Every aspect of the University of Phoenix Stadium is innovative and technologically advanced. First-of-its-kind advances in North America are incorporated throughout the stadium: the barrel cactus-inspired exterior design; the single largest roof lift (the 5,500-ton center section weighs as much as the Eiffel Tower); and the amazing 12 million pound (234 feet wide by 400 feet long) tray containing the natural grass playing surface, designed to slide in and out on steel wheels on NFL game days.

Tnemec coating consultant Teri Hand was first contacted by Scott Schuff, president and CEO of Schuff Steel Company, in 2001 for a coatings recommendation. The stadium was in the early design phase and Schuff was searching for select coatings, other than the standard three-coat system, for the tons of structural steel and joist girders needed for the dramatic roof structure. A longtime fabricator and believer in Tnemec’s high performance coatings, Schuff asked Hand for a recommendation. Hand responded by specifying Tnemec’s Series 30 Spra-Saf EN , an advanced technology, direct-to-metal acrylic coating for the roof’s structural steel, and for the miles of joist girders, Series 27 F.C. Typoxy, a versatile polyamide epoxy ideally suited for steel fabrication and OEM applications.

Understanding the difficulty in thoroughly penetrating all the joist girder nooks and crannies, Hand specified solvent-based Series 27 be spray-applied in the shop electrostatically, assuring maximum coverage. She pointed out that Series 27 would provide fast curing and rapid handling capabilities. “The decision to go with the Tnemec proposal was a natural,” Schuff explained. “Why spend the time and money to apply a three-coat system when a durable, super-tough, single coat of Series 30 will do? I have enormous respect for Tnemec’s 80+ year history of developing long-term corrosion protection and weathering solutions. I also was impressed by the imaginative, highly successful electrostatic application solution suggested by both Allen Kauffman of OPT Co. and Tnemec.”