Coatings World - July 2014

and natural colors influenced by the post-Mayan prophecy. Mosaic – a bold palette of optimistic colors and patterns creating a juxtaposition of casual yet high-quality design; and Hi-Breed – a multicolor color palette that pairs natural and synthetic colors, creating harmony between nature and man. “Color and style have a significant impact on consumer buying decisions,” said Joe Kowalski, PPG’s global manager of color and surface design for consumer products. “Thanks to the skill sets and broad cultural knowledge of our color team, PPG can offer customers a collection of tools that will help them stay ahead of the competition and consumer tastes for years to come.” In addition to a brochure covering global color trends, TRENDCAST Styling Directions 2014 contains a variety of tactile objects and effects to help PPG’s customers connect with consumers and further engage their own creative instincts. The kit also features Web-based palettes for quick color referencing and a sample request program.

Ford Transit Debuts with
Paint Technology that
Improves Durability & Rust

The all-new Ford Transit makes its North American debut with more durable paint, thanks to an industry-first paint technology now in use at Kansas City Assembly Plant.

Ford celebrated the start of North American Transit production at Kansas City Assembly Plant on April 30, and vans will be available on U.S. and Canadian dealer lots this summer.

The Transit vehicles built in Kansas City are the first to use the new two-wet monocoat paint process developed by Ford and its paint suppliers. The technology results in more durable paint, uses less energy and water, and reduces carbon dioxide and particulate emissions compared with conventional paint processes.

The new paint had to meet or exceed
“Built Ford Tough” standards, and was
subjected to a battery of tests that simu-
lates typical conditions the vehicle will see
during 10 years. The paint was
tested for its resistance to chip-
ping and scratching, pollutants
and sun exposure. Advanced
weathering testing indicates that paint
applied with the new two-wet technology
will retain 90 percent of its gloss at four
years in service compared to 1 percent
gloss retention for paint applied using a
conventional monocoat process.

In addition to making paint tougher, the process reduces painting time and energy use by cutting the number of paint applications from three to two and the number of drying procedures from two to one.

The new paint process uses less energy and water, and reduces carbon dioxide and particulate emissions compared with conventional paint processes.

The two-wet monocoat process uses a primer coat that requires only a few minutes of open-air drying time before the color coat is applied. The color coat is formulated with the same appearance