April 18th, 2022
The aerospace coatings market was valued at US$1.8-billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $2.9-billion by 2027, according to a report from market research firm Insight Partners.
The COVID-19 outbreak has been affecting economies and industries in various countries due to lockdowns, travel bans and business shutdowns. Chemicals and materials, and aerospace are among the major industries suffering serious disruptions such as supply chain breaks, technology events cancellations and office shutdowns as a result of this outbreak. The pandemic brought the airline industry to a virtual standstill in 2020, and now airline travel is resuming but is drastically scaled back.
In the first quarter of 2021, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace commissioned Aircraft Maintenance Technology magazine to undertake an extensive survey of decision-makers in the US MRO marketplace. The survey concluded that the pandemic had little or no effect on 44 percent of the more than 200 respondents. “That said, 29 percent said it did have a negative effect, and another 15 percent noted that it had a dramatic negative effect, said Julie Voisin, global marketing manager, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings. “However, 13 percent said that their business actually picked up during the pandemic.”
“The same survey we commissioned last quarter on the lasting effects of the pandemic found that 12 percent of US-based MRO facility owners/operators and managers felt the aerospace market would return to pre-COVID-19 levels this year: another 42 percent of respondents said they felt the aerospace market would return in 2022; an additional 26 percent said the market would be back in 2023; and finally, the other 20 percent answered they felt the aerospace market would not return until 2023,” Voisin added.
Now more than ever, delivering a product that meets all the requirements of its customers is key. Reducing coatings weight on aircrafts has long been a top priority. Lowering the weight of an aircraft improves fuel efficiency, resulting in significant operating cost savings and reduced gas emissions.
One specific weight-reducing product is PPG Aerocron chrome-free electrocoat primer, which is used to coat structural parts by electrodeposition instead of a traditional spray process and provides a more uniform film thickness on the part. This can result in up to 75 percent weight savings on highly complex parts.
“When working through innovative solutions and technologies for aircraft coatings, reducing weight is just one of the many considerations that go into PPG’s aerospace coatings products – superior appearance, ease of application, durability and product quality are all of value to our customers,” said Millikin. “Aircraft painters, maintenance operations and airframe manufacturers have also quickly adopted basecoat-clearcoat.
"PPG Desothane HD basecoat-clearcoat product line provides additional value to our customers by providing outstanding appearance, excellent service life and faster processing time. Potential weight savings is possible but it depends on application and complexity of aircraft livery.”