Whether they like it or not, waterborne paint systems are the wave of the future for auto body repair shops. Just as in automobile manufacturing, environmental regulations have become stricter for collision repair shops, and it seems that waterborne paint systems are the solution for complying with regulations.
But converting to waterborne paints isn’t that simple or as financially painless as most shop owners would like launch x431 v+. Paint booths, spray guns and other equipment often need to be upgraded. In many cases too, additional equipment like air acceleration systems need to be added. And to add to the conversion woes, paint preparation and application are different from what people have been used to, so some training is necessary. Along with that, auto body repair shops must ready themselves for longer cycle times because the new paints take longer to dry. As you can see, converting to waterborne systems takes considerable commitment from shop owners and from the technicians themselves. But as we said, environmental regulations have forced these changes, and shops need to accept the fact that the changes cannot be sidestepped.
One of the major concerns of shop owners who made the transition early to waterborne systems was the lack of a waterborne clear coat to complement the push towards waterborne paints Autel MaxiTPMS TS601. So shops still had to buy traditional solvent-based clearcoats and hardeners, which actually pushed their costs up. Many shop owners contend that in the push toward water-based systems, it was the clear coat that should have been given priority, rather than the base coat. These owners say that it’s the hardening agents in the clear coat that are most harmful to both the environment and the shop workers.
Another gripe is the need for auto body repair shops to upgrade their spray booths and install air acceleration systems. This is to minimize the longer cycle times water-based paints impose on the workflow. Couple this with the sometimes high humidities that weather brings and you will understand why there is a lot of frustration with the new systems.
Making the transition to waterborne systems requires expenditures that smaller shops cannot sometimes bear. Imagine spending $80,000 to comply with regulations when you have perfectly decent equipment that does the job at present. But these environmental regulations are here to stay and with the overall awareness on going green, your shop may actually attract new customers when you transition to these environment-friendly systems.
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