The new coating was launched yesterday by international coatings manufacturer Hempel. Hemperea DTM 55973 is a new anti-corrosive splash zone coating that combines a primer and top-coat in a single coat and can be applied directly to metal being suitable for C3 corrosive environments. Based on polyaspartic fast-cure technology, it is the only C3 classified coating on the market that can be handled within one hour at 20°C (50 %RH).
Anders Voldsgaard Clausen, Group Wind Power Segment Manager at Hempel, believes the new coating could significantly increase line-speeds for onshore wind tower producers, especially those currently using two or three-coat systems.
“Many onshore wind towers need a C3 classified anti-corrosive coating to protect them from wear, tear and corrosion,” Clausen explained. “However, a standard coating system can take between four and twelve hours to dry, which causes huge bottlenecks in the production line. By reducing that curing time to one hour, Hemparea makes it possible for wind tower manufacturers to vastly increase line speeds and therefore reduce production costs.”
Hemparea releases very few volatile organic compounds into the environment. It can be applied manually or with robotic spray equipment directly on the metal.
“We developed Hemparea specifically for wind tower producers who want to handle tower parts quickly after coating them in order to improve efficiency,” Clausen added. “If a wind tower producer, for example, uses a protective coating with a six-hour drying time, each tower section has to sit in the production hall for almost an entire shift before it can be handled. If the producer switches to Hemparea, that waiting time will be reduced to an hour, which means five or six times as many sections can be completed in one shift.”
Hemparea 55973 was officially launched worldwide on November 26th 2012.
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