The Auto Body Blog

PPG Automotive Refinish will debut a waterborne compliant solution for its Vibrance Collection® line of custom colors and effects at the 2008 SEMA Show, being held November 4 – 7, in Las Vegas, booth #23093.

According to PPG, its custom color compliant solution especially addresses the needs of professionals in areas where stiffer VOC regulations have been imposed, such as California and Canada. Custom painters and artists will now be able to use the Vibrance Collection of colors with PPG’s Envirobase® High Performance waterborne basecoat system and still meet VOC mandates.

“Our customers in California and Canada love working with our Vibrance Collection custom color line and they’re very important to us,” says Jeff Griffin, manager, collision segment N.A. “So we challenged our team early on to make sure that the custom painter would not be hindered in the least bit when it becomes necessary to convert to a waterborne system.” “Our goal was to take all the custom colors now available with our solvent-based systems and provide matching formulas for use with Envirobase High Performance basecoat. And I’m proud to say we’re accomplishing our mission.”
Some special effect pigments currently available in the Vibrance Collection required a new technological solution to achieve waterborne compatibility. To address that need, PPG developed VWM5555, an innovative midcoat for the Vibrance Collection line. VWM5555 creates a midcoat layer over the waterborne basecoat and allows painters to use Vibrance Collection special effect pigments such as Radiance® II dyes, Flamboyance®, Prizmatique®, Liquid Crystals and Ditzler® Big Flake™.
The new VWM5555 midcoat will be available through PPG distributors across North America in January 2009 to create a complete, compliant custom color solution. A choice of compliant, 2.1 VOC clearcoats are also available for use with Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat.

PPG will showcase custom finishes using the new Vibrance Collection compliant system at the SEMA Show at PPG booth #23093.

If your at the Sema show please stop by and have a look for yourself!

PPG, One of the Preferred Suppliers for Global Dealership and Independent Repairs

PPG Automotive Refinish has been named as one of the preferred suppliers by Volvo Car Corporation for its worldwide network of dealerships as well as for independent collision centers around the globe. The designation includes PPG’s innovative and advanced waterborne Envirobase High Performance basecoat paint system.

Volvo’s objective is to provide its customers with premium-level repair quality in the aftermarket. Consequently, Volvo rigorously tests all materials to make certain they meet the company’s strict standards before they are approved. “Being designated as one of the preferred suppliers by Volvo is something to take great pride in,” said Ken Davis, PPG manager, OEM business development. “Volvo is well known for its quality and to be one of their approved suppliers is recognition of the quality of our products. We will, of course, work closely with them to provide complete support to Volvo dealerships and independent shops around the world.”

Peter Larsson, Volvo’s deputy director, painted body engineering, said, “One of the major criteria for selecting preferred suppliers is quality assurance which will safeguard the Volvo repair quality in our network. PPG continues to demonstrate high quality and commitment for its paint products and processes. I am very pleased to say this collaboration will bring benefits to our international network.”

PPG’s waterborne product, Envirobase High Performance is currently in use in North America and Europe.

Another Collision Repair Shop Goes Green!

I flew up to Grand Prairie, Alberta this Monday to assist in converting another collision shop to PPG’s Envirobase HP. Doug, Jason and myself were in GPI Collision today to set up this clean and modern collision shop with the proven water system from the leader in water borne base coat. The installation took us less than a half a day and we were ready to mix and spray Envirobase. Western Paint Supply and PPG work closely together to maximize our time setting up the system and minimizing the down time for the shop and painter. We like to properly install the paint system and watch a short twenty five minute video to inform the painter of the do’s and don’ts when spraying water borne paint. Then we get to the fun part of the switch over, the spraying.

With the painter currently spraying PPG Global Basecoat the switch to water will be a snap. We will train the painter a full day and then leave him be to apply the paint on his own. I feel that a painter that has a good grasp on PPG clears and sealers has an easy time using the new water base paint. He already knows the full line of PPG products and the water is the only process he needs to learn. I look forward to putting a smile on his face tomorrow as we spray the best water borne paint on the market today.

I will follow up on this article and inform you on how the painter liked the transition. I will also get a testimonial from the painter and get his opinion. Stay tuned and I will post his answers and testimonial as soon as we are finished the training.

PPG is ready when you are

The move to waterborne requires careful planning to ensure the quality and productivity of the paint repair operation is maintained with minimal interruption. It all begins with gaining an understanding of waterborne technology and the key steps and considerations that must be taken into account for making a smooth transition from solvent borne.

