What are plural-component protective coatings?

Plural component protective coatings, as the name suggests, is made up of separate elements that are combined before application. Plural component coatings are made up of high solid materials like epoxy, polyurethane, and polyurea.

The components of the coating product are first heated separately by the spraying equipment to reduce their viscosity. Once the required temperature and viscosity are reached, the components are sent to the spray gun, mixed to optimal preset ratios. The high solid elements are quickly dried to be mixed just moments before spraying onto the substrate from the gun nozzle.

Plural component coatings protect metal substrates such as pipes, bridges, and storage tanks. These coatings are used most often for:

• Joint and crack fillings
• Roof coatings
• Insulation of the roof and walls
• Passive fire protection
• Protecting corrosion in harsh environments

Plural component protective coatings offer many benefits, including:

• Environmental compliance is improved – High solid elements, which make up multiple component systems, contain little to no solvent content. In the case of 100% solid coats, there are no solvents. Therefore, little to no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) are emitted into the atmosphere, and post-application cleanup is kept to a minimum. (For more on VOCs and HAPs, read The Dangers of Typical Corrosion Prevention Solutions.) Plural component systems are ideal to meet environmental standards.
• Durability and service life – Although plural component systems usually incur a higher upfront cost, these coatings have the potential to reduce lifetime costs by extending the service life of the protected component. This coating has a service life of between 15 and 20 years. This can help to reduce maintenance costs.
• Faster turnaround times – Plural component systems possess significantly faster curing times than solvent-based coatings. High solid coatings are easy to walk on after they have been applied. In addition, high solid coatings can achieve the desired film thickness in fewer coats, which also means reduced completion time.
• Flexibility – The automatic mixing of high solid bases can easily be modified for different applications. This allows for tighter coatings and more efficient material use.