PPG has expanded development and technical-service capabilities at its facility in Shildon, England, with a $2 million investment in advanced-technology equipment for evaluating aircraft paint characteristics. Environmentally controlled spray booths and a suite of complementary rooms enable the PPG site to streamline new-product launches and produce more exact color matches.

One paint spray booth, which can house an aircraft section, provides variable temperature and humidity settings for product development and training. A second paint spray booth is designed for applying coatings to panels for customer color-match requests. That booth maintains constant temperature and relative humidity seetings.

An expanded testing laboratory has a dedicated color-mixing area and constant temperature and humidity settings. New sanding, drying and oven rooms afford a range of application processing from preparation to drying in controlled environments.

According to PPG technical manager Peter Wind, the aerospace industry is generating more demand for custom color, accelerating the pace for bringing new coatings technologies to market. The new capabilities at the Shildon facility make PPG more responsive to these trends. “With color being used more in airline liveries and on business aircraft, PPG customers will be able to see more precisely how we can make their vision a reality,” Wind said.