You'll need to look at a variety of equipment changes as you move to waterborne. Manufacturers can provide plenty of help and options.
With the deadline for mandatory use of waterborne paint products fast approaching in California, and with regulators in a number of other states and municipalities considering similar requirements, shops throughout the country are beginning to think about if they are geared up for this new type of paint technology.
All of the paint manufacturers have introduced their waterborne basecoat product lines, and most believe that over the coming years even those shops not in areas where waterborne is being required will make the switch.
Whether you'll be required to use waterborne or make the switch voluntarily, here's a checklist of the types of equipment you'll need as the industry shifts from solvent-based refinish products to waterborne.
A heated paint booth. Waterborne paints, even more than solvent-based ones, require heat to get much production at all through the booth. Without stepping up to a heated booth, don't expect to get more than two cars through in an 8-hour day, the paint companies say.
Auxiliary air curing systems. Air movement is critical when using waterborne products. When California began looking at making the transition to waterborne coatings, some repairers feared they would be forced to buy new spray booths, a prospect many thought could force them to leave the industry. Paint manufacturers say that simply isn't the case. They point out that shops will simply have to modify their existing booths to ensure proper air movement.
Some modification systems force more heated air down onto the vehicle. Another type uses sets of air nozzles mounted on the sides or corners of the booth to push the flow of air coming down against the vehicle and even into "shaded" areas, such as door handle recesses.
Such systems are being built into the new higher-end paint booths on the market, but air curing system manufacturers say their systems can be retrofitted into virtually any existing booth.
There are also several brands of similar portable drying "air amplifier" systems that allow the painter to direct air movement onto the painted surface. They can be hand-held. Some of them can be attached to a simple adjustable rack for air movement to multiple areas on the car.
New paint guns. Although the spray guns used for waterborne are not dramatically different from those used for solvent-based products, gun manufactures are making fine-tuning adjustments to guns to make sure they spray the new products effectively and stand up to water corrosion.
Most importantly, however, the same gun should not be used for both types of products to prevent possible solvent contamination of the waterborne product.
Stepped-up air filtration. In addition to air movement within the booth, waterborne also may require shops to improve the quality of compressed air supplied to the gun inside the booth. Repairers are finding that it is particularly important to remove moisture in this air.
New gun cleaners. Waterborne products will require some changes in the mixing room as well, including the use of plastic cans and cups rather than metal. The product must be kept above 40 degrees F and has a slightly shorter shelf life – two to three years – than solvent-based products. And not surprisingly, a different type of gun cleaner must be used. The waterborne waste stream must be kept separate – in plastic drums – from any solvent-based waste stream. Paint manufacturers say painters will find much of the mixing and spraying of waterborne fairly straightforward.
The other good news is that the paint manufacturers' experience in Europe – where their waterborne products have been used for several years – has shown that shops that make the necessary investment in equipment and training won't see their production levels hurt by the switch to waterborne.
Manufacturers respond
Manufacturers supplying waterborne products or equipment solutions to be used with waterborne coatings offered these insights on their experiences with transitioning to these coatings.
ChemSpecUSA
Airing things out
Equipment needed for the water-based basecoats include slight changes but are important for success of the product and to minimize any impact to the shop's productivity. Using water as a solvent means that equipment made of regular carbon steel must be avoided due to concerns for corrosion. Most major spray equipment manufacturers have already converted their equipment to stainless metal parts, but you may need to be careful with imports, secondary brands or older equipment.
Since water evaporates more slowly than many solvents, some modifications are necessary to maintain productivity levels. Some people have installed additional fans in their spray booths to increase air movement, while others have started using the specially designed venturi driers available from major paint equipment manufacturers. Warmer temperatures and lower humidity will aid the drying speed, or "dehydration" of the basecoat.
A reminder here is necessary for those who are using the compressed air fed venturi set ups. These tools use considerable volume of air, or cfm, so the compressed air system will be used more. Maintenance of the air lines and compressor must be kept up so that there is not a problem with water or oil coming through the air lines.
