| Source
newsletter fall 1998 |
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Paints and Solvents
Waterbased Finishing Systems
Celebrate Success:
Automated Building Components (ABC)
in Chanhassen has a system to prevent defect parts from being
coated. ABC successfully converted to a waterbased finishing
system and uses high transfer efficiency spray equipment with
automated and manual spray finishing stations.
Overspray on the automated finishing line
is collected and reused. Old product is consumed first, to
minimize the need for disposal of old and obsolete paints.
In two years, the company succeeded in reducing their toluene
use by 16,990 pounds and volatile organic compounds by 48,200
pounds. All hazardous waste generation was eliminated in 1996.
US Postal
Service Switches Paint
-by Lisa Mlinarcik
The US Postal Service (USPS) not only sets
high standards for getting your mail to you, they go the extra
mile for the environment too. At its Minneapolis Vehicle Maintenance
Facility, the post office is making environmental strides.
For the last three years, a team of employees has been working
with a painting supplier to develop a waterbased paint system
with an epoxy primer and urethane top coat.
This initiative is part of a larger USPS
environmental management goal to eliminate 17 targeted chemicals
that are harmful to people and the environment. The new paint
and primer—used on roughly 600 to 800 vehicles a year—eliminates
the chemicals chromium, lead, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene
and xylene.
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By eliminating these chemicals the
Minneapolis facility saw a number of benefits:
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It significantly reduced hazardous
waste and air emissions which will save disposal and permitting
costs. |
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Switching to the waterbased paints
should