UK REACH acceptance

Popular coating recommended for 12-year extension to

Global sales and distribution of Ipcote to continue as greener alternatives are developed

One of the most important stages of engineering coatings for the environment is working with customers to make sure solutions don’t just sound great in principle but that they work in practice.

In the race to make the world greener, it is still vital to take the time to get important things right, especially where safety is concerned, such as in industries like aerospace, defence and power generation.

This is the dilemma faced by leading surface coatings firm, Indestructible Paint, with one of the company’s most popular products – the Ipcote range of sacrificial aluminium basecoats and sealcoats which protects aero engines and industrial gas turbines from corrosion.

Indestructible Paint’s laboratory experts have been working intensively on a chrome-free Ipcote alternative which is safer and greener. The solution is in the advanced stages of development – with some initial customers already evaluating how it would work for them in practice.

However, the long approval cycles in sectors like aerospace, defence and power generation – which are necessary to ensure safety – meant that the new solution would not be ready by the time Ipcote’s UK REACH acceptance ran out.

However, after an extensive review of the case, the Health & Safety Executive has recommended Ipcote’s UK REACH acceptance now be extended by 12 years, allowing Indestructible Paint to continue selling and distributing Ipcote for this period. This will avoid disruptions to the supply of aerospace, defence and industrial gas turbine products which are dependent on this essential anti-corrosion coating until the new, chrome-free solution is approved for use across multiple sectors and customers.

Indestructible Paint will continue to sell Ipcote to companies in the UK and globally and is currently awaiting a decision on the extension from the EU. However, the company will be encouraging customers to transition to the new, chrome-free product as soon as it is practically possible. And, this is just the beginning as it is one of the many innovative greener solutions that Indestructible Paint hopes will revolutionise the world of coatings.