LUTRO Luft
Benefits of direct gas heating
Direct gas heating with gas surface heaters has been used by LUTRO for more than 24 years. This heating system has clear advantages:
- Almost 100 percent efficiency
- Fast warming up for the drying process (approx. five minutes to 60 degrees C)
- High level of temperature precision in the booth ( 1 degree C)
- Easy maintenance when the booth is serviced by trained staff.
- Considerably reduced CO2 emissions
- The booth cools down fast once the drying process is finished, making it available very quickly for the next spray.
GFS
Proper airflow
When talking about waterborne paint booths, the big buzzword now is "airflow." However, what most shops don't realize is that simply boosting the airflow in your booth isn't the solution. In addition to airflow, you need proper heat rise, clean air and an effective control system. Also, shops need to think about important things like:
"What about the energy-efficiency of my booth's motors? What about the efficiency of my air heater? What about the cleanliness of the air in my booth? What about maintenance? What about the effectiveness of my booth's lighting? How are my operating costs going to change as energy and fuel costs continue to rise?"
These may seem like minor issues right now, but five or 10 years down the road the shops that looked at the situation and realized "It's time to make a positive change" are going to be the ones who are still making money.
Body shops need to look at the big picture and not jump at the first tempting easy-fix solution that knocks on their doors. Paint booth technology has changed drastically over the past few years. Booths are much more energy efficient than they used to be and offer unprecedented control over the paint environment. Paint booths have developed into very sophisticated pieces of equipment, and aren't just 'big metal boxes' anymore. As body shops evaluate their options when switching to waterborne, they need to take a good hard look at their current paint environment and really determine if it's the best solution for them going forward.
US Chemical/ProSpray
Waterborne benefits
In response to a new Directive (2004/42/CE) from the EU Parliament and Council that limited emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in vehicle refinishing products, Pro-Spray European Automotive Finishes' chemists and color analysts developed a new waterborne formulation of their European solvent-borne basecoat. The new directive limited VOC emissions to a maximum of 420 g/litre and required the implementation of waterborne technology in vehicle refinishing products.
"We were faced with the task of creating a waterborne system that could deliver color without compromise," said Michael Fowler, managing director of Pro-Spray Automotive Finishes LTD in Europe. "In addition we needed to educate and train the painters on the new laws, equipment, and color application technique."
The new basecoat chemistry married Pro-Spray's existing European color expertise with advanced waterborne technologies. After extensive research, development and product testing, Pro-Spray H2O European Waterborne Basecoat was created and premiered at the 2005 Equip Auto Trade Show in Paris.
No special mixing equipment is needed. What's more — with the proper air quality and movement — drying times are similar to, or exceed, solvent basecoats. H2O color is supported by a full range of surface preparation products, undercoats and clearcoats for every refinishing need.
Akzo Nobel
Easing the way
Preserving the environment for generations to come and creating a healthier work environment are goals that everyone shares in the collision repair industry. However, the mandated conversion from solvent-borne technology to waterborne in California and Canada was bound to be met with some perceptual concerns.
However, reality has shown the conversion process has been much less complex than expected and the results far greater. A large majority of shops have said that they would not switch back to solvent-borne even if they had the option. When asked about the conversion to waterborne, Nick DiLuca, owner of CARS Collision, Burlington, Ont., said, "The color match and appearance with Sikkens Autowave is superior to solvent-borne and once you get used to it, there's nothing difficult about using the new products and processes."
John Detlefson, paint department manager for North Ranch BodyCraft in Thousand Oaks, Calif., found that learning to use Autowave was a breeze. "In 16 years of painting cars, Autowave is the best product I've ever used, bar none. It's simple to use, blends easily and delivers great coverage."
Tim Loden director of marketing for Akzo Nobel noted, "Our belief is that the technology pioneers in California and Canada will help lead the way for others in proving that waterborne systems are truly good for both business and the community. It is the responsible choice."
