PPG announced that Airbus has qualified PPG DESOTHANE HD 9008 mica basecoat-clearcoat for applying mica sparkle effects to aircraft liveries. The coatings system offers enhanced repairability as well as improved durability and aesthetics.

The qualification enables airlines to specify PPG Desothane HD 9008 mica basecoat-clearcoat for the liveries on their Airbus aircraft under the same Airbus specifications as the PPG solid-color basecoat-clearcoat system. Coatings application can be as a decorative topcoat system, as a complete paint scheme with PPG DESOPRIME CF 7049 primer and in a selectively strippable system with F565 intermediate coat over the primer. The corresponding Airbus Industrie Material Specifications are 04-04-025, 04-04-033 and 04-04-037.

PPG Desothane HD 9008 basecoat-clearcoat consists of a pigment-rich basecoat that provides color with less paint than conventional high-solids coatings. Its clearcoat extends service life, improves buffability and achieves a smoother, high-gloss surface that is easier to clean.

For the mica basecoat-clearcoat, PPG developed a three-stage technology, with the mica layer applied over the solid-color basecoat and before the clearcoat. This provides enhanced shimmer compared with two-stage mica basecoat-clearcoat systems, which disperse the mica in the color basecoat.

According to Daniel Bencun, PPG global director, aerospace coatings, the process for repairing the PPG mica coatings system offers significant advantages.

“Combining the high-gloss color vibrancy of a basecoat-clearcoat and distinctive sparkle of mica in an advanced-technology coatings system is a significant achievement for PPG,” Bencun said. “Airbus customers with mica as a design element in their liveries – especially airlines with full mica paint jobs – can now benefit from the maintenance, performance and appearance advantages of PPG’s basecoat-clearcoat.”

Airbus has long used PPG Desoprime CF 7049 primer, which is formulated without chrome as an intentionally added ingredient.