PPG Industries’ automotive refinish business will debut a waterborne-compliant solution for its Vibrance Collection line of custom colors and effects in booth #23093 at the 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nov. 4-7.
According to PPG, its compliant custom color solution especially addresses the needs of professionals in areas where stiffer VOC regulations have been imposed, such as California and Canada. Custom painters and artists will now be able to use the Vibrance Collection of colors with Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat system by PPG and still meet VOC mandates.
“Our customers in California and Canada love working with our Vibrance Collection custom color line, and they’re very important to us,” said Jeff Griffin, manager, collision segment North America. “We challenged our team early on to make sure that the custom painter would not be hindered in the least bit when it becomes necessary to convert to a waterborne system.
“Our goal was to take all the custom colors now available with our solvent-based systems and provide matching formulas for use with Envirobase High Performance basecoat. I’m proud to say we’re accomplishing our mission.”
Some special-effect pigments currently available in the Vibrance Collection required a new technological solution to achieve waterborne compatibility. To address that need, PPG developed VWM5555, an innovative midcoat for the Vibrance Collection line. VWM5555 creates a midcoat layer over the waterborne basecoat and enables painters to use Vibrance Collection special-effect pigments such as Radiance II dyes and Flamboyance, Prizmatique, Liquid Crystals and Ditzler Big Flake pigments.
The new VWM5555 midcoat will be available through PPG distributors across North America in January 2009 to create a complete, compliant custom color solution. A choice of compliant, 2.1 VOC clearcoats is also available for use with Envirobase High Performance waterborne basecoat.