Anest Iwata
Gunning for waterborne
With the impending conversion to waterborne material looms all Anest Iwata Century Series guns are waterborne ready and have been for the last 10 years. Our LV Technology (pre-atomization) allows the waterborne coating to dry and perform similar to solvent basecoat this air acceleration allows for a faster process time than solvent. We have also found through field application and work with various paint companies, that our new LPH400 LVX eXreme gun is the best choice for application of water when the ambient temperature is over 90 degrees F with low humidity. The LPH400 LVX, has a slightly coarser atomization and the spray pattern is more center heavy. This is the formula that waterborne needs, especially in hot dry climates.
Our ADG-1 Aquadry drying units offers a complete conversion solution for shops making the waterborne switch.
Junair America
Precision planning
You will very probably have to invest in some sort of auxiliary air movement (AAM) equipment to increase the spray booth air velocity in order to reduce the "flash off" times of waterborne basecoats. If you do not already do so today, in the future plan to have your booth maintained on a regular and frequent basis. To help you decide which AAM system you will need, have your paint company representative check the performance of your spray booth.
Determine how many cars you paint per day. Don't just take the number of completed ROs in a month and divide by the number of working days. Instead, determine how many jobs you might need to do on a typically busy paint shop day such as Thursday (in the cooler, wetter, busier season). This will give you a better idea as to which auxiliary air movement system you need. Look to the future when you make your decision to upgrade or replace your paint booth.
In Europe today, it is fairly common to apply waterborne basecoats in "one" back-to-back coat followed by one coat of ultra high solids clear. Make sure the spray booth upgrade or retrofit system will work for these types of paints and application methods. When you are deciding which type of equipment to buy, make sure you know how much power it consumes (compressed air or electricity) so you can budget for upgrading either your compressor or your electrical service, if necessary.
Don't forget that choosing the "incorrect" piece of equipment could increase your utility bills significantly. The best auxiliary air movement equipment can in fact, reduce booth cycle time (by reducing waterborne basecoat flash off times and bake times while reducing overall energy consumption and related energy costs.
Always see the equipment in action. Do your homework, and check references. Visit a shop or paint company training center to see the equipment in action. See how effective the system is on the side and rocker panels.
Does the auxiliary air movement equipment blow dirt onto the job? How long does it take to flash off the waterborne basecoat? Does it cause solvent popping on the bake cycle?
AFC Finishing Systems
Chemistry of Drying Waterborne Coatings
In order to understand the different methods of drying waterborne coatings, it is necessary to review the chemistry regarding how the water is removed from the coating itself. Typical waterborne coatings are composed of 50 percent water, 45 percent solids and five percent co-solvents. The water and co-solvents are removed from the surface of the paint coating via evaporation. The water below the surface migrates to the surface at a speed based upon the rate of diffusion of the coating. This process continues until all of the water has risen to the surface and is evaporated.
The time in which the water is evaporated is based upon the amount of water to be dried (i.e. thickness of coating and percentage water in the paint) and the evaporation rate. The evaporation rate is dependent upon the vapor pressure difference between the water in the coating and the air being circulated over the painted surface. The difference in the vapor pressure can be increased by also increasing the temperature of circulating, the velocity of air across the substrate surface and the temperature of the coating (through the use of Infrared). It also can be increased by decreasing the humidity of circulating air.
AFC Finishing Systems (AFC) addresses the need to increase the vapor pressure differential in several ways. First, AFC increases the temperature of circulating air through the use of our air make-up units. Second, the velocity of air is increased across the substrate surface with the use of air make-up units, as well as with the new Turbo Cure System. Third, AFC addresses the issue of humidity of circulating air with their DFM800R Air Make-Up Unit. Due to relatively high-energy costs, as well as the line-of-sight limitations, AFC does not typically use infrared to increase the temperature of the coating.
Garmat USA
Drying environment
The changes we see to the market with the onset of waterborne is that waterborne paints will require special attention, especially during the drying process. Waterborne paints need to be dried or cured in an environment that provides an optimum air flow pattern.
