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Not just a ‘strap line’, this is what Indestructible Paint provide. 75% of coatings sold by the company are formulated especially for, or adapted, to meet the requirements of individual customers. They are ‘engineered’ to meet their specific requirements. Engineering companies, especially aerospace companies, always need new products. These materials sometimes replace older technology to meet environmental requirements or to provide greater performance, or both. In addition, a customer may sometimes need the basic characteristics of one of our existing coatings, but further work may be required to enhance performance in one or more sections of its specification. While work is ongoing in the company’s laboratories, for special or long term product development, we also offer a contract service to our customers. Although we haven’t made much ‘noise’ about it over the last two years or so, I thought I would draw your attention to it now. The service has been well received and has not failed to produce the desired result. Our job is to provide the coating for your job. (Another strap line?) Brian Norton |
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Traditionally, the major materials used in surface coatings to combat corrosion were chromium compounds, mostly chromates
It became necessary, in the interests of the health & safety of users and to protect the environment, for surface coating manufacturers and others to reduce and ultimately eliminate these materials from their products. The three items on this page exemplify the results of completed developments and the work still being carried out by Indestructible Paint to totally eliminate chromium compounds.
Indestructible Paint Ltd has, for many years, been running an ongoing development programme to provide low VOC anti-corrosive coatings that are completely free from chromate pigments.
Products produced so far rely to a large extent for their high performance on epoxy resins and a combination of pigment/s currently sourced in the southern hemisphere. These pigments successfully replace all forms of chromate.
A number of products have resulted from this programme so far. For example, IP714-A and IP714-2A are 2-pack low VOC light and dark grey primers, respectively, produced specifically for Pratt & Whitney, Canada, and approved and adopted by that company in 2003 and later by its parent company in the USA.
Since that time further development of these products has taken place to provide several aerospace companies with materials to meet their particular specifications and product types.
Rapid cure with a long open-edge time were the conflicting requirements of one example. This was successfully achieved with the adoption of new catalyst types - cure time being reduced from 16-24 hours to 2-3 hours while maintaining a sufficiently long open-edge time.
In another instance it was necessary, for use on undercarriage components, to increase the usual three hours resistance requirement to tri-n-butyl phosphate (aircraft brake fluid) by more than 100 fold to 336 hours. This was also achieved successfully.
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These and many other variations in specifications have resulted in four main versions of this product series with no loss of corrosion resistance. |
IP3-6600 IP3-6500 IP714-2A |
It is interesting to note that while these developments were taking place a substantial amount of laboratory work was also carried out screening new anti-corrosive pigments, as they became available.
Despite the extra work, it was established that no benefits, in this or any other respect, could be achieved by adopting any of the new pigments tested.
Originally introduced in 1994, specifically to resist the increasingly high operating temperatures required for greater engine efficiency, Ipcote 9183 is an inorganic metallic/ceramic coating used on turbine blades. These operate at temperatures between 500ºC and 600ºC.
Ipcote products are low in hexavalent chromium (chrome 6) containing between 14 and 37 ppm. The remaining chromium, up to 2%, is the less hazardous trivalent material.
These materials have exceptionally high corrosion resistance and pass up to 3,000 hours salt spray (ASTMB117) on mild steel. Ipcote 9183 is also completely impervious to organic solvents, even at elevated operating temperatures.
Ipcote products are used globally on and in gas turbine engines manufactured by the world’s largest engine manufacturers.
Because of the latest environmental demands, including those of REACH, Indestructible are now working on completely chromium free versions of these products. Partly funded with a development grant from the local Development Agency, this work is also carried out in conjunction with universities and specialised laboratories.
There is already interest in these new products from prime aircraft component manufacturers as highly corrosion resistant coatings for use in several applications including, for example, undercarriage components.
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Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, Coventry, part of Meggitt plc, replaced a number of its existing coating materials for environmental reasons, last year, with a new range of products from Indestructible Paint. The key part of the change was to adopt a low VOC, chromate free system with 336 hours resistance at 70ºC to tri-nbutyl phosphate. This material is widely used in hydraulic fluids for aircraft braking systems and is well known for its ability to |
remove most types of paint. In addition, the new coating system had to pass a water soak test (336 hours at 23ºC) and a wear resistance test using the Taber Abrader (1000 grams/1000 revolutions with a CS17 wheel). Indestructible was able to meet these requirements by upgrading an existing primer, IP714A. The modified version of the primer, IP 3-6600, is now in full production at Meggitt in combination with Indestructible’s low VOC white polyurethane topcoat, IP 6-0000. |
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Following its approval by Eurocopter
earlier this year, Indestructible Paint’s
IP985-547 spraying epoxy magnesium sealer for helicopter
gearboxes was adopted for production
in July 2008.
