Low/No VOC Touchup for Small Areas

Maintaining the integrity of a protective coating system on equipment is a key element of an effective corrosion prevention and control program. Specially designed paint spray booths and ventilation system are substandard or non-existent at many locations where coating touchup operations must take place. In many situations, due to very restrictive local, state, federal or host nation environmental constraints, limited paint spray booths availability or approved ventilation systems, and lack of personnel trained in paint spray gun applications, the standard approach of touchup spray painting small repair areas has resulted in ineffective material selection, mixing, and usage. The end-result of this ineffective approach is the selection and use of substandard, ineffective, non-qualified, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) pressurized paint spray cans or no coating touchup at all. Selection and use of non qualified materials usually results in a mismatch in authorized/qualified coating applied to the equipment, very limited service life of the touchup material, early on-set of surface corrosion, and repeated maintenance touchup painting.

Of significant concern to the Air Force is the very limited, to non existent, coating/chemical storage capabilities and long lead times from procurement to delivery of paint related materials to the highly erosion/corrosion prone areas in Southwest Asia (SWA) Area of Responsibility (AOR). This limitation severely restricts the types of coatings systems that are available for maintenance touchup requirements. In the SWA AOR or other highly erosive areas, where coatings have eroded to the metal substrate, the substrate is exposed to the high mineral content of the sand/dust and limited wash capabilities. Maintaining the integrity of an effective coating system is the keystone of an effective corrosion prevention and control program. This effort will provide the warfighter with qualified coatings in smaller, environmentally compliant, easy to use, touchup packages.