A new endeavor, the ECOPROT project has the goal of industrializing an innovative procedure for producing corrosion-protecting environmentally friendly coatings for aluminum and magnesium alloys, and the aeronautics industry hopes to take full advantage of this research.
This coating provides a corrosion performance comparable to that of the toxic chromates, meeting the high standard requirements of the aeronautics industry. The slightly higher price of the product compared to current coatings will be paid off by its greener environmental impact.
The new process, which has been granted a patent, was developed through an FP6 project entitled MULTIPROTECT. While the coating has huge potential in the lucrative aeronautic market, scaling up production and achieving market penetration has proved difficult. The aim of ECOPROT is to industrialize the procedure and raise awareness in the industry of the new, environmentally friendly and self-healing cerium-based coating.
Thanks to the French aeronautic sector, the coating process for industrial applications will be carried out on a global level, with products validated and adhering to the standards of the aeronautic industry.
Ultimately, this will lead to major market penetration of a new protective coating for the aeronautics industry that provides efficient corrosion protection for metal alloys. It doesn’t hurt that it’s safer and environmentally friendly. The new product isn’t toxic and doesn’t produce waste material like many of the conventional chromate coatings currently used in the aeronautic industry.