Garmat USA's solution to the curing of both waterborne and solvent based paints is a system called Accele-Cure. Accele-Cure is a strategically placed, ceiling mounted accelerator system in which the laminar air speed over the vehicle is dramatically increased, reducing flash times and bake cycle times. More specifically, Accele-Cure consists of multiple accelerators, which are mounted at the ceiling filter level of a spray booth. When in use, the plenum air is drawn toward the center of the booth by these accelerators. By increasing the speed of the air that is already available from the spray booth plenum, additional filtered air is forced over the vehicle.
The same volume of air that is provided by the booth makeup air system is utilized, but while in operation Accele-Cure focuses more of this existing air, at a greater speed, over the vehicle resulting in reduced flash times and bake cycle times.
PPG
Building confidence
To help assure shops make the conversion smoothly, PPG initiated a waterborne conversion program more than a year ago in California, known as "Convert with Confidence." The program provides shop owners, managers and technicians with training, advice and support before, during and after the conversion. A similar program is underway in Canada."Transitions are going very smooth," says Jim Downey, PPG senior regional manager. "We convert an average of fifteen to twenty shops every week. The program employs a methodical implementation plan for managers, then painters coming to class at 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."
In what may be a surprise to some, many California shops that have recently converted to waterborne are located in regions still not under any regulation mandate to use waterborne technology. "We want to be ahead of the game, because eventually we'll be forced to do it," says Lisando Allende, co-owner of Uptown Body & Fender in Oakland. "If we do it sooner, we'll have more experience when the time comes to comply with the VOC regulations."
In Canada, Debbie Nucciarone, PPG product manager, reports similar success. "Many shop owners were eager to make the conversion early. They knew regulations would make the change inevitable and they wanted to adapt quickly knowing we would provide them with the training and support they needed."
"Everyone was nervous about the shift to water-based paint, but the move has been positive in every respect. Our staff prefers it. It's a better product to use and it's cleaner and less hazardous," says Richard Marsh, Emeryville Collision, Tecumseh, Ontario.
3M
Paint surface preparation
Surface preparation is key when working with waterborne paints. Unlike solvent-based paints, waterborne paints aren't very forgiving of minor imperfections. Sand scratches show right through. To improve surface preparation, body shops should implement the following best practices for waterborne paint.
Follow proper sanding procedures to ensure the proper coverage and application of the basecoat. Finish the primer sanding process by using a high-quality dry guide coat to ensure that the coarse sand scratches have been removed and the orange peel is leveled.
Follow proper masking procedures to save time and money. Masking materials that are not up to the challenges of waterborne paint can absorb the paint and transfer it to masked areas. For efficient surface preparation, use premium masking products that are water resistant.
Time spent focusing on surface preparation on the front end will help save redo time in the long run.
Matrix System
Industry evolution
The face of the refinish industry is changing rapidly. As chemical technologies continue to evolve, we find ourselves increasingly reducing our environmental footprints. No where else is this more apparent today than in California where new, more stringent state-mandated regulatory changes have been adopted to further the progress that clean air legislation has made in the last 10 years. Aqualution by Matrix System has been developed to provide the body shop with the ability to respond to these changes today, as we all make the transition into tomorrow's technologies.
SATA
Target areas
There are a few major areas to focus on to be ready for the switch to waterborne: air purity, corrosion resistant equipment, clean air-drying equipment and safety.
Air Quality
As compressed air flows through the air supply pipes, condensation, scale and oil or oil vapor can be carried along downstream. Even tiny amounts of oil residue are a clear-cut source of coating contamination. That is usually not a problem for sanders and some other air tools. But it can be a problem for breathing air and/or spraying paint material – particularly waterborne. Waterborne paint is extremely sensitive to oil contamination. Oil contamination introduces oil droplets and oil vapor into the air stream for breathing air and usually causes very small silicone-like craters (fish eyes) in the paint coating. That results in expensive repair work regardless of whether conventional solvent-based or waterborne material is used.
