Sherwin-Williams, Raytheon Partnership yields Versatile New Aerospace Coating

Contact: Julie A. Voisin
Marketing Manager
Aerospace Coatings Unit
316-733-7576 Ext. 604
Email - julie.voisin@sherwin.com

ANDOVER, Kan. — 9/6/02 Imagine watching an airplane taxi down a runway, a bright burgundy pinstripe standing out against the stark white body of the aircraft. As the plane passes, the stripe begins a subtle change in color, shifting from a deep root beer brown to a Merlot-tinged burgundy as it rolls away.

Science fiction? Not exactly. But the science of light and physics is at the center of a new aerospace coatings product born from a partnership between Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings and Raytheon Aircraft. ChromaAir is now available for application by Raytheon as part of a three-year exclusive agreement between the two companies.

About a year ago, a company named Flex Products, Inc., approached Raytheon about using its patented Color by Physics technology on aircraft. The procedure was already being used in the automotive industry, as well as for packaging, sports equipment, footwear, electronics and small appliances. Raytheon was interested but wanted to include a company with considerable experience in aircraft paint coatings. So Raytheon called on the coatings scientists at Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings to develop ChromaAir, a high-performance, multi-component, acrylic urethane system designed for accent stripes on aircraft.

The result?
“This is the most awesome product I’ve worked with in the 20 years I have been doing this. The way ChromaAir works, the consistent application and the repeatability of color are wonderful,” says Sherwin-Williams Color Systems Manager Kathy Kopf.

Kopf says the special 19-color mix Sherwin Williams created for Raytheon takes advantage of the light reflectivity of the Flex Products pigments. She says that this complex pigment system allows Sherwin-Williams to blend several pigment concentrates into a single color.

Because of the way these special pigments reflect light, ChromaAir’s color appears to change depending on the type of light source, the surface the coating is applied to, and the angle from which it is viewed, she says. Each of the 19 colors can shift dramatically through an unlimited number of hues, Kopf says.

While this color-shifting technology is being used in other industries, ChromaAir marks the first time it has been specifically developed for aircraft use, Kopf says. Sherwin-Williams coatings formulators spent more than a year creating a product that would stand up to the tests of aviation use.

“ChromaAir has gone through more than 1,000 hours of QUV testing for color drift and gloss. In addition to accelerated weathering, ChromaAir went through a battery of tests including adhesion, flexibility, impact and fluid resistance. So far, there has not been even a degree decrease in gloss, and most human eyes would never detect the small amount of color drift,” Kopf says.

ChromaAir is a quality-made product designed to show dramatic but subtle color shifts, even in low light, says Kopf. Raytheon officials say ChromaAir will be available for striping on all new aircraft and through their RAPID spare parts department for aircraft already in service.

“ChromaAir is the result of an exceptional partnership among talented companies,” says Jim Stevens, Sherwin-Williams Market Development Director – Aerospace and Military. “We’re proud to have been asked to play a lead role in the creation of this product. ChromaAir will offer owners a new dimension in the personalization of their aircraft.”

The technicians at Raytheon couldn’t be happier with the product and are already singing its praises. “We will always have color, now we have moving color,” says Raytheon Manager Aircraft Interiors/Exteriors Jo Kimbell. “The hardest task with these coatings was naming the colors. We tried to cover the ‘spectrum’ in colors from the earth, sea, space and even unexplained wonders. There is something here for everyone.”

According to Sherwin-Williams Marketing Manager Julie Voisin, the partnership with Raytheon is as unique as the product it created. “This is unique for us. We’ve never signed an exclusive deal like this with an aerospace OEM,” she says.

Sherwin-Williams manufactures aviation paint products, including JET GLO®, ACRY GLO® and JET FLEX™. JET GLO® is the premium aerospace coating for overall base application on medium and large size aircraft. ACRY GLO® is a high-quality aerospace coating generally used for overall base application on smaller aircraft and feature striping on larger aircraft. JET FLEX™ is an interior aerospace coating ideal for the finishing and refinishing of plastic, metal, composite and wood surfaces within the cabin and cockpit.

Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings is a specialized business unit of the Sherwin-Williams Company, founded in 1866 and incorporated in 1884. It is one of the world’s leading manufacturer/distributors in the sale of coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial and retail customers internationally.