cost of ownership. “As aircraft are designed to
be more efficient, the role of the aerospace coatings supplier
becomes more significant in supporting this evolution,” said
Cancilla. “Aerospace coatings suppliers, such as PPG, can have
a dramatic impact upon the air frame manufacturer’s ability to
manufacture airplanes more efficiently, reduce the weight of the
aircraft, improve the operational characteristics of the airplane,
and extend aircraft life. Our contribution to the development
of more efficient aircraft helps to drive demand of the aircraft
and helps the airlines and operators of the aircraft become more
competitive and more profitable.”
The aerospace coatings industry is experiencing significant
changes today. “New products and technologies are being in-
troduced, vastly changing the types of products being supplied
and used in the industry,” Cancilla said. “These include basecoat
clearcoat topcoat systems, chrome free primer and pretreat-
ment systems, electrocoating processes, automated application
processes, and functional topcoats to address solar heat man-
agement, ice release and drag reduction. This has prompted sig-
nificant opportunities for airplane manufacturers and for those
who maintain aircraft in the aftermarket to save time, expense,
and improve overall appearance of their aircraft.”
The continued push for lighter substrates also drives inno-
vation in the aerospace coatings market. “First and foremost,
the coatings you are trying to work with has to be durable,”
said Krebs. “These products need to stand up to real world con-
ditions. Weight reduction is definitely part of what OEMs are
looking for and what airlines are looking for. Another important
factor is process and productivity improvement. If you take a
five step process and make it a four step process that is some-
thing customers hold very valuable. From pre-treatment all the
way to topcoat, we look to see if there is something we can do
to combine those steps or reduce dry times.”
An additional factor that is driving demand for aerospace
coatings is the continued need to develop more environmentally
friendly products that incorporate less hazardous materials.
“The removal of chromated corrosion inhibitors, for example,
