BASF talks to customers about transition from solvent to waterborne paint line
BUENA PARK, CALIF. — The BASF training center has been busy recently with standing-room-only crowds of industry professionals learning about BASF's R-M Onyx HD paint line. R-M Onyx HD replaces the solvent-borne R-M Diamont line, currently used in many California shops.
BASF recently launched its line of R-M waterborne paints in California, allowing auto body shops to accomplish the legislated conversion from solvent-borne to waterborne paint systems.
Jess Ramirez, regional training manager, AAM, regularly conducts daylong sessions demonstrating use of this new product. During these sessions, Ramirez says trainees express concerns that the transition to waterborne paints will be costly. These worries are unfounded because, in most cases, no significant new equipment is required, he says.
When planning for a switch to waterborne, Ramirez suggests that shop owners check their paint booths, ensuring all hoses and vents are properly functioning and that proper airflow is maintained. If these are in order, there is no need for a wholesale change-out of paint booths, he says. He notes that the industry has experienced wholesale replacement of refinishes in the past, for example, when the industry converted from acrylic paints to basecoat products.
BASF has been focused on waterborne training and education and believes hands-on experience is critical during the process. Ramirez demonstrated to trainees how easily the paint is mixed and how quickly it can be applied and dried in existing paint booths. Preparation of the basecoat, filling and cleaning of the spray gun, spot blending two fenders and waiting for drying took under an hour.
Randy DeWitt of FinishMaster Inc., traveled from Palm Springs, Calif., for the training. "It is beneficial to be here and find out what is in store for our customers as shops switch to waterborne paint," DeWitt says.
Training participant, Skip Wier, also from FinishMaster Inc., liked the new packaging of BASF's waterborne system. R-M Onyx HD tints are distributed in standard metal containers, possible because the tints do not contain water. The water enters the system through a mixing clear and a reducer during the formula weigh up. BASF officials say this chemistry eliminates concerns about product freeze-thaw during transport and storage, as only three products in the line contain water.
Additionally, the toners contain a very high concentration of pigment in a small package. These smaller packages take up less storage space, allowing shops to have a wide variety of color on hand.
R-M Onyx HD is aligned with BASF's COLOR-MAX 2 system. Although no additives are necessary, BASF offers HB052 Spot Blender Pro for difficult matches and blends. Regarding cycle times, BASF officials say R-M Onyx HD can be applied in 3.2 minutes, with flash-off time of 8.4 minutes and process time of 11.6 minutes.