 
Experience has demonstrated that collision centers achieving the most success in transitioning to a PPG waterborne basecoat are those who have taken advantage of PPG’s “Convert with Confidence” process. This initiative supports and underscores the need for proper planning, technician training and the right equipment required to make a smooth, seamless transition. Taking advantage of this process, you can receive all the support, training, and advice required to make a timely, seamless move to a PPG waterborne
system.

Conversion planning guide

PPG’s step-by-step “Convert with Confidence” Waterborne Conversion Planning Guide is a comprehensive guide to understanding and planning for the move to waterborne basecoat. This helpful guide covers all the tasks involved in the conversion process, and provides detailed timetables and checklists to follow—so there are no surprises on conversion day. To obtain a copy of this guide, contact your local distributor. There are two versions available: one specific for California and Canada (PPG part number CARBPGC), and one for the rest of North America (part number CARBNAT).

Seminars for owners & managers

PPG “Convert with Confidence” seminars are being conducted across North America. Designed for body shop owners and managers, this seminar covers everything a shop needs to know about the planning and implementation of a PPG waterborne system—from understanding the technology and supplemental air movement equipment requirements to workflow planning and waste stream management. Following the
seminar, your PPG distributor or territory manager will work with you to schedule a conversion date and provide the support you need. Your territory manager can assist in determining when a “Convert with Confidence” seminar will be held in a location nearest your facility.

Technician training

While technicians will find PPG waterborne basecoat easy to apply and blend, it’s critical that they receive the proper training prior to conversion, since the technology does require different application techniques.
PPG offers a comprehensive, one-day training course to ensure paint technicians are ready and skilled at refinishing with waterborne basecoat. The course provides both classroom and hands-on instruction which covers everything technicians will need to know about waterborne technology and the proper application of your new system. Topics covered include: Product System Overview, Application Techniques, Spot Repair & Blending, Product Tips (Do’s & Don’ts) Equipment Requirements, Environmental, Health & safety Issues waste Handling, Color Adjustment. The Waterborne Conversion Planning Guide will help you develop a workflow plan to accommodate your technician training schedule.

On-site training

When your conversion day arrives, PPG will provide on-site training to ensure the paint operation gets up and running smoothly without disruption. To supplement the offsite training your technicians have already received, PPG will provide additional support to make sure they are proficient with our waterborne color tools,TouchMix software,and anything else you need.

A team effort

From day one in setting your conversion plan in action, it is important to work in conjunction with your distributor and PPG’s support team to insure a smooth and successful transition to this exciting new technology. By working together, your business will quickly be enjoying the many benefits of water borne.

Estimate refinish times will not change for waterborne paint

I have been reading a lot of articles across the internet lately and I came along a great article talking about how the two major estimate programs will use the same refinish times for water borne base coat as they used for solvent base coat. Apparently both companies have done independent studies on water base and have concluded the times will remain the same. For me as a painter this will increase my productivity as water borne base is faster drying than solvent base coat.

Canada’s two main providers of estimating systems have concluded that the refinish times in their databases do not need to be adjusted for waterborne basecoat. Mitchell International has performed studies comparing the two systems. Mitchell has studied the effects of waterborne paint systems vs. solvent borne paint and concluded that our current published labor times were in line with the actual time spent performing the required tasks for refinish with either system.

Audatex reports that its refinish times are suitable for either refinish method. Rick Turri, an Audatex executive, says in the latest edition of Audatex Directions: “Audatex around the world and specifically in North America has sufficient data to provide assurance that the refinish times in the estimating system apply to both waterborne and solvent-based refinish systems.”

In the booth air is used to dry the water base so the more air flow used to dry the base, the faster it will dry. I use a hand held Iwata air blower for one or two panel repairs and I use two blowers on a tree stand for larger refinish jobs. Proper heat and sufficient air flow lets me not leave the paint booth between coats of base. So the moral of the story for the flat rate painter is water borne is faster so more money goes into your pocket.

No other company has more expertise in advancing waterborne
automotive coatings technology than PPG.

Long before most of North America’s body shops had even given thought to waterborne finishes, PPG was already immersed in it. That’s because PPG saw the environmental handwriting on the wall even before it was written and for the past two decades has been developing and refining its technological expertise in both North America and Europe.

