He added that in working with Dassault , they wanted to conduct UV testing with the National Institute for Aviation Research ( NIAR ) at Wichita State University . They conducted a 2,000-hour Xenon test , which replicates the weather conditions in Southern Florida ( which Force said can be extreme ). The ToughGuard coating and the new ToughGuard SpeedGuard coating received 98 percent for gloss retention and 94 percent for color retention . “ It outperformed what I thought it would do ,” Force said .
Griffin Warehouse , Beaverton , Oregon
In 2008 , Boeing tested ToughGuard at the request of the U . S . Air Force . Boeing conducted a blind test on five different coating products — the results were more favorable and positive for the ToughGuard coating , and Boeing issued an NTO for their use on the U . S . Air Force ’ s most recognized 747 VIP aircraft ( s ).
Reid also said British Airways conducted several fuel burn savings tests in 2013 . The results were positive , and Dan Reid was told by British Airway ’ s chief chemical engineer that they were getting a reduction of about . 75 fuel efficiency , and with an annual fuel cost of three billion dollars , there was a potential for enormous savings using the ToughGuard coating on their fleet . Also , the chief chemical engineer stated that he firmly believed that using the ToughGuard coating would extend the paint service life by at least two years , as he observed how well the coating protected the paint from rain erosion and chemicals .
Even with the success of ToughGuard , Reid has kept his team small , with five employees . He stated that ToughGuard outsources all the product manufacturing to a chemical manufacturer in Oregon , which is ISO 9001 and ISO 9015 certified .
DECEMBER 2023 | JANUARY 2024 ISSUE NO . 36 13