Can a 36% Thinner Coating Make Aircraft More Fuel-Efficient? Understanding Thin-Film Engineering Through a 26 kg Weight Reduction

2026/09/09

AkzoNobel and TAP Air Portugal recently completed field trials of Aerobase UPD, a lightweight aerospace basecoat. The results showed that the total basecoat thickness could be reduced by 36%, cutting aircraft weight by up to 26 kg while maintaining the appearance, durability, and surface quality required for commercial aviation. See the AkzoNobel announcement

How Does a Thinner Coating Improve Efficiency?

Aircraft have extremely large painted surfaces. Even a small reduction in coating material across each area can produce a meaningful weight saving when applied to the entire aircraft.

If Aerobase UPD were implemented across TAP’s fleet, the estimated annual benefits would include:

428.5 metric tonnes of fuel saved
More than €500,000 in cost savings
Approximately 1,353 metric tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions avoided

Aerobase UPD achieves the required opacity and surface quality in a single basecoat application cycle, eliminating the second full basecoat and its associated drying time. It also offers approximately 40% greater sag resistance than the previous two-coat system. See the Surface Technology Online report

Thinner Is Not Always Better

Reducing film thickness must not compromise protection. Aircraft coatings are continuously exposed to temperature changes, ultraviolet radiation, rain, and high-speed airflow. The coating system must therefore address:

Film thickness and coverage uniformity
Substrate preparation and adhesion
Complete coverage of edges and complex surfaces
Weathering and corrosion resistance
Application stability and quality inspection

Aerobase UPD is certified to AMS3095 for mixed-fleet maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations. This demonstrates that lightweighting requires more than simply applying less paint—it depends on coordinated improvements in materials, processes, and quality control.

What Aerospace Coatings Teach Us About Functional Thin Films

Aerospace basecoats are not DLC or PVD coatings. However, they share an important surface-engineering principle: coating performance depends on achieving the required function with an appropriate film thickness, rather than simply applying a thicker layer.

Creating Nano Technologies Inc. provides DLC, PVD, and functional thin-film coating services. Pretreatment, coating structure, adhesion, and thickness uniformity can be evaluated according to the substrate, component geometry, operating environment, and target service life.

Before implementation, film thickness, hardness, adhesion, and actual service-life testing should be performed to confirm that the coating can reduce material usage without compromising reliability.

Sources

Creating Nano Technologies, Inc.
59 Alley 21 Lane 279, Chung Cheng Road, Yung Kang City, Tainan, TAIWAN
TEL:886-6-2323927 FAX:886-6-2013306 URL: http://www.creating-nanotech.com

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