self-healing clearcoats are becoming more widely used. “These
clearcoats better resist car wash scratches and help cars keep that
brand new look longer,” said Margaronis.
Existing products are constantly being tweaked to provide
faster dry times and less energy consumption during the application process. There is also an ever-increasing usage of waterborne and lower VOC products in the auto refinish market.
“Some of this is brought by new regulations or enforcement of
old, but there are many progressive body shops that are ahead
of the curve and marketing themselves as ‘green’ well before
they are required to use lower VOC products,” said Margaronis.
BASF is bringing to market Fast Repair and No Bake
Clearcoats that can be applied and cured without using high temperatures. This results in energy saving and increased throughput
of small- to medium-sized repair jobs.
Matrix Systems has focused on delivering state-of-the-art wa-
terborne and solventborne compliant basecoat systems. “Matrix
System Aqualution waterborne basecoat was launched in Cali-
fornia several years ago with great success,” said Brunori. “Our
newest basecoat platform will be launched at NACE in October.
MPB-LV is the only premium basecoat program that offers ‘pre-
scription’ color match including all variant formulas.”
Matrix’s MPB-LV is supported by its proprietary Accushade
formula retrieval software and the newly released Color Variant
Deck. A Refinish Solutions version will be released in 2012.
PPG has launched a number of systems to meet the needs of
the auto refinish market. “Regional preferences dictate the spe-
cific products and programs we introduce, yet one of our newest
product initiatives we’re especially proud of is our all-water-
borne, low-VOC paint system that has been introduced in the
European marketplace,” said Hughes. “This complete water-
borne system, comprised primarily of a primer, basecoat and
clear, fulfills the two-fold demand to improve repair process per-
formance and the quality of the work environment.”
PPG’s new ultra fast-drying clearcoat Deltron DC2000 in
the United States is designed to improve repair performance in
diverse repair environments. “This new clear now can be air
dried as fast as it once took to bake a clearcoat finish just a few
years ago,” said Hughes. “One obvious benefit is its ability to
reduce the workload on the baking booth, and saving the en-
ergy to operate.”
PPG also recently launched PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
primers in Germany. This new advance incorporates recycled
plastic bottles into the resin systems and is part of PPG’s drive to
develop environmentally sustainable products offering advan-
tages over existing technology.
“In the near future we expect our ‘self-leveling’ primer technology to significantly reduce sanding times before and after applying an undercoat, thereby saving significant amount of labor
and its associated costs,” said Hughes. CW
Matrix System debuts its new premium low VOC solvent basecoat system at the 2011 NACE Show
Professional vehicle refinishers in attendance at the recent NACE Show in Orlando, Florida, held October 6-8, 2011, were the first to discover
Matrix System’s MPB-LV Premium Low VOC Basecoat System.
This new technology consists of an entire line of toners that deliver 3. 5 or lower VOC emissions. The Matrix Premium Low VOC line offers
customers exceptional hiding, with ease of application and use, and there is no need to upgrade shop equipment, the company said.
MPB-LV sprays like other premium high
VOC solvent systems. Additionally, MPB-LV
utilizes the Matrix System Color Variant Selector System to ensure a consistent match
every time.
“The time is now to upgrade to our pre-
mium low VOC products, as benefits like faster
coverage and higher quality help to reduce
cycle time and increase throughput,” said Ken
Papich, Matrix System director of sales. “Matrix
System delivers the best of both technologies,
with our low VOC solvent paint system as well
as Aqualution our waterborne system.”
By featuring the new premium low VOC
basecoat, Matrix System has given the Califor-
nia and Canadian markets the opportunity to
choose which road to take—either waterborne
or low VOC solvent basecoat. Both technolo-
gies are designed to deliver 3. 5 or lower VOCs.
Although MPB-LV was featured at NACE, the
official launch will occur at the end of 2011.
Matrix System’s MPB-LV Premium Low VOC Basecoat System.
www.coatingsworld.com
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