Kortec
Sandiacre Road,
Stapleford.
Nottingham.
NG9 8EX.
T: 0333 123 8747
F: 0115 939 1901
E: info@kortec.co.uk
Chemical Resistant Coatings
Nearly every coating is subject to chemical attack at some level - traffic/industrial fumes, acid rain, liquid spillages, lubricants and cleaning agents all contain chemicals that will attack a coated surface. Most of these are relatively mild and will only begin to affect the coating after prolonged exposure, but there are many situations where items must be protected from stronger chemical compounds.
Each of these environments has it's own challenges, and the Kortec team has years of experiencing in assessing the various requirements and determining systems that will provide assurance that the protection and production targets can be met.
Product Types
The coating systems used for chemical resistance depend on multiple variable including level of chemical exposure, type and strength of the chemicals, required lifespan and substrate/preparation. Below are a few of the generic coating types used for these requirements.
Epoxy
Typically epoxy products have the greatest protective resistance to a wide range of chemicals, with Jotun's Penguard range including many examples of this type. However, they do have the drawback of poor UV resistance, and mild chemical attack will often stain the surface, meaning this coating type is not normally ideal where aesthetic appearance is important.
Epoxy Phenolic
A variation on standard epoxy coatings, these products have superb chemical resistance but very poor weather protection characteristics. They are therefore usually designed for internal tank linings, with product variations to suit a range of chemicals. Kortec commonly use the Jotun Tankguard range - it is extremely important to ensure that the correct product is used for each set of circumstances.
Polyurethane/Acrylic
These products do not have as much resistance to chemical attack as those above, but where physical appearance is more important, they provide a better balance of the two requirements. In this situation they would typically be used as topcoats over an epoxy primer to boost the overall system resistance. Kortec supply multiple examples of these, from the Jotun Hardtop and Ferroteq FerroShield products to Libert's Cryltane and Mixtane ranges.
Moisture-Cured Polyurethanes (MCU)
MCU products also have good resistance to a variety of chemicals. Systems such as Libert's Polysilco HS Universal and Polyguard or Polygloss have approval for use on both tank linings and externals for certain chemicals.
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