PPG announced that it has partnered with Satys, a French industrial group active in aircraft sealing, painting and surface treatment, to provide electrocoating (e-coat) of OEM aircraft parts. Under the agreement, Satys will install a PPG AEROCRON™ e-coat primer system at its facility in Dugny, France.

“PPG is proud to partner with Satys to provide our innovative e-coat technology in close proximity to key aerospace OEMs,” said Sam Millikin, PPG Global Director, Coatings and Sealants, Aerospace. “Our customers in France will benefit from the PPG Aerocron system, which produces a more uniform finish on the aircraft parts, using less paint than traditional spray-applied methods.”

With the PPG Aerocron technology, metal aircraft parts are dipped into a bath of chrome-free electrocoat primer and charged with electrical current to apply the coating, resulting in an even surface finish, a consistent coating thickness and no drips, runs or sags in the cured paint film. E-coat is a sustainable, waterborne system that produces minimal waste, has low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and helps reduce aircraft fuel consumption due to weight savings provided by the lower paint usage.

“We are always looking for innovative and efficient ways to improve our aircraft painting capabilities for our customers, as well as contributing to the decarbonization of the aerospace industry,” said Christophe Cador, president and CEO, Satys.

The 2,100-gallon (eight cubic meters) e-coat tank at Dugny will be the largest in Europe, allowing a single operator to coat several parts at once, further increasing the efficiency of the process. The coated parts are corrosion and chemical resistant and compatible with industry standard pretreatments and topcoats.