Royal Adhesives and Sealants LLC Announces the Qualification of Hardman WS 8032 to Aerospace SAE Industry Specification AMS 3281D

Hardman(R) WS 8032 Is a Light Weight Rapid Cure Aircraft Sealant Qualified to SAE International's AMS 3281D Type II Specification


SOUTH BEND, IN--(Marketwire - May 27, 2009) - Royal Adhesives and Sealants LLC announced today that its Hardman® WS 8032 Light Weight Rapid Curing manganese dioxide cured polysulfide aircraft sealant has been fully qualified to SAE International's aerospace material (AMS) 3281D type II Class B aircraft fuel tank sealant specification.

Hardman® aircraft sealants are manufactured at Royal Adhesives and Sealants' Wilmington, CA facility, which has been certified to the AS 9100, ISO 9001/2000 and AS7200/1 NADCAP quality systems requirements and sold to aerospace and defense customers that require qualified sealants for demanding fuel tank and environmental sealing applications.

Ted Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Royal, commented: "This product qualification is a significant achievement for the company and underscores our efforts to listen to customers' requirements for improved performance and quality at a lower cost. WS 8032 is a low-density sealant with a specific gravity of 1.1 or a 30% weight savings over traditional aerospace sealants. WS 8032's cure rate is 50% faster than current generation fuel tank sealants, allowing for faster aircraft assembly. This reduces maintenance and repair time which will reduce our customers' overall costs."

AMS 3281D qualified aircraft sealants are used on the most advanced military aircraft. In addition to providing a 30% weight savings and a 50% faster cure rate, WS 8032 is highly resistant to aviation gasoline and jet fuel as well as chemicals and petroleum products common to the aircraft industry. WS 8032 offers excellent flexibility and bond strength to most metal substrates like aluminum, stainless steel, steel, advanced composites and many coatings under extremes of temperature, weathering and stress.

Jeff Swindells, Product Manager Aerospace Sealants, also commented, "The qualification of Hardman® WS 8032 RC aircraft sealant to AMS 3281D in addition to the 30% weight saving was developed to have a 50% faster cure rate. For example, WS 8032 Class B-2 has a work life of two hours and will cure to a 30 shore A in just 12 hours compared to 24 hours for standard sealants resulting in a 50% reduction in the time required in aircraft production and maintenance sealing times, reducing cost and improving production and maintenance turnaround times."

Royal Adhesives and Sealants' Wilmington, CA division is focused on serving both domestic and international clients in the aerospace and defense market and is a leading manufacturer and marketer of polysulfide sealants and electrical potting compounds for aerospace, defense and marine applications and specialty epoxy coatings for industrial maintenance applications.

High performance adhesives, sealants, encapsulants, potting compounds, and mirror mastics make up the Royal Adhesives & Sealants product mix. These high performance products are used in a variety of markets including aerospace and defense, assembly, automotive and recreational vehicle, electrical/electronic, filter, marine, and general industrial. The company also offers a broad spectrum of thermosetting epoxy and urethane, solvent-based, and water-based technologies to meet the most demanding adhesive and sealant applications.

About Royal Adhesives and Sealants LLC

Royal Adhesives and Sealants is a manufacturer and marketer of industrial adhesives and sealants, commercial roofing adhesives and mirror mastics. Royal manufactures both solvent-based and water-based adhesives and sealants that are packaged in a variety of packages including totes, drums, pails, cartridges and foil wrapped sausages.

For more information please visit www.royaladhesives.com

Contact Information: Enquiries Royal Adhesives and Sealants LLC Ted Clark Chief Executive Officer 626-203-3745 Jeff Swindells Product Manager 562-810-4872