Having worked closely with OEMs in their transition to waterborne at vehicle assembly plants, PPG scientists understood early on that the refinish industry would have to move away from solvent-based paints.

They took the steps to address the environmental issues solvent-based paints raised by developing a water based paint system that produced remarkable results—that turned the Head’s of the OEMs. PPG expanded its global research capabilities with the acquisitions of ICI Auto color and MaxMeyer in the 1990s, solidly establishing itself as the world’s waterborne paint leader. That role was reinforced when, in 1992, ICI Auto color (now Nexa Auto color) introduced the world’s first waterborne refinish system, an innovation that received the United Kingdom’s Queens Award for Technology in 1995.

Listening carefully to customer feedback and taking advantage of its expanded global research capabilities, PPG continued to add refinements and innovations to its waterborne offerings throughout the 1990s, and into the 21st century. For example, in 1998 it was the first to make available a compliant system capable of repairing 3-stage pearl finishes. And in 1999, PPG placed its first brand offering, Envirobase—a product of its best European and North American waterborne technologies—into body shops. Ferrari was so impressed that it chose Envirobase as its original equipment finish.

The OEM’s introduction of new metallic and effects finishes was the driving catalyst for PPG’s development in 2005 of new high opacity toners offering the latest pigments—a significant advancement in waterborne color-match capabilities. These advancements were good reasons why PPG’s Aquabase Plus and Envirobase High Performance systems became readily accepted for use more than 17,000 shops across Europe seeking to comply with the European Union’s stricter refinish regulations. The latest innovation for PPG waterborne products is the Engine Bay Repair System, which significantly speeds the repair process when making these types of repairs.

Today in North America, more and more collision shops are making the transition to waterborne as a result of pending new air quality regulations in California and Canada.
Thus far, more than 700 collision shops have made the transition to PPG’s Envirobase High Performance and Aquabase Plus waterborne basecoats. They can be confident in the fact that Aquabase Plus and Envirobase High Performance systems from PPG represent the culmination of two decades of intense research and development spanning two continents and hundreds of chemists, scientists and color-matching experts.

The publication of draft VOC-emission regulations in April seems to have taken some of the steam out of the conversions to low-VOC products and waterborne basecoat.
It was expected that having draft regulations from Environment Canada would prompt collision repairers to take action and begin planning for the waterborne conversion. However, because the draft regulations extended the implementation deadline to Jan. 1, 2010, it seems the industry’s sense of urgency has diminished. In my opinion this will not be wise to leave your conversion to the last minute. With many shops needing to upgrade or buy new equipment, leaving your conversion to the last year/month could cause major purchasing problems. As demand goes up for the equipment the supply will go down. Good luck getting a compressor in six weeks when a hundred other shops are ordering one at the same time!

Brian Edwards reported at a recent CCIF meeting that the publication of the draft regulations on April 26 has cooled shops’ interest in converting to waterborne paint. “The backlog of shops that must convert is getting pushed further and further toward the deadline,” he cautions.

When the regulations were published in April, experts calculated that conversions would have to proceed at a rate of 400 to 500 per month in order to have all Canadian refinish facilities using new low-VOC products by 2010. In recent months, two more districts in California have adopted similar low-VOC regulations, with implementation dates of January 2009, and there is demand for waterborne basecoat even in non-mandatory areas of the United States. Both of these factors will raise the demand for personnel and equipment to support conversions.

So If I was a body shop owner I would start this conversion process now and not leave it any longer. Purchasing new equipment and any other supplies is quite easy at this time with waiting times being minimal. Your shop will be more environmentally friendly and it will start making more money as a result of converting to PPG Envirobase water borne paint.

Gun Cleaning Equipment

Proper cleaning of your new dedicated spray gun is also a consideration you will need to look at, water resins tend to stick to metal gun parts more so than solvent resins do. Immediate cleaning of your spray gun is recommended using a waterborne cleaning solvent such as PPG’s One Choice SWX 100. This product contains an ideal combination of water, solvent and detergent to thoroughly remove the water borne resin from the spray gun. Several manufacturers have specific gun cleaners dedicated for the use of cleaning your water borne spray gun. Uni-Ram has some excellent waterborne gun cleaners on the market. Drester also makes a great water borne gun cleaner.