The two-stage filter system has been standard equipment in many quality body shops. However when compressed air is carried downstream typical two-stage filter units cannot purge oil vapor. Usually oil vapor can be detected by odor if the painter is using a supplied air respirator. When spraying waterborne, adding a (0/464) third stage activated charcoal filter is ideal. Activated charcoal absorbs oil and organic vapors in compressed air making it suitable for breathing air and spraying waterborne. This combination makes it a very cost effective way to upgrade your existing filter system.
Corrosion Resistant Equipment
With most spray guns made of aluminum, a painter needs to take particular attention to cleaning the gun thoroughly after use. SATA's new spray guns, in particular the SATAjet 3000 HVLP, RP and the SATAminijet 4, feature fluid passages with a special coating that safeguards the gun against internal corrosion. Also, the gun bodies and all control parts are now plated with a corrosion-resistant, high-gloss chrome finish.
Finally, of particular importance is the stainless steel paint needle and fluid tip, which are integral parts of the SATAjet 3000 and minijet 4, helping keep both corrosion resistant.
Dry waterborne fast and efficiently
In general, the paint booth of today has been designed for solvent-base material. It relies on heat to speed up solvent evaporation. Waterborne requires high airflow volume to speed water evaporation. Some drying systems now available are being offered for many thousands of dollars. Investments in expensive waterborne drying systems are not necessary. Cost-effective alternatives from SATA are available. We find that even shops that have out fitted their booths with expensive stationary air drying units are still buying portable units like the SATA dry-jet and stand.
SATA reacted to demand by developing a waterborne drying system named SATA dry jet. This blowgun can be hand held or mounted on a stand. The special design multiplies ambient air volume by utilizing the venturi injection principle. The SATA dry jet has an intake filter to prevent paint contamination. It is equipped with a Teflon ball shut-off valve and air consumption is only 8.2 cfm at 29 psi.
DuPont
Exploring new territory
Jonathan Purifoy, waterborne field manager, U.S., DuPont Performance Coatings notes that over the past year, the trend toward environmentally friendly refinishing has swept across the nation. With DuPont Refinish, Standox and Spies Hecker our objective is to help our customers cope with new regulations they may be facing or guide them through unfamiliar territory they are voluntarily exploring, while actually improving their businesses in the process.
Successful conversions occur when the entire body shop is on board with the change and the paint supplier has the essential abilities to provide support. We have successfully converted thousands of shops in Europe and North America to waterborne basecoat. Body shops can rely on DuPont Refinish, Standox and Spies Hecker to provide the products and support they require when they are ready to make the switch.
BASF
Transition basics
BASF provides training as well as consultative guidance to customers. A successful shop conversion from solvent-borne to waterborne systems is closely tied to proper training. The duration of waterborne training classes is usually one to two days. The training pertains primarily to the waterborne basecoats as shops are not required to change their undercoats or clearcoats.
When making the conversion to waterborne basecoats, there are several important steps one can take to make the transition more successful.
- Proper agitation is very important due to the highly concentrated tinting bases of the waterborne basecoat system. Before placing the tinting bases on a mixing machine, shake them well with a paint shaker. It is also important to agitate the bases every four hours during the work day. Taking these steps will provide the paint technician with a superior color match.
- BASF recommends specific spray equipment for waterborne systems to ensure that the basecoat application is optimized for the paint technician and to ensure optimal waterborne basecoat performance.
- BASF has only four products per line that have a shelf life; however if you do use a product with a shelf life, monitor inventory closely to ensure the product does not exceed shelf life.
US Chemical/ProSpray
Commitment to change
Paul Reid, California territory sales manager for Pro-Spray European Automotive Finishes, says Commitment is the key to a successful conversion to waterborne products. He says that once the shop makes the commitment to change to waterborne, the conversion is relatively simple.
Get everyone committed including the front office, owner and manager to help the paint department in proper scheduling needs and equipment and shop process changes.
Reid also suggests marketing your business as a "green compliant" shop.
Finally, proper vehicle prep is imperative, as is air movement. Handheld heat sources might be all you need to get started. Shop size, repair size and production needs will determine what equipment to buy and install. Start off by making small equipment purchases.
