8 MAY - 2023OPINIONCHROME-FREE COATINGS, THE FUTURE IS NOT WITHOUT ITS CHALLENGES In some areas of the aerospace industry, military and defense operators are well ahead of their commercial aviation counterparts when it comes to innovation and new product development. In others, it tends to be the other way around. When it comes to the drive towards sustainability, however, and protecting the environment, both are on a similar trajectory, and this is particularly evident in the field of aerospace coatings. The Chromium LegacyNew product innovation in aerospace coatings has come a long way in a comparatively short period of time. The largest area of innovation is around the reduction of harmful chemicals that have a long history of proven performance. Chromate-containing primers have more than 50 years of flight data for the most critical aircraft components. Going chromate-free, specifically removing Chromium VI, is one challenge; becoming non-chrome completely, and removing all types of chrome from the total system including the surface treatments is a more complex challenge altogether.While it seems a subtle difference, chromate-free versus chrome-free, it is a huge change in how aircraft are protected and requires a major mind shift within the industry. Chrome has been the standard for corrosion prevention of metal parts. Chrome is a known carcinogen and can be dangerous in its initial application, but even more so when an aircraft exterior protected by a chromate primer is stripped and sanded back to bare metal or composite.The US Military's first step on the journey to moving away from chromate primers was the addition of "Class N" to NAVAIR's MIL-PRF 23377. This is the principal performance specification that covers the requirements for corrosion-inhibiting, chemical, and solvent-resistant, solvent-borne epoxy primer coatings, used across multiple branches of the military. While the new class introduced chrome-free primers to the military, the system still required the use of chromate pre-treatments. Tami SwearinginBy Tami Swearingin, Managing Director - Aerospace, AkzoNobel Aerospace
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