© SAMES KREMLIN
INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE
SPECIAL ISSUE ON ACE & OFF ROAD VEHICLES
Protect and Beautify Farm Machinery, a High-Tech Challenge Edited by SAMES KREMLIN Meylan – France
marketing@sames-kremlin.com
Agricultural machinery manufacturers design machines that are able to withstand the weather, chemical and mechanical aggression. Today, they must also offer paints with finishes as meticulous as those on cars. This dual challenge requires the use of high-tech application equipment.
W
ho would have thought that metallic paints would one day
Sales Director for Industry in France. “The acquisition of a piece of
make their appearance on agricultural machinery? But
agricultural machinery is an investment over several decades. The
that’s what we’re seeing now: light grey, anthracite grey and
quality of the finish is a guarantee of seriousness, a reassurance about
metallic red are being used on tractors and trailers, which can even be
the lifespan of the machine and ... a way of enjoying it, quite simply”.
customised. The shine of their painted surfaces is on a par with that of
These requirements led to the development of new references by paint
car bodies.
manufacturers who could not offer their usual products dedicated to
Combining durability and aesthetics, a challenge for paint manufacturers This quest for aesthetics also affects, to a lesser extent, combine harvesters, sprayers, soil preparation and planting equipment.
the automotive market. Indeed, the chemical composition would not have withstood the harsh life of the fields. They expanded their ranges for agricultural machinery by introducing metallic colours, mainly in the form of liquid paints.
Agricultural machinery has always been required to be robust and
Hardeners, zinc or titanium particles...
durable to withstand the sun, frost, rain, dust, shocks, vibrations,
However, the fundamentals of paints, those that ensure their durability,
chemical aggression and sometimes salt spray. Now they must also be
have not changed. These are mostly “two-component” paints. They
beautiful.
combine a base (for example, an epoxy if maximum durability is desired,
“It is understandable that farmers think like this”, says Gilles Valbrecq,
or a polyurethane for an impeccable finish) and a hardener. To reinforce
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N. 72 - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 - international PAINT&COATING magazine
