A marine coatings manufacturer, Hempel, has announcedthat since 1998 it has reached the extraordinary milestone of having sold 100 million liters of its unique micro-fiber based antifouling paint. The equivalent of coating 45,000 vessels.
In 1994, Hempel gained the patent of the micro-fiber antifouling technology in its NAUTIC TIN-FREE 8190C product. Today, this exclusive technology is incorporated in all Hempel’s fouling prevention products. The technology involves introducing an internal skeleton of fibers into the paint to enhance its mechanical strength – in the same way that steel rods can be inserted into concrete to reinforce a physical structure.
The company is the only coatings manufacturer to use micro-fibers in its paints and Group Product Manager Andreas Glud explains the value of this technology: “ Antifouling products deliver outstanding protection but due to their chemical make-up, their mechanical strength is often weak. That is, the higher grade of antifouling products, the higher risk of cracking. To combat this, we developed our silicate-based micro-fiber technology, which helps reduce dry dock costs.”
The success of this advanced technology has been firmly embraced by the market and is now also being used in other Hempel products such as epoxy cargo tank paints and other anticorrosive coatings.