New Direct-To-Metal Coatings Developed for Aerospace and Military Applications

By Cynthia Challener

As with most coating end-users, customers in the aerospace and military sectors are always look­ing for ways to lower cost and increase the ease of applicability of coating technologies while maintain­ing the desired level of performance. Direct-to-metal (DTM), or self-priming, coatings are widely used in light- to medium-duty general applications, such as general metal finishing, automotive, appliances, lawn and garden, architectural metals, and metal furniture. DTM coatings are attractive for several reasons.

First, by eliminating the need for the primer layer, they increase coating application ef­ficiency and enable faster return to service. Second, they have the potential to reduce costs because they consume fewer raw materials, reduce labor demand, and lower energy use. Third, a reduced number of coats translates into reduced VOC emis­sions, lower odor, and a lower carbon footprint.

Fourth, elimination of potential primer-topcoat intercoat adhesion issues is an advantage. Finally, even when two coats of a DTM coating are used to provide enhanced performance, efficiencies are still achieved in inventory maintenance and during ap­plication since only one coating formulation is used. Aerospace and military customers are hoping to realize these benefits as well. For aerospace appli­cations, DTM coatings provide the additional benefit of weight reduction.