Over the ten decades of the last century, all innovations and developments in the OEM and refinish markets have brought two important contributions to the industry: improved quality in all respects and of course, speed. The object for the user is always to finish, and refinish, faster. Advancements have always brought improvements in preparation time, application time and degree of difficulty and very importantly, drying time.

When the auto industry began, in the days of painstaking manual labor, finishes were applied much as they were for the auto’s predecessor, the carriage–by hand, with a brush.

These early auto paints, while easily touched up by the car’s owner if damaged, had their own significant drawbacks. Finish quality from early India enamel was mediocre and there were few colors in the primarily dark earth-tone palette. The name comes from the paint’s relation to India ink, a pigment made from lamp black, with no relation to the country India. Durability of the finish was also weak, as these enamels were very prone to sun fade. When the automobile industry progressed,

Even though it was applied using a brush, early innovations in coatings technology by Ditzler improved the speed of automotive paint operations.

the lack of coatings that were easy to apply, more durable, and fast drying, became obvious handicaps to the efficient production of the motorcar. As advances in chemistry were discovered in the laboratory, advances in coatings technology were close behind. Nitrocellulose paints were developed in the early 1920s which greatly improved on earlier shortcomings in ease of application and drying time. The nitrocellulose used in these finishes is a very close relative to the explosive gun cotton used in smokeless powder in firearms cartridges. The starting substance is purified wood cellulose which is then processed by soaking in a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. The resulting material is used in enamels and lacquers. Nitrocellulose paints ushered in the practice of spray application and their drying time was significantly shorter. Another benefit to this advancement was that a larger number of colors became available. Chemistry’s next gift to the automotive finish industry was alkyd resins. These were used in the making of alkyd enamels. Alkyd resins were derived from glycerin processed from animal and vegetable fats. This glycerin was primarily used in explosives and in solvents such as those used in paint.

The alkyd enamels of the 1930s represented the early stages of what could be recognized as the modern process of automotive finishing. These enamels offered an excellent gloss finish and a reasonable color palette. As with previous advances in coatings, alkyd enamels were more durable, and of course, faster. When domestic development resumed after World War II, acrylic lacquers gave the OEM and refinish industries a quantum leap forward. Lacquer offered an exceptionally fast drying time compared to the early enamels. This translated into a significant productivity increase on assembly lines which facilitated automobile manufacturing to meet the high post-war demand. The acrylic lacquer formulation also brought an even greater expanse to available color formulations. Within a couple of decades, methods of using acrylic resins in enamel paints were developed and the age of technology was upon us.

Enamels outperformed the lacquers by eliminating the buffing required after drying to achieve a high-gloss finish and also provided an improved resistance to UV damage.

They also benefited users by both retaining durability and outpacing the speed of the earlier application methods. The use of catalysts, which began shortly after the introduction of acrylic enamels, boosted performance up to 50 percent over lacquers. PPG has often had a hand in the development of new generations of OEM and refinish technology. An area in which they made a significant contribution during the 1970s was in primer systems. PPG pioneered cationic electrodeposition to combat the debilitating effects of corrosion on automobiles. This OEM landmark was responsible for largely negating the impact of rust on a vehicle’s expected lifespan. As automotive production finish techniques rushed into the ‘80s, paint development advanced with the introduction of the basecoat/clearcoat process. The interaction of purpose-driven processes and complementary catalysts led to the greatest advancements yet in finishes. This method resulted in greater durability, chip resistance and very high gloss. Application methods also advanced, allowing OEMs and refinish operations to realize the benefits of better quality products, easier handling application, and the always critical improvement in speed on all levels.

Often, advancements in finish technology have included advancements in environmental impact. PPG products are often in the forefront of addressing environmental concerns in automotive finishes. Advances in electrostatic and powder applications have helped OEMs improve production and quality in many different disciplines.

Now in the new century, the race is on again, and PPG is leading with Envirobase ™ Basecoat. With the introduction of Envirobase, PPG is revolutionizing the application of basecoat for the automotive refinish industry. Envirobase offers a number of benefits. It is easier to use, and offers excellent color-matching capabilities. As the name indicates, there is also a considerable improvement to the environmental aspect of the application resulting in a significant reduction in VOC. As has been the hallmark of all major advancements in automotive paint technology, Envirobase from PPG dries fast, which means it will be ready for topcoating that much sooner.

Envirobase is a waterborne basecoat that advances technology and chemistry to a new level. After decades of relying on chemical solvent-based formulations in automotive paints, PPG has turned the focus of development to a cleaner, simpler formulation that will drive the OEM and refinish industries deep into the new century, and do it faster.

Innovative products, such as Cationic Electrodeposition (top) and the latest waterborne basecoat - Envirobase™, are current examples of how automotive coatings from PPG continue to increase the painting process’ productivity.