Coatings World - September 2016

significant that these landmarks in Kota Tua will be repainted in
their original colors. We’re honored to be involved in preserving
and celebrating Jakarta’s cultural heritage.”
He added that as a mark of respect to the heritage of Kota
Tua, 100 AkzoNobel employees will be involved in helping to
restore Museum Fatahillah.

The UNESCO World Heritage list is composed of sites deemed to have special cultural or physical significance. The list currently consists of more than 1,000 properties from over 160 countries.

PPG Working with Industry Partners to
Develop Eco-friendly Ship Hull Film System

PPG’s protective and marine coatings business has received European Union (EU) funding for a project that aims to produce an innovative fouling-protection system for commercial vessels.

A project development group including PPG, MACtac, Meyer Werft/ND Coatings, VertiDrive and Hamburg Ship Model Basin HSVA are working together to establish an automatic application process enabling an innovative self-adhesive/fouling-release film to be used on commercial seagoing vessels. This process will allow shipowners and operators to enjoy the fouling-release properties and drag-reduction capabilities of the SIGMAGLIDE self-adhesive film by PPG.

“The eSHaRk (eco-friendly Ship Hull film system with fouling Release and fuel-saving properties) project aims to bring to the market a fouling-protection technology which not only maintains the current state-of-the-art fouling-protection standards but is superior to existing paint-based solutions in terms of eco-friendliness, easiness of application, robustness and drag-reduction effects, all of which will lead to fuel savings and the reduction of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions,” said PPG product manager Christophe Cheikh.

The system incorporates a fine-tuned fouling-release system based on PPG’s 100 percent silicone binder technology and a self-adhesive film designed by MACtac for underwater use.

As part of the eSHaRk project, new, robotized application technology is being developed by VertiDrive that will be used to automate application of the film on large commercial vessels. Furthermore, the surface morphology of the film will be optimized to enhance drag-reduction, fuel-savings and emissions-reduction benefits to previously unattainable levels.

After extensive laboratory testing, including flow-channel drag-reduction experiments conducted in a state-of-the-art flow channel at HSVA, several small-scale in-practice applications have been conducted successfully, and PPG is now looking for full-scale testing and validation in operational conditions before market entry with the support of ND Coatings/Meyer Werft.

The number of trial applications is growing, and the advan-
tages of the system are being demonstrated. To date, the film
system is offering clear advantages at newbuild stage that can
be grouped into two categories:
• Productivity improvement, with easier and faster applica-
tion of the fouling-release system without the traditional
constraint of overcoating intervals; and

Superior in Clear Coats MINEX® delivers unique physical and photochemical properties ideally suited for clear coats. Its low refractive index is best utilized in transparent wood and furniture coatings, where MINEX can be loaded up to 20% without excessive haze to improve hardness, light stability and moisture resistance.