Aerospace Coating & Primer Removal on Aluminum Airframe Components
Aerospace coatings are engineered to be permanent. That's exactly what makes removing them without damaging the underlying aluminum so unforgiving. One over-aggressive chemistry can leave intergranular attack that disqualifies a structural component — and on aluminum, you often can't see it until it's too late. Strip Tech Solutions, based in McKee, Kentucky, provides aluminum-safe chemical stripping for airframe components across the national MRO and supply chain.
Aluminum-safe is the whole job
Most general-purpose strippers contain methylene chloride (dichloromethane / DCM) or strongly alkaline accelerators that attack aluminum and magnesium. Our ST-50 formula uses pH-controlled bath chemistry formulated around aluminum compatibility from day one — and contains zero methylene chloride.
The chemistry stays inside the window where coating bonds break but the base metal is untouched. No pitting, no intergranular corrosion, no hydrogen embrittlement risk on heat-treated parts.
What we remove
- Epoxy primers (strontium chromate, non-chromate, and MIL-PRF-23377 / MIL-PRF-85582 class)
- Aliphatic polyurethane topcoats (MIL-PRF-85285 class)
- Polysulfide and polythioether sealants from faying surfaces and fuel tank structure
- Specialty topcoats including rain-erosion and fuel-resistant systems
- Legacy coatings on refurbished and depot-returned components
Methylene chloride-free and regulatory-ready
The EPA commercial use ban on methylene chloride (dichloromethane / DCM) applies across the aerospace finishing supply chain. Depot-returned components, MRO lines, and contract rework shops that previously qualified methylene chloride-based processes all face the same transition.
ST-50 was specifically developed as a methylene chloride process replacement — matching DCM strip rates on the primer and topcoat systems common to airframe components, without the regulatory exposure. We can supply process documentation for your quality system.
Composite substrates
Carbon fiber reinforced polymer and fiberglass composite components require a different tolerance window than bare aluminum — the concern is resin matrix attack and fiber exposure rather than intergranular corrosion. ST-50 bath chemistry is formulated to strip topcoat and primer without attacking epoxy, BMI, or polyester resin matrices. We'll confirm compatibility on your specific layup before any production run.
Qualifying a new stripping process?
We'll run a free compatibility evaluation on a sample component and supply the documentation your quality system needs.
Start a Compatibility Review