Iron Man doesn’t just use acrylic paints.

The first Iron Man flick is the origin of Iron Man.  We get to see Tony Stark transcend from tech mogul, to international hero in his computer driven suite of steel armor.  The story is compelling and fascinating, and the characters (specifically the one holding the main spot light), are absorbing and enticing.  But one scene that may have gone unnoticed by the laymen, but not the devoted paint applicator was when Tony Stark applied paint to his suit.

Sure, Tony seemed to have a kick picking out the color and tint of his paint.  But there are more factors that need to be considered.  As we discussed in previous posts, the environment and its elements will determine what paint should be selected.  And considering that the Iron Man suit will be subjected to extreme altitudes that vary in instant temp changes, aggressive abrasions, and flash infernos.  So to be candid, regular house paint won’t do the trick.  

Industrial Paint in High Altitudes:

Aerospace coatings have evolved significantly over the past decades.  They’ve improved their gloss retention, their color stability, and most importantly, the amount of coatings needed.  Because Iron Man spends most of his days in the air, it’s important for him to find a coating that will allow his already heavy suit to remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long period of time.  One of the biggest advances in aerospace paint is how tight the paint can be applied.  Meaning, that less coat is needed to provided coverage, which means, less weight will be coated onto the suit.

Additionally, the paint needs to offer flexibility.  The extreme temperature changes will cause substrates to expand and contract.  This will cause stress to coatings, making them more likely to fail.  A urethane paint will allow the flexibility to expand and contract with the varying temperature changes, which will improve the performance and longevity of the industrial paint.

Abrasion resistance Industrial Paints:

Iron Man doesn’t eat tea and crumpets on the weekends.  He’s blasting otherworldly invaders that threaten the safety of humanity.  But these otherworldly invaders aren’t complacent to his offensive attacks, and will fight back with greater force.  So, the Iran Man suit will need an abrasion resistant paint.  And as advised above, Tony Stark will want to use a urethane paint due to its abrasion tolerant nature.  Urethane paints can take a punch, resist fork lift turns, nails protruding from skids, and falling drums that contain heavy elements.  Additionally, urethane has good chemical resistance for the industrial environments.  So when those oil spills occur, or when those otherworldly invaders spit folic acid in your general direction, a urethane coating will provide the best resistance.

High Temperature Industrial Paints:

The nature of being Iron Man can subject the person (Tony Stark) to unexpected fireballs and explosions.  So, in addition to needing an aerospace urethane coating, this specialty industrial paint will also need to offer hi-temperature resistance.  Urethane paints will need to include an inert multipolymeric matrix that includes solvents, hydrocarbons, and mica.  This matrix can resist dry temperatures up to 1400 degrees F, and can resists flames up to 856 degrees F.  These elements will help the industrial coating that gets applied to Iron Man’s suit.

Because the world of paint and industrial coatings can be so fascinating, it is easily overlooked.  But due to Iron Man’s job duties, it’s important to conflate these varying environmental factors, so that 1 industrial paint can help guard his suit and reduce the risk of damage.

PennCoat, Inc. has been providing industrial painting, commercial painting, epoxy flooring, and polished concrete services for nearly 30 years.  Our experienced installers are trained and equipped with the proper knowledge and tools to ensure that every installation is installed efficiently and safely.  PennCoat, Inc. provides service to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.  And we cover York, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Bucks, Berks, and other counties in the surrounding area.