En Route with John Sands, Global Business Director, Sealants

April 1, 2016

Investment in new products, technologies, and people drive innovation at PPG.   Customers identify rapid curing sealants and lighter weight sealants as top development priorities   Cure on demand sealant utilizes PPG’s Permapol P-3.1 polymer technology   PPG qualifying next generation lightweight sealant for significant weight savings for customers

Over the years, customer requirements for our aerospace sealants have been very consistent, even as new programs are rolled out globally by the growing number of commercial aviation participants. How air framers use our sealants to produce and enhance the performance of their new aircraft is very important to them. During our recent Aerospace Technology Symposium, polling questions enabled us to gain deeper customer insight on key sealants topics. First on our customers’ “wish list” is a rapid curing sealant. New rapid curing sealants will enable our customers to seal parts faster and move them more quickly from station to station. Lighter weight products were rated a close second because improving the operating efficiencies of aircraft is very important. The polling results along with other customer feedback have helped us understand our customers’ needs and priorities better. Today, our entire team is focused on developing new products and processing technologies to support our customers.

We continue to increase the investment in new products, technologies and our people to offer innovations that transform our customers’ aircraft production and design. Today, we have more new sealant programs under development than ever before. Many of these developments are driven by the growing competition among OEMs to maximize the benefits of their aircraft for their customers. Our new Cure on Demand sealant, which addresses our customers’ first priority, has generated tremendous interest. Based on PPG proprietary technology, our Permapol® P-3.1 polythioether polymer offers unique fast cure processes that provide very significant improvements on the production line or in maintenance areas. Our innovative UV cured sealant can be applied with almost an infinite work life and cures instantaneously with curing lights. This technology, as confirmed through discussions with our customers, creates tremendous opportunities for process improvements in their facilities.

To address the second priority for lightweight sealants, we have developed the next generation high performance sealant, Generation IV. This new technology has a specific gravity of 0.75 that offers significant lightweight advantages compared to current commercially available sealants which have specific gravities typically between 1.1-1.3. We are in the process of qualifying this new lightweight material to many different specifications. Generation IV sealant has the ability to reduce the weight of sealant on an aircraft by up to 42% depending on the aircraft type by transitioning from 1.3 specific gravity. For customers moving from 1.1 specific gravity to Generation IV sealant, the savings opportunity can be up to 30%. What does the change mean by aircraft type? For narrow body aircraft, the weight savings can mean up to 460 lbs. (209 kg). For wide body aircraft, it can mean as much as 1640 lbs. (745 kg) of savings. We are excited about our investment and are ready to complete the qualification testing so we can help our customers succeed in the marketplace.

In addition to these two new programs, our team continues to focus on other innovative technologies including non-chrome corrosion inhibiting sealants, spray applied lightweight sealants, and new conductive technologies. Because we understand that sealant technologies are not the only customer challenge, our development programs also include high efficiency application of our sealants, innovative packaging concepts, advanced dispensing equipment, and inventory management programs to reduce costs and complexity. All of these programs are available through our global network of 17 Application Support Centers (ASCs) around the world.

Faster curing, lighter weight, environmentally friendly, convenient and cost effective packaging, and local availability have always been part of our heritage and will continue into the future. We are excited about the future of sealants as we collaborate with customers. We look forward to discussing these opportunities with you.

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