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Waterbased Substitutes for Wood Finishing
Lacquers
| Company |
Aaron Carlson Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota
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| Results |
A list of suppliers
of waterbased lacquers was assembled by the intern.
Criteria for judging
the quality of the finish were established and tests
to compare lacquers were developed and demonstrated.
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Aaron Carlson Company produces high quality
custom interior woodwork. Cabinets, doors, desks, and other
products are stained and sprayed with a solvent-based catalyzed
nitrocellulose wood finishing top coat. In order to meet customer
specifications, a wide range of sheens or glosses must be
available to use for this lacquer finish coat. The lacquer
currently in use contains over five pounds per gallon of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) and accounts for releases to the
environment of more than 20,000 pounds per year. Approximately
55 gallons per year of lacquer waste is accumulated due to
the expired pot life of the catalyzed lacquer.
Incentive for Change
Aaron Carlson Company was interested in reducing its VOC emissions
by finding a waterbased lacquer that could be substituted
for the solvent-based lacquer. Current Minnesota regulations
do not mandate VOC reductions, but the Clean Air Act and several
California laws indicate that future reduction requirements
are imminent. Coatings that are not catalyzed also remain
usable for a longer period of time than catalyzed coatings.
This would result in generating less waste lacquer and would
reduce waste disposal costs.
Intern Activities
The intern contacted lacquer suppliers to determine the availability of waterbased lacquers and to obtain samples for testing. Tests were designed to evaluate and compare the lacquers. Criteria were developed based on customer requirements and process constraints. Key criteria include:
- Gloss variances
- Drying time
- Mar or scratch resistance
- Solvent resistance
- Compatibility with stains
- Requirements for temperature and humidity controls
- Costs: labor, new equipment, cost per gallon, coverage and application rate.
Potential costs and other economic data
were also gathered by the intern.
Results
A list of suppliers of waterbased lacquers was assembled by
the intern. Criteria for judging the quality of the finish
were established and tests to compare lacquers were developed
and demonstrated.
Twelve lacquers were tested against the
established criteria, and two waterbased lacquers were identified
as possible substitutes. A decision was not made during the
project period to change over to a waterbased lacquer. However,
after the project was completed, one of the lacquers was chosen
for trials on small jobs. Bidding for small jobs is currently
being done with waterbased lacquer finished samples. The finish
can be applied during small runs with a cup gun adaptor on
the spray equipment, thus delaying the large capital expenditure
for a new spray line for applying the waterbased lacquer.
Because water in the lacquer will cause
rust, in conventional spray equipment Aaron Carlson Company
will need to replace some equipment with non-ferrous equipment.
Other equipment will need to be reconditioned to prevent residual
catalyzed lacquer from causing the waterbased lacquer to gel.
The payback period for the equipment reconditioning
and replacement is at least seven years, as economic savings
may only come from reducing the amount of liquid waste generated,
subsequently reducing waste disposal costs.
A list of companies that manufacture waterbased
lacquer, “Suppliers
of Low-VOC, Low HAP and Waterborne Wood Finishes [#7]”
is available from MnTAP. If you have questions about this
intern project or if you would like assistance with your waste
reduction efforts, call MnTAP at 612.624.1300 or 800.247.0015
in greater Minnesota.
For
More Information
MnTAP has a variety of technical assistance services available to help Minnesota businesses implement industry-tailored solutions that maximize resource efficiency, prevent pollution, increase energy efficiency, and reduce costs.Our information resources are available online. Or,
call MnTAP at 612.624.1300 or 800.247.0015 from greater Minnesota
for personal assistance.
This project was conducted in 1991 by MnTAP
intern Ted Kussow, a mechanical engineering student at the
University of Minnesota.
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