Specially formulated at Indestructible Paint’s Birmingham laboratories, using environmentally acceptable solvents, the new sealer meets Eurocopter’s specification ECS2264.
It is now in use at Eurocopter’s Marignane facility in France and at a number of its sub contractors in the Marseille area.
IP985-547 is also approved by Turbomeca to specification LB 547 for use on magnesium components.
IP985-547 being applied to part of helicopter gearbox housing
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Indestructible Paint manufactures a protective clear cockpit canopy coating for jet fighters and other aircraft. R S Coatings were aware of this and contacted Indestructible to ascertain the product’s suitability for its purposes. Three types of telephones manufactured especially for City and other financial traders, had to have polycarbonate screen covers with exceptional scratch resistance. Although polycarbonate is extremely tough with good light transmission characteristics, the surface is easily marked and the covers required a hard scratch resistant protective coating to meet the specification. In addition to good scratch resistance and hardness the coating had to:- |
51003-R1 Indestructible Paint reviewed the suitability of its acrylic based canopy coating for this purpose. Despite being designed to meet a demanding aircraft specification it was found necessary to make certain adjustments to the formulation tomeet BTs requirements. 51006 Minor modifications have resulted in a tailor made product that completely satisfies these requirements. In conjunction with Indestructible Paint, R S Coatings personnel designed and constructed a conveyorised application plant for the coating including an infra-red ‘flash-off’ or pre-dry stage and a UV curing facility. Following trials, the coating and its application system have been entirely successful and are now in full production. |
Indestructible Paint Ltd has been making protective coatings for aircraft heat exchangers for many years.
The latest types of coatings, although still based on epoxy resins are now much more environmentally friendly than the originals.
As a result of its experience, Indestructible Paint is now working in conjunction with Visteon, makers of heat exchangers in the Czech Republic, to produce a tailor-made low environmental impact coating for heat exchangers in projected new vehicles.
Visteon heat exchangers with and without low environmental impact coating
In a totally different vein.
Indestructible recently
received this commendation
by email from Mr Robert
Stevens, Director of the Mad
Hatter Bands - a satisfied
customer:-
“I've been using the Brass 19335 lacquer on a couple of trombones. REALLY pleased with the stuff. I've used it on a couple of trombones. I've been painting it on and air drying. It took a little bit of practice to get a really smooth finish but it was worth the time. I re-lacquered a trombone on Sunday morning and was playing it in the afternoon. This lacquer is pretty tough!”
19335 is an air drying spraying clear lacquer produced by Indestructible Paint for brass and decorative metals.
Indestructible Paint Ltd.,
manufactures ‘quality critical’
aerospace and other
technically demanding
surface coatings for prime
companies worldwide.
It is an extremely successful company that relies heavily on its Research & Development facilities and staff.
To quote the Managing Director, Brian Norton: "Our business lives or dies from R & D. It is the key to our success and is the only way in which we can continue to develop protective coatings to meet the most stringent of requirements of this market. Our coatings operate in the world’s harshest environments, in particular they protect aerospace components that operate at extraordinarily high temperatures.”
In view of the very high cost of its R & D commitment the company’s new accountants, HW Accountants, Birmingham, undertook a review of its previously claimed R & D tax credits. As a result, the company received a six figure tax rebate, dating back to 2001, repaid with interest by the tax office.
Henry Briggs of HW Accountants pointed out that many companies may be losing out and it is still possible to turn back the clock. “Many businesses should take a look at how they apply for R & D tax credits. It is quite possible that they could reclaim many thousands of pounds” he said.
Vintage Restoration |
Although Indestructible Paint supply some of the most advanced coatings to the aerospace and other industries, the company also supports the restoration of vintage aircraft by providing quantities of paint to the restorers. In many cases these materials have to be made and colour matched specially for the purpose. |
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Shown above are some of the aircraft and components that have benefited from this policy.
Top row Avro Vulcan and Vulcan engines Bottom row L-R DH Rapide, DH Gypsy Queen engines, two jet Provosts
Please contact Indestructible Paint to follow up on any of these news items.
Whilst the information here is provided in good faith please do get in touch with us for the most up to date information with regard to these topics.
PL470 onwing engine maintenance
