»
Protective
Coatings
An R & D journey: Rethinking box cooler protection
A box cooler contaminated with marine growth.
The research, development, and commercialization of an innovative coating system is never a straight line. It is a journey defined by laboratory breakthroughs, field trials, customer feedback, and realworld validation. This was also the case with the development of
SÄKATONIT Extra AR-F by Säkaphen nearly a decade ago.
By Chiara Foppa Pedretti for SÄKAPHEN GmbH
When development began in the laboratories of Säkaphen( Germany), a manufacturer of protective coatings for over 70 years, the objective was to create a floodable lining system with enhanced corrosion and fouling resistance for use in demanding marine applications. The resulting product marked a genuine advance in coating technology.
SÄKATONIT Extra AR-F is a two-pack, hydrophobic epoxy hybrid coating that combines a tailored resin – hardener system with a dedicated application methodology, characterized by low solvent and VOC levels. It was designed to resist a broad range of aqueous environments, as well as acidic and alkaline solutions commonly encountered in marine service, but also to provide abrasion resistance and tolerate temperature fluctuations that typically occur during vessel operation. The goal: reducing the formation of deposits, fouling, and surface degradation over extended service periods.
Designed for box coolers A primary target application from the outset was the protection of box coolers, specialized shipboard heat exchangers that are exposed to a combination
44 Heat Exchanger World May 2026 www. heat-exchanger-world. com