Planning for Waterborne Basecoat Technology for the 1990's

Environmental concerns, in conjunction with the global race for an enhanced aesthetic appeal of the automobile, is the compound driver moving waterborne paints into the 21st century. North America and Japan are taking a hard look at the reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOC) released into the environment. Research and development results in waterborne basecoat are setting the pace for world topcoat standards for automotive original equipment manufacturers around the globe.

Waterborne paint acceptance is gaining momentum as the application window moves into an acceptable range of operation. With earlier waterborne products introduced during 1970s, achieving an acceptable range of operation presented a serious problem. Today, requirements for paint line modification can be minimized by choosing the waterborne product that best meets existing line equipment. Minimum changes would require spray booth humidification and inclusion of a basecoat dehydration oven. Using a case study, this paper will review coating and equipment considerations that ensure a smooth conversion to water technology at minimized risk to production.