The Panama Canal Authority wages a constant battle to protect the machinery of the waterway's intricate lock system from corrosion caused by the region's damp tropical climate and the deleterious effects of salt water. The need to constantly blast and repaint miles of metal surfaces makes anti-corrosion efforts both time-consuming and expensive.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommended thermal spray coatings as a long-term protection against corrosion. MTMM’s principle, IMC was contracted to metalize miter gates, vehicle and pedestrian bridges, power plant draft acceleration tubes, transmission towers and holding tanks throughout the Panama Canal using aluminum and zinc alloys.

The parts of the Canal that were metalized have not required any further anti-corrosion protection and resulted in receiving a letter of commendation from the chief engineer of the Panama Canal Project.