Adhesives at Work: U.S. Coast Guard Turns to Electrocoat Primer System
An eco-friendly aerospace primer saves time and weight while enhancing corrosion resistance.
PPG Industries’ aerospace coatings group has installed the first commercial system in the U.S. for application of its aerospace electrocoat (e-coat) primer to aircraft parts at the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, N.C. The Aviation Logistics Center has reduced primer application and processing time from hours to minutes and full cure time from days to an hour with Aerocron™ electrocoat primer.
Primers provide corrosion resistance to metal parts and enhance topcoat adhesion. Traditional primer is spray-applied, creating overspray and non-uniform film thicknesses that result in lower application efficiencies and higher coating weight. In the electrocoating process, metal aircraft parts are immersed in the Aerocron primer bath and then an electrical charge is applied. The primer is attracted to the charged part, resulting in uniform film thickness over the part, even in recessed and hidden areas. The water-based, chromate-free electrocoat primer produces near-zero waste and affords significant weight savings.