The modern shipbuilding industry is fiercely competitive, demanding high quality, high productivity and fast turnaround times. When it comes to using shop primers, most shipyards still rely on solvent-based zinc silicate products.
However, with legislation tightening and customers demanding more sustainable products and services, manufacturers of marine coatings face an increasingly pressing environmental challenge. Our Marine and Protective Coatings business has already taken up the gauntlet, having supplied an award-winning, highly innovative, water-based zinc silicate shop primer (Interplate Zero) to the industry for several years. Containing no VOCs or soluble salts, it can be overcoated with a range of approved topcoat schemes, even in critical vessel areas such as water ballast tanks and the underwater hull, while reducing shipyard solvent emissions by more than 20 percent.
Now, an improved version of the product has been introduced which is just as effective as the solvent-based products, but has the added advantage of being far more environmentally and user-friendly. The improved Interplate Zero offers enhanced resistance to white rust, has a longer pot life and can be applied using standard airless spray equipment, as used by most shop primer application facilities worldwide.
While retaining all of the original Interplate Zero benefits, these improvements make the new product even more attractive when compared with solvent-based products on the market.