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RM-550-IB Black Thermal Control Paint/Coating
RM-550-IB is an inorganic black paint, originally designed for use on spacecraft and satellites. A highly specialized pigment with a silicate binder ensures that RM-550-IB that can be applied over complex surfaces with relative ease compared to other inorganic thermal control paints and forms a bendable ceramic nonspecular black coating when processed properly. RM-550-IB can be utilized in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space environment due to its resistance to the deleterious effects of the Atomic Oxygen (AO) flux found there.
RM-550-IB has been thoroughly tested in space, having been flown on the Optical Properties Monitor (OPM) and the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE).
View pre- and post-flight OPM data on reflectance (pdf 20 KB)
The table below lists the optical and application parameters of cured RM-550-IB.
| Nominal Surface Resistivity |
N/A |
| Thermal Emittance (ε_t) |
0.91 ± 0.02 |
| Solar Absorptance (α_s) |
0.97 ± 0.02 at ≥ 1.5 mils thickness |
| Use Temperature Range |
-180 C to 1100 C |
| Appearance/Color |
Nonspecular optical black |
| Nominal Dry Thickness |
3.0+1.0, -1.5 mils (over 85% of coated area) |
| ASTM D3359A Adhesion Grade |
Not less than 3A |
| Full Cure |
7 days |
Note: terms reflectance, emittance and absorptance and terms reflectivity, emissivity and absorptivity are often used interchangeably. |