These are the two I personally recommended for your shop. Some employ the use of PPG’s flocculating powder that, when added to the cleaning waste, separates the pigment and the solids from the water. Another point to consider here, waterborne requires a different waste stream. Contact your local waste disposal company for the proper way to dispose of your waterborne waste. However the use of these flocculating agents, if used correctly, can effectively recycle the liquid up to ten times minimizing your waste disposal costs.

Stay tuned for the next article on air flow equipment needed for PPG’s Envirobase HP.

We have discussed the quality of PPG water borne paint here on the Blog. Some of you may be wondering what kind of equipment you will need to convert your body shop. This article will answer all your questions regarding shop equipment. The conversion to waterborne basecoats will positively impact your day to day shop operations and your equipment. Fortunately the changes will not be too intimidating. On the bright side they will help make your life easier and more productive as well.

The best feature of the new PPG waterborne system is that there is no mechanical agitation required to achieve great color matches. This is a result of PPG’s revolutionary new anti-settle technology. Simply rock the toner side to side by hand and that’s all that is required to ensure the tint has all the pigments dispersed evenly and then it is ready to pour. This makes color mixing fast and easy. No longer does a painter need to wait fifteen minutes when changing a toner or upon arriving to work in the morning, just shake and pour. What does this mean then, this means no more loud mixing machine in your paint room adding extra noise to your work day and no more wait times decreasing your daily production. We get paid to paint vehicles not stand around playing the waiting game. Think about the time you will save during the course of a year.

A dedicated spray gun used exclusively for water borne base coat. PPG recommends using a dedicated paint gun for waterborne base coats and should not be used with solvent based paints, just as you do not use your base coat gun to spray clear coat. I know what you probably thinking, we will have to buy more spray guns for our shop. Not when you switch to PPG’s Envirobase. PPG is going to give their existing shops and their new clients a dedicated waterborne gun. If your shop has two booths than you will receive two paint guns, one dedicated paint gun per booth. While we understand you could make one of your existing paint guns a waterborne gun, considerations should be given to the technology improvements manufacturers have made with this most valuable tool. The spray gun must be rust proof, which means it should be made of stainless steel, brass or plastic components. Many spray gun manufactures have specific gun, cap and fluid tip recommendations. Since water and aluminum can cause corrosion, aluminum cups will be replaced by plastic cups or other systems such as 3M’s PPS system or the Sata RPS system which use plastic. The required strainer size for waterborne base is 125 micron.

Please come back to the Blog as I will elaborate on some of the other key pieces of equipment your shop will need to make the switch to PPG Envirobase waterborne basecoat. There are some other ingredients to make your shop the most productive most successful shop on the block.

PPG water borne conversions are gaining momentum in Canada.

According to PPG, more than 700 collision shops have made the transition to waterborne basecoat in anticipation of new air quality regulations in Canada. Pending and existing regulations intended to reduce VOC atmospheric emissions and improve air quality, has so far resulted in more than 700 facilities switching to PPG’s Envirobase High Performance basecoats.

Canadian shop owners who have made the change have been pleased with the results. Many of my customers we a little nervous about their switch to water, but after converting would not go back to the solvent borne paint again. But why is this I asked a painter at a local body shop. “As we get more familiar with the Envirobase paint we are finding it is faster and it provides a better color match than the Global system we were using previously. Also it lays down better and is a lot easier to blend than solvent based paint, plus gives us a smoother finish than our previous paint”. 

 
 In Canada, the regulations will take effect nationwide on January 1, 2010. To help assure shops make the conversion smoothly, PPG’s “Convert with Confidence” program provides shop owners, managers and technicians with training, advice and support before, during and after the conversion. A shop must attend a meeting on the new water system and watch a seventeen minute video on the do’s and don’ts of spraying water borne paint. One this is finished we then take a look at the shops equipment and make sure they are 100% ready to convert. According to Jim Downey, PPG senior regional manager, “Transitions are going very smooth; the program employs a methodical implementation plan for managers, then painters coming to class at our training centers. While they’re in class, we install the new equipment at the shop. When they return, everything’s ready to go with a PPG training team there to help.”

PPG is encouraging shop owners in  Canada and the U.S to take advantage of the “Convert with Confidence” program as soon as possible to ensure they will be “shop ready” when regulatory deadlines take effect. It is better to do this now rather than leave it to the last minute as equipment and supplies will be in short supply. The time is NOW to convert your shop with confidence and grab a hold of the new way of refinishing technology.