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9/14/2017

Technical session: Covestro exec to discuss the advantages of polyaspartic coatings

The advantages of polyaspartic coatings will be the focus of a presentation by Covestro LLC Market Manager-Corrosion Protection Ahren Olson at the upcoming Mechanical Association Railcar Technical Services (MARTS) Technical Conference, which will be held in conjunction with Railway Interchange 2017 in Indianapolis.

On Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 8:30 a.m., Olson will cover several topics, including an overview of polyaspartic coatings. He'll also present a case study of polyaspartic coatings on a series of hopper cars originally painted in 2002.

The polyaspartic application replaced a multi-coat epoxy polyurethane system and "provided excellent application in hard-to-coat areas along with an approximately 30 percent savings in time and labor," according to a Covestro statement. Polyaspartic coatings can increase throughput in painting operations by reducing the number of layers and providing quick drying characteristics, the company added.

After 15 years of service, the polyaspartic coatings on the hopper cars were evaluated and proved to be performing well from a corrosion protection standpoint, showing less than 0.1 percent rusting, according to Covestro. Based on the field experience, the 8-10 mils DFT of polyaspartic coating on this series of hoppers cars is expected to last 20 to 25 years, the company said.