Painted Outdoor Structure Protection
FLUOROSEAL® transparent UV protective coating from AIT Coatings features a high fluorination molecular structure, proven to extend color brilliance and structural integrity up to 50 years, even under direct sun, extreme UV intensity, or salt spray. The built-in molecular flexibility is engineered to extend the life of these graphics and signs in weather with high UV intensity, extreme hot to cold temperature swings.
Many outdoor signs that are used for tourists and customers require aesthetic appeal, more maintenance, and earlier replacement. Depending on the materials used for paints and structures, their life spans are typically 3-12 years. AIT's transparent FLUOROSEAL® coating easily extends the beauty and colorfastness of these painted signs and their supporting structures to 30-50 years by blocking UV rays, moisture, and corrosive gases.
Traffic signs are critical elements of highway safety because they communicate rules, warnings, and other highway agency information that drivers need to safely and efficiently navigate. Well maintained signs are required to help drivers make good decisions. AIT's FLUOROSEAL® coating enhances the longevity of these signs and can be applied either at the factory or in the field. FLUOROSEAL® can help local agencies save on maintenance costs while maintaining highway safety for 30-50 years.
The retroreflective sheeting material is applied to the rigid sign backing (also known as the substrate), which can be aluminum, wood, or a composite plastic. Aluminum is by far the most commonly used material. Over time, the colors of the sign will fade, reducing the contrast level between the legend and the background, and the sheeting’s retro-reflectivity properties will diminish to the point that the sign can no longer be seen by drivers. Under either condition the sign has reached the end of its service life and should be replaced1.
While signs manufactured in recent years tend to be more reflective and brighter than older versions, they still, only last about 15 years. Sunlight causes them to fade, so states constantly have to replace signs as they reach the end of their lifespan2. States typically replace have 400,000 - 600,000 signs are used and maintained. The average state will have to replace more than 30,000 signs if they were to be replaced every 15 years.
With average cost of installation and replacements of the traffic sign well above $250 each3, the ability of FLUOROSEAL® to extend their service life well beyond 50 years can result in savings of tens of millions of dollars for a typical state.
Beyond traffic and road signs that mostly use aluminum backing that lasts an average of 15 years, signs for tourists and attractions are provided even less protection and are typically degraded in 3-12 years depending on the weather and UV zones. These signs are not only functional but also aesthetic, so color fading is highly undesirable. With the ability of AIT's FLUOROSEAL® to extend the sign's life well beyond 50 years, the cost for repairs and replacement can be drastically reduced.
Even with a very thin coating of 10-20 microns, FLUOROSEAL® transparent UV protective coatings has been proven effective against high to extreme UV intensity and in blocking moisture and corrosive gases from damaging the sign's substrate. Our coating's built-in molecular flexibility is engineered and proven to extend the life of aluminum-based signs and steel structure in cold weather. Along with its ability to block UV penetration, FLUOROSEAL® coatings have been proven to provide effective protection, even in extreme temperature swings.
FLUOROSEAL® transparent UV protective coatings are compatible with almost all acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy, FEVE, and PVDF-based paints and stains and can be directly applied.
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1 https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/local_rural/training/fhwasa09025/