08. Feb 2017

Sustainability on the fast track thanks to novel railcar coating

Setting the course for more sustainable mobility on the railways, Polish railway vehicle manufacturer Newag SA has become the first to test an innovative coating system largely derived from renewable raw materials.

mThe new, biobased coating was supplied by Lankwitzer Lackfabrik of Berlin, who developed it in close collaboration with Covestro. Newag SA is currently testing the coating system, which is based on Covestro’s biobased coating hardener Desmodur eco N 7300, on two diesel locomotives.
“With a new product, a coating manufacturer’s first priority is, of course, to fulfill the customer’s specifications,” says Mateusz Fedko, project manager at Newag. “If the coating offers added value on top of that, as is the case here with the renewable raw materials, it gives us a very good opportunity to set ourselves apart from the competition.”

The transportation industry is always looking for ways to enhance sustainability and to reduce its carbon footprint. Vehicle manufacturers use lightweight construction concepts to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Railway system operators contend that the mass transportation of people and goods by rail is significantly more sustainable to begin with. But these factors are not enough in the long run, leading major players in the industry to experiment with other solutions – such as the use of renewably sourced materials and coatings.

Covestro is presenting the new system at the 2017 European Coatings Show in April, in Nuremberg. “The coating formulated with this product performs just as well as a conventional coating systems, but uses primarily renewable resources,” said Julia Hellenbach, marketing expert for the transportation sector at Covestro’s Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties business unit. “Seventy percent of the carbon in this polyurethane raw material comes from biomass.”

At Newag’s headquarters in Poland, the EVOClear 294 / PH 94-0000 coating system from Lankwitzer was sprayed just like a standard clearcoat. Joint testing conducted by Lankwitzer Lackfabrik and Covestro confirmed its performance, which said the companies, is on par with polyurethane systems of petrochemical provenance.

The abrasion resistance and gloss stability of the coating were even 70 percent higher compared with standard coatings, as the partners demonstrated with the Amtec Kistler car wash test. Next, they are planning a joint long-term weathering test.

It goes without saying that the biobased clearcoat also fulfills the specific requirements of the railway vehicle industry. It exhibits a high resistance to cleaning agents, particularly those used to remove graffiti (DB standard “Blatt 39”), and to alkaline agents, hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid. Tests confirm that graffiti can be removed easily and gently.

The results to date have been encouraging, to say the least, already leading Michael Voxbrunner of Lankwitzer Lackfabrik to look beyond railroad applications alone. “I am certain this biobased clearcoat will also create value for our customers in other industries,” he said.

http://www.coatings.covestro.com, http://www.lankwitzer.com and http://www.newag.pl/en


Image courtesy of Covestro.





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