Large steel structures have traditionally been protected from the ravages of wind and weather by a three-coat paint system. If the topcoat is based on innovative polyaspartic binders from Bayer MaterialScience, only two coats are needed because a significantly thicker layer of the topcoat can be applied in a single application.
Before the former Bayer HQ in Leverkusen could be converted into the world’s largest media façade, the 30,000 m steel structure had to be protected from corrosion. This was achieved by applying a zinc dust primer based on Desmodur® E followed by a topcoat based on polyaspartic binders marketed under the Desmophen® NH trade name. There were clear economic and environmental benefits. Only two coats were required instead of three and the primer and topcoat dried in a mere 6-8 hours (at 25° C.) instead of 24 hours for conventional three-coat applications. This resulted in a significant reduction of time and consequently in labor costs. On top of that, the VOC content of this two-layer system was around 40% lower than in conventional three-coat applications. Now suitably protected against corrosion, the 122m high building is the ideal medium for spectacular lightshows and eye-catching corporate messages.
Protecting steel structures against corrosion: only two layers are
required with a polyaspartics-based coating
Polyaspartics also played a key role in rebuilding BayArena, a Bundesliga soccer stadium. “It would never have been possible to keep to the tight schedule without the rapid drying qualities of this new topcoat,” says Karl-Heinz Birk, head of the coating shop at Max Bögl Bauservice, one of two general contractors for the rebuilding project. Topcoats based on polyaspartic binders fromBayer MaterialScience are also used to protect the steel towers and blades of wind turbines from corrosion. An additional bonus of these topcoats is their excellent adhesion to metal.
Since Desmophen® NH polyaspartic binders from Bayer MaterialScience combine increased productivity and environmental compatibility with the typical performance qualities of PUR coatings, e.g. durability and flexibility, corrosion protection experts in many fields have now seen the light.
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