An environment-friendly method, Photostrip, for stripping organic coatings has been developed. This process works in conjunction with UV/IR light and an environmentally benign aqueous stripping medium that facilitates the debonding and peel-off of the coating from the coating/substrate interface. Generally, the stripped coating is obtained in a solid, compact mass. Further, the liquid effluent from the process is largely water, thus poses no disposal problems. This photochemical process has been tested on a variety of coatings including polyurethane, epoxy, acrylic, and lacquer formulations. It strips these coatings from many types of metallic, non-metallic, or composite surfaces with equal felicity. The process can be designed and configured to varying degrees of automation, and once the operational parameters are set, it can be left unattended. A prototype, automated booth has been operational in our laboratory to strip paint from components such as radomes, parts of fuselage, and pieces of rotor blades.

Subject
Radomes, Costs, Water, Materials, Substrates, Aircraft, Aluminum, Stripping, Epoxy coatings, Composites, Polyurethane coatings, Wastes, Paints
Keywords:
photochemical, stripping, paints, coatings, metallic and non-metallic substrates, non-toxic, zero-discharge, non-polluting, aircraft components, radomes
Government work published by the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) with permission of the author(s). Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
2006
GOV
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