American automaker Ford Motor has announced its plans to launch new Transit vehicles with a new paint technology.
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The new two-wet monocoat paint process, developed by Ford and its paint suppliers, is said to be more durable, while using less energy and water as well as reduce carbon dioxide and particulate emissions compared with conventional paint processes.
The automaker has already started using the new paint technology at its Kansas City Assembly Plant, where it produces the Transit vans for the North American market.
Ford global paint engineering development and launch supervisor Dennis Havlin said durability was a critical consideration when the company initiated this project.
"The advancements in paint chemistry enable us to deliver the appearance, performance and durability our customers demand," Havlin added.
"The two-wet monocoat process allows us to design a system considerably smaller than a conventional paint shop, especially with regard to a vehicle of this size and complexity."
According to the company, the paint technology will help in reduction of 9,500t carbon dioxide emissions, while its dry scrubber system would save over 10.5 million gallons of water and about 48,000MWh of electrical power.
Two-wet monocoat process includes application of a primer coat with a few minutes of open-air drying and the same color coat, then the painted body is fully cured in an enamel oven.
The total process is said to eliminate one paint application step and one oven drying step compared to traditional paint processes.
Image: Ford starts using new paint technology for Transit vans. Photo: Courtesy of THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
