This spring Axalta Coating Systems has once again produced a special coating for the radio telescope in Effelsberg, Germany, one of the largest, fully-steerable radio telescopes in the world and the most powerful for short-wave radiation.
Axalta helps to protect the telescope from weathering and UV radiation with a matte-white polyvinylic coating called PercoTop CS551 Foliflex Topcoat. This specially formulated, tailor-made coating has been applied to the telescope approximately every 18 years since it began operating in 1972.
Painting the telescope takes a minimum of six specially trained painters several weeks. "With a surface of 5400m2 and with 1500 individual panels, the portion of the dish that needs to be coated is immense,” said Klaus Bruns from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, who is responsible for the technical maintenance of the telescope.
