Despite thousands of coatings being readily available on the market, time and time again, facility owners replace millions of square feet of assets in their facilities rather than coating them. Why?
Traditional coatings systems, such as the two- or three-coat epoxy system, are completely cost-prohibitive in most cases. All the tedious parameters, expensive equipment and unsafe labor-intensive practices set a price point that most facilities choose not to meet.
How to eliminate sandblasting in your facility
Pipe before application
The majority of this cost is spent on the first step of most coatings systems — sandblasting. Sandblasting typically involves building a containment, procuring equipment, buying blast media, sandblasting to a specific finish and then recycling or disposing of blast media in an environmentally friendly manner. All these steps have to be accomplished on time, with no mistakes and to the highest quality standard possible in order to pass inspection and maintain the reputation of the contractor and facility. Sandblasting is also contingent upon the weather.
Each of these steps not only presents its own set of cost issues, but serious HS&E risks. The PPE, training and personnel required to run a safe and effective sandblasting site are costly. If even one step of this process is neglected or ignored, it could ruin the job — not to mention exposing the facility to increased downtime and liability.
How to eliminate sandblasting in your facility
Pipe after application
Once the first step of the traditional process is finished, you can begin the most crucial step: applying your primer and/or midcoat, followed by the topcoat. In order to successfully apply these products, specific parameters must be met. These parameters can include dew point, humidity, surface temperature, ambient temperature and surface profile. Each of these parameters are weather dependent, extremely exact and, if not done correctly, could lead to adhesion problems, holidays (application error) and increased downtime.
Enter MikoFlex. MikoFlex adheres to virtually every metal or concrete surface, including other adherent coatings, without the need for sandblasting. MikoFlex has no humidity requirement. It can even be applied on the same day that rain is expected — allowing contractors to keep working right up until the moment that it starts to rain. MikoFlex can also be applied at any range from 10-120 mils (0.01-0.12 inches) with 40 mils (0.04 inches) being the average in one pass. This means that if an asset needs to last 30 years, that can be accomplished. If an asset only needs to last five years, that can also be accomplished. Adaptability and ease of application are two of the key strengths of MikoFlex.
In addition to these strengths, Miko-Flex is totally environmentally friendly with no VOCs, no hazardous air pollutants and no toxins. All of these traits add up to a MikoFlex Applicator being able to spray up to 1,000 linear feet of 30-inch piping in one day.
For more information, visit mikoflex.com or call (409) 771-3009.
