U.S.-based AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings, a division of International Paints, has reported qualification of one of its base-coat products to the Aerospace Material Specification (AMS) standard, which governs the use of metals for aircraft manufacture and MRO.

AkzoNobel (Stand 1163) said it has qualified its direct-to-metal base-coat/clear-coat system to AMS 3095A. The product’s benefits to paint shops include providing one paint system for any type of commercial aircraft, reduced operational complexity and lower paint inventory costs. Airlines also benefit from reduced paint inventory costs.

“A direct-to-metal system eliminates the need to use any kind of metal pre-treatment such as Alodine, Solgel or Wash primer technologies,” the company said. “The primer is applied directly to clean Scotch-Brited substrate. The primer itself provides the necessary adhesion and corrosion resistance to meet the stringent specification requirements.”

AkzoNobel claims that use of its product will contribute to making “variability of aircraft appearance within a fleet a thing of the past.”