Flexibility. Elongation. Elasticity. Any of these adjectives aptly describes one of the primary advantages of a polyurea protective coating from Ultimate Linings vs. traditional powder coating. This stuff simply stretches, up to twice its length and more, all while providing increased durability, higher corrosion and abrasion resistance, and up to 15 times greater overall strength.
The Achilles heel with powder coating is its perceived strength: hardness. Its hardness comes at the price of rigidity and brittleness. Consequently, it can chip, flake or crack when impacted, exposing the substrate to moisture and chemicals, and subsequently corrosion. And that’s not a desired trait in a protective coating, especially when applied to expensive machinery, vehicles and infrastructure.
Repair costs for powder coating are high and time consuming, too. Once it’s damaged, a powder-coated surface can’t be repaired by the same application methods or restored to provide the preferred level of protection and stability.
More applications, more solutions
The performance characteristics of polyurea, on the other hand, “stretch” its usage and advantages to a broader range of applications, like those in which torque and twisting forces are prevalent—think critical infrastructure like bridges and their support components that are constantly subject to extreme weather and environments.
Case in point: Ultimate Linings’ XP 541 polyurea. Formulated specifically to stretch up to 450% of its length before breaking, it has been applied successfully to bridge pylons across Australia to protect coated surfaces against damage from high winds and sheer forces—and resulting flying debris—in addition to reliably guarding against abrasion and corrosion.
And like all polyurea formulations, XP 541 cures fast in about six seconds without the need for an oven or any baking time and will last for decades without the need for maintenance or repair. If a repair is ever needed for some reason, it can be made cost effectively in the field with near-immediate drying.
Ultimate Linings: an industry standard
XP 541 is just one of hundreds of polyurea formulations that have been commercialized by Ultimate Linings, some of which have become the industry standard in their categories, including the military, utility industry, and fire-fighting apparatus. Other formulations are so unique in their chemistries and applications, they are patented and trademarked. For instance, one of our customers relies on the maximum abrasion resistance of our polyurea for use in their sandblasting booth. Talk about performance with true grit.
Via our newly expanded in-house development and application’s lab and team of chemists and chemical engineers based in Tennessee, we can create a polyurea formulation to meet nearly any need. It’s not a stretch to envision how polyurea from Ultimate Linings can be the right solution in a protective coating for your application, too.
Remember, when it comes to elongation and elasticity, polyurea bests powder coating, plus it:
- Is up to 15x stronger than powder coating
- Cures fast and dries in seconds, without an oven
- Provides unmatched chemical and corrosion resistance
- Is easy to repair, if needed