Press Release

Issued by General Atomics AeroTec Systems.

July 5, 2012

As in many sectors, thinking green is also a key concern in aviation – on the ground and in the air. RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH at the special airport of Oberpfaffenhofen supports these efforts benefitting the environment and is making significant investments in environmentally friendly and cost-effective airplane coating technology under the motto Going Green.

In the airplane coating process, solvents can be used less and the coating quality can be improved at the same time. RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH has recognised this and reacted with new technology. In the past, for example, the outer surface of airplanes was usually primed with a substance containing chromate. Now, a chromate-free product is used that contains only 7 percent solvent. This saves chromate and three to four tons of solvent per year. The chromate-free product can be used on different metals and composite materials. "Thanks to the new chromate-free product, the adhesion of the primer on the substrate and the protection against corrosion can also be improved," explains Hermann Bauer, head of the paint shop at RUAG. "In addition, the new procedure better protects the health of employees as the product no longer contains any carcinogenic materials."

New paint systems

Another way to make airplane coating more environmentally friendly and improve its quality and look at the same time is to use new paint systems. These systems face the challenge of achieving a balance between technical and optical requirements while remaining cost-effective and taking ecological considerations into account. They have an improved covering power, ensuring that considerably less material is used. Using less coating material reduces the solvent emissions and the weight of the airplane, which then consumes less fuel. Moreover, the thinner layers and the elimination of the sanding primer increase the flexibility of the shift system and reduce the formation of cracks. The coating system is also more durable and easier to clean, allowing the time period between recoating to be lengthened by one to two years.

New application equipment

RUAG carries out coating orders even more efficiently through the use of new spray guns that produce practically no overspray. This reduces the amount of time needed to cover areas that are not to be coated and makes the guns with high-rotation spraying suitable in particular for spraying on designs.

Previously, RUAG needed several tons of solvent each year to clean the application devices. A new cleaning procedure in which an oxygen and solvent mixture is pumped through the devices reduces the amount of solvent used and increases cleaning performance at the same time.

With the measures implemented in the coating process - from the priming of the outer surface all the way to final coating - RUAG Aerospace Services GmbH offers its clients improved quality along with savings in time and materials thanks to the use of cutting-edge technologies. This generates significant added value.

RUAG is looking at business jet coating in a new light in which technology, people and nature are harmonised with each other.