PITTSBURGH — PPG Industries Inc. announced the installation of a new automotive electrocoat system that the company says is expected to “revolutionize” the automotive finishing processes. The system, now in operation at a DaimlerChrysler assembly plant in Campo Largo, Brazil, involves the application of a corrosion-inhibiting primer and then a new full-body anti-chip primer-surfacer electrocoat.
The electrocoat finishes are applied by immersing negatively charged vehicle bodies in positively charged coatings baths. The coating system, named the “Power-Prime” process, is being used to apply coatings to Dodge Dakota pick-up trucks.
Richard Zahren, PPG vice president, Automotive Coatings, said the new process offers improved coating application and performance results with less cost and environmental effects. Application efficiency is reported to be nearly 100%, while VOC emissions are virtually nonexistent, the company said.
PPG patented cathodic-electrodeposition coating chemistry nearly 20 years ago, and the process is regarded as the premier corrosion-inhibiting technology for automotive applications. “Now, we’ve leveraged that expertise to extend e-coating benefits to another major automotive coating process,” Zahren said. “We believe our success in corrosion-inhibiting coatings will be replicated with this extension to other coatings.”
PPG said the Power-Prime system is currently being evaluated by auto manufacturers around the world.
