Eurocopter approves ANAC Coating for control surfaces
Article Type: Industrial news From: Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Volume 55, Issue 5
Eurocopter has approved 23T3, a tough high-tech coating from Akzo Nobel Aerospace Coatings (ANAC), for use on the landing gear of its helicopters(Figure 2).
The landing gear on any helicopter is subject to heavy abrasion due to the blast of stones, sand and grit during landing and take-off, so the protective coatings for this area need to be especially tough and impact resistant. Looking to update their coating specification for the landing gear, Eurocopter wanted a topcoat which would meet their demanding requirements for durability and abrasion resistance while providing a VOC compliant solution which met their original specification.
Figure 2 Helicopter landing gear coated with 23T3 coating from ANAC (photo credits: EADS)
Figure 2 Helicopter landing gear coated with 23T3 coating from ANAC (photo credits: EADS)
Based on PTFE, a Teflon®1-type substance, 23T3 is a tried and tested polyurethane aerospace top coat already approved by leading fixed-wing aircraft manufacturers and has exceptional resistance to abrasion. It is also resistant to hydraulic fluids, aircraft fuel, engine oil, solvents, water,cleaning compounds and potential staining. As an additional advantage the coating is VOC compliant, an increasingly important consideration in today’s environmentally sensitive legislative and political environment.
By approving 23T3, an established product with multiple OEM approvals in the ANAC global high tech aerospace range, Eurocopter manufacturers, operators, and maintenance teams now have access to a coating that is not only always available to the same specification anywhere in the world, but can also be quickly and easily obtained.
ANAC is part of Akzo Nobel, the world’s largest coatings manufacturer,and has pioneered many of the coatings technologies used in the modern aerospace industry. Its customers include manufacturers Boeing, Airbus and Agusta-Westland as well as the world’s leading airlines, aircraft and helicopter operators.
The Eurocopter group, which has its own plants across Europe, works with other manufacturers and distributors in 40 countries to produce and market a full range of civil and military helicopters including the well-known Lynx,Tiger and NH90.
The group was formed in 1992 when the helicopter divisions of Aerospatiale-matra (France) and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Germany) combined and is a subsidiary of EADS (European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Company). Eurocopter is now the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world.
