2014 brings us the next chapter in the evolution in automotive paint for Paint Bull with the introduction of the new Onyx Low VOC Paint Line. What exactly is Onyx Low VOC Paint? Let’s first understand a bit about the recent history of Automotive Paints and why we spray what we spray.
In January of 2008 the EPA set a new standard 40 CFR Part 63 covering emission standards for
hazardous air Pollutants, this became known as the 6H rule and was designed to limit the amount of certain heavy metals sprayed by automotive refinishers and other paint applications. This rule would have a dramatic change on the Mobile Paint Repair industry with its final affects yet to be felt be all.
Paint Bull recognized that to become fully compliant with this new 6H rule would be a challenge, but certainly not impossible. Paint Bull also realized that this was likely to be only the latest hurdle our industry must overcome in order to legally practice our trade. The State of California had already past Low VOC regulations with other states discussing adding the same. Vehicle manufacturers had been spraying the new water-based paints at the factories and these paint manufacturers were starting to see that the only way to become compliant with the new Low VOC regulations was to transition the water-based products being used in the mobile paint repair industry. This was quite a challenge but the alternative was unemployment so ingenuity took hold and new processes and products were developed to introduce water-based paints.
Paint Bull saw the challenges of water-based paints as an opportunity to not only embrace new technology, but also to become compliant with the new 6H rule.
Paint Bull researched the market for available water-based paint lines that would meet our requirements and become adaptable for the mobile automotive repair business and painting outside, in the elements with nature to deal with. Being based out of Michigan, cold weather was a huge concern as we operate the largest fleet of mobile repair vans in the state and if we can’t paint in the cold, we simply can’t work. We decided upon the Onyx paint line, manufactured by BASF. Among its many advantages was that the toners would not freeze and in fact did not become a true water-based product until they were finally mixed just before spraying. Onyx has one other major benefit. It does not contain the heavy metals now being regulated by the new 6H rule. This would allow Paint Bull to not only be compliant, but actually exempt from the 6H rule!
The transition from the old solvent based paints to the new Onyx water-based paint was not without its challenges. Simply put, the new paints sprayed differently than traditional solvent based products and painters can sometimes get set in their ways with change not easy to overcome. The biggest change was the techniques with how the paints are sprayed, but we’ll save that topic for a later date. Over time water-based paints have become a workable alternative to solvent based paints, but most painters who have sprayed both would choose solvent based if given the choice. Up until now, in order to be 6H rule exempt and Low VOC Compliant, they had no choice.
Now to answer the question: What is Onyx Low VOC Paint? It’s a hybrid and is the latest in paint chemical technology. Its combines the benefits of water-based paints (Color Match, 6H Rule Exemption and Low VOC Compliance) with the ease of use of solvent based paints! It truly is the best of both worlds.
Paint Bull has been testing the new products and rolled them out to our entire fleet in December with outstanding results. The new products cover and spray easier than any product we have ever worked with before. It will surely change the way our industry paints for years to come.