Jotun Introduces BIPoT: A New Cleaning Standard for Bristle Blasting

In a significant development for the surface preparation industry, Jotun — one of the world's leading coating manufacturers — has introduced the BIPoT standard: Bristle Impact Power Tool Cleaning. This formalized cleaning designation represents a major step in the industry-wide recognition of bristle blasting as a legitimate, specification-compliant surface preparation method.

What Is BIPoT?

BIPoT stands for Bristle Impact Power Tool Cleaning. It is a surface preparation designation developed by Jotun to describe the specific cleanliness and anchor profile conditions achieved when using Bristle Blaster®-class tools on steel surfaces.

The BIPoT standard defines:

• Minimum cleanliness level equivalent to Sa 2½ / SSPC-SP10 Near-White Metal
• Anchor profile of 65–85 µm Rz (2.6–3.3 mil)
• Surface condition criteria for coating application
• Acceptance criteria for Jotun coating systems applied over BIPoT-prepared surfaces

Why This Matters

Until now, bristle blasting existed in a specification grey area. Coating specifications typically referenced blast standards (Sa 2, Sa 2½, Sa 3) or power tool cleaning standards (St 2, St 3) — with bristle blasting falling between categories, creating uncertainty for specifiers and inspectors.

The introduction of BIPoT by Jotun changes this. It gives coating specifiers a formal, manufacturer-backed designation for bristle-blasted surfaces, allowing project documentation to unambiguously specify this preparation method and enabling inspectors to evaluate compliance against defined criteria.

Implications for Project Specifications

With the BIPoT standard in place, project engineers and coating specifiers can now:

• Reference BIPoT in project specifications as an approved preparation method
• Specify Jotun coating systems with explicit approval over BIPoT-prepared surfaces
• Provide inspectors with clear acceptance criteria
• Reduce ambiguity in quality documentation and inspection reports

The Broader Trend: Industry Recognition of Bristle Blasting

Jotun's BIPoT standard follows years of field validation data, independent testing, and growing adoption of bristle blasting across offshore, marine, and energy infrastructure markets. It reflects the broader trend of the coatings industry formalizing what practitioners have known empirically: that properly executed bristle blasting delivers coating performance comparable to abrasive blast preparation.

MontiPower has been a key driver of this recognition — providing technical data, independent test results, and field case studies to support the inclusion of bristle blasting in coating manufacturer approvals and industry standards.

What This Means for MontiPower Customers

For maintenance teams and contractors already using Bristle Blaster®, the BIPoT designation strengthens your position in project documentation and client reporting. You now have a formal, manufacturer-backed standard to reference when specifying bristle blasting on Jotun-coated assets.

Contact MontiPower to learn more about coating manufacturer approvals and how to specify Bristle Blaster® in your project documentation.