The marine environment presents some of the biggest engineering challenges around – renewables and clean energy, engineering builds out at sea or near a body of water. So of course, the metal coating solutions created for the marine industry have to be efficient.
They have to be the best – best value, best protection, everything. We’ll tell you what you need to know about metal coating solutions for the marine industry, including our own.
What Is A Marine Coating?
A marine protective coating is the answer to protecting components within this industry from the presence of salt, fresh, and brackish water.
Salt is a natural mineral but it has incredibly damaging properties where metal is concerned and, overtime, it can cause serious corrosion. The coating acts as a barrier between the water and the material which helps to protect it from any damage.
Most generally, they are applied to marine vessels and ships, tankers, and other water vehicles.
Properties of Marine Coatings
Alphatek Hyperformance Coatings is a leading, independent thermal spray coating specialist. Many of our thermal spray coatings have been developed specifically towards clients’ requirements for application. Some are tailored to their own specificities, too.
Different industry requirements means a wide range in coating characteristics is necessary as they have to encompass many properties. And ours do exactly that.
Our high performance coatings are corrosion resistant, chemical resistant, and waterproof! So they slow down the rate of corrosion and, thus, deterioration. On top of that, we know that most marine coatings are needed for harder to reach environments where substrates need protection against the elements.
With a coating that is corrosion resistant and low maintenance, this ceases the worry (and trouble) of having to get back to the areas which are difficult to access. It also means that, though the coating is applied and cured quickly, maintenance is more effective and lest costly due to the long-lasting nature of the coating itself.
That leads us into the other top property – downtime rate. Our solutions can be applied and cured quite speedily. Even the application is easy – it’s a spray technique! The coating increases equipment serving life, protects components from many potential problems, and the downtime rate is unbeatable.
Because the last thing you want is for your operations to be out of commission for too long.
Common Coating Problems and Resolutions
Due to the stress and terrible conditions, it’s imperative that marine structures and vessels are fully and efficiently protected. They’re attacked, essentially, form every direction: the water, the sun, the cargo contained…
But there are solutions for these issues.
Corrosion
Perhaps the biggest problem for any metallic structure to face. Corrosion. And it’s worse considering that corrosion occurs naturally, so we can’t really contain or control it. But what we can do is take preventative measures.
Salt water is one of the biggest catalysts for corrosion and rust and the oceans, seas… Well, let’s just say they have more than enough salt which makes any marine vessel incredibly susceptible.
Alphatek’s corrosion protection coatings can help with that. Designed to protect against and prevent onset corrosion, our anti-corrosion coating increases the component life whilst keeping the structure sound and strong.
Abrasion
This is one other large problem. Abrasion is always going to an issue when it comes to marine structures because there’s always a repeated forceful impact. Components rubbing against each other multiple times throughout one single day.
The problem with abrasion is that it can cause damage to the structure of a substrate which will end up affecting its performance over time. Even more, serious abrasion can do some significant damage to the linings or coatings on components, too, which makes it more susceptible to corrosion or chemicals.
Luckily, Alphatek has developed a handful of effective high friction coatings for multiple applications to restore traction efficiency.
UV Exposure
Whether the sun is shining or the seas are rough, marine assets are always at risk. Because the sun doesn’t have to be directly shining to expose something the UV radiation. And this UV radiation is what leads to the protective coatings breaking down and degrading.
Alphatek Hyperformance Coatings
We have more than 100 years of coating experience in-house at Alphatek, and we have seen a lot. Industry requirements, applications, needs, specifications; all of it.
Working closely with our clients and our customers, Alphatek always aims to deliver the best. The best value, the best efficiency, the best solution. Every single time. Did we mention… our service is hassle-free.
We know that there’s no shortcut to experience. Put your trust in Alphatek – contact us today!
You can drop us an inbox with your inquiry at postbox@alphatek.co.uk or you can just ring us on 01706 821 021 if that’s more convenient.
