Aerospace maintenance, repair and painting crews can see firsthand how easy applying the SKYscapes aerospace paint system can be thanks to a new video. It provides detailed directions and tips for applying the new basecoat/clearcoat exterior paint system from Sherwin-Williams Aerospace to jets and other commercial aircraft.
The video is now available to download at You Tube at:
“As noted in the video, those in the business of maintaining aircraft have one goal – getting the plane out of the hangar and back in service as quickly as possible – without sacrificing appearance or quality,” says Karen O’Hara, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace global sales manager. “With a traditional single-stage system, it can take 57 hours or more to paint the fuselage and tail of a typical single-aisle commercial aircraft with all of the logos and mandatory markings. It takes much less time to paint from start to finish with the SKYscapes coating system – typically only 40 hours, which is 30 percent faster.”
The video demonstrates how the modified SKYscapes polyester topcoat is applied using an innovative basecoat-clearcoat process in which all colors are applied as a basecoat.
After the basecoat dries, the entire surface of the aircraft is sprayed with a clearcoat finish. Color coat dry time is approximately two hours, compared to six to 10 hours for other systems. This allows shops to apply numerous colors in a single shift and move the aircraft more quickly through the painting process. The paint delivers consistent viscosity between toners and yields outstanding flow and leveling.
The new paint system offers a longer recoat time of up to 72 hours, which means sanding is not required between coats to reduce time spent on the painting process. Also, this system air dries, leading to an added bonus – natural gas and utility savings throughout the year – that couldn’t be obtained with a process that requires baking.
For information on the SKYscapes coating system video, the new SKYscapes basecoat/topcoat system or other Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, call 1-888-888-5593 or visit www.swaerospace.com.