Aerospace coatings manufacturers are continually being challenged to develop products that meet the highly specific needs of their customers. Heat management, durability under extreme weather conditions and lightweight are some of the main characteristics being sought in an aerospace coatings.

Within the last five years, PPG introduced a solar heat management coating system that helps keep aircraft passenger cabins cooler, a significant development for aircraft operating in hot weather environments.

“PPG’s solar heat management coatings technology is based on the development of novel pigment dispersions technologies that increase transmittance of near-infrared energy, or heat, through a dark coating and increase the subsequent reflection from a white under layer,” said Sam Millikin, PPG global director, coatings and sealants, aerospace. The technology is modeled after the eggplant, which naturally remains cool to the touch even when exposed to intense sunshine. The eggplant’s dark purple skin does not absorb near-IR radiation but transmits it to the white interior flesh, where it is reflected and transmitted out through the skin.”

“Similarly, the skin of an aircraft painted with the new PPG heat management system remains as much as 25 degrees F cooler, while interior cabin temperatures are reduced 5 to 7 degrees F,” said Millikin. “In addition to being an energy saver for airlines that need to run auxiliary ground units and air conditioning systems to keep the cabin comfortable on the ground, this technology gives airlines greater freedom in choosing aircraft livery colors.

With this technology, PPG’s heat management coatings address three important customer concerns: energy costs, color choice and heat protection for composite parts.”

In 2021, PPG launched a new topcoat for the general aviation and light aircraft markets, PPG BOUNDLESS CA6500 topcoat series. This tint-based topcoat allows for faster color matching with a large variety of colors that can be achieved. It also has fast dry times and low VOC.

New pretreatments and primers are also being developed that offer many attributes. “In past years, we launched several chrome free technologies that support our customers’ needs to eliminate use of hexavalent chrome,” said Millikin. “These technologies provide environmentally sustainable products while offering the potential for reducing weight, increasing productivity and decreasing the total cost of ownership, including:

• PPG DESOPRIME 7530: A chrome free wash primer that customers can apply with electrostatic spray equipment. This technology combined with PPG DESOPRIME 7065 polyurethane primer offers an excellent alternative to current chromate wash primers.
• PPG DESOPRIME 7088: One of the first chrome free, integral fuel tank primer coatings qualified to AMS-C-27725 aerospace industry specification.
• PPG DESOPRIME CA7521: A low VOC chrome free primer approved by OEMs for application on structural and exterior parts of the aircraft.

“PPG’s launches demonstrate our legacy in introducing chrome free technologies to meet our customers’ need to eliminate use of hexavalent chrome and provide environmentally sustainable products,” said Millikin.

Aircraft owners demand on-time delivery and Sherwin-Williams’ SKYscapes basecoat-clearcoat system can reduce paint-process time to help meet customer demand for aircraft turnaround. That’s because the SKYscapes system cures at ambient temperature in half the time of other single-stage systems.

“One of our latest coatings innovations is the improvement of the SKYscapes General Aviation (GA) 855 basecoat-clearcoat system,” said Julie Voisin, global marketing manager, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings. “We have worked to add value to the line including improved performance properties, longer recoat window, simplified mix ratio, etc., all while still maintaining a high performing, production driven coating ideal for general aviation.   The SKYscapes GA – SG, SGE, SGM and SGP Colors – is available in a robust palette of solid, mica or metallic finishes.”

Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings also introduced the Aircraft Color Visualizer, a web-based tool that enables plane owners, paint shops, aircraft designers, OEMs, and aviation enthusiasts to digitally experience color combinations on a variety of aircraft types.

The interactive desktop site allows users to choose from six aircraft models – ranging from a kit aircraft to a heavy jet – to customize with any color in the Sherwin-Williams aircraft color library and instantly view on screen. The pre-designed schemes can integrate one base color and up to three accents, in both solids and metallics.

The tool features two unique designs for each aircraft, allowing the user to switch between them and even spin the aircraft to see the colors from a variety of angles. The Aircraft Color Visualizer allows users to print, save and share their finished designs. Users can also be referred to a professional aircraft designer to fulfill their vision on their specific aircraft.

René Lang, executive managing director – head of aviation at Mankiewicz noted that many product innovations are jointly developed closely with and for customers and are still subject to secrecy. “Especially in terms of substrates, there have been changes in the industry toward thermoplastics in the cabin,” said Lang. “What has been changed is therefore not visible to the passenger but has required product developments and adaptations, always with even leaner processes, less VOC and weight as well as and best processability. In the interior and exterior areas, the global paint manufacturer’s specialists have developed countless new color and effect creations to help their customers individualize and underscore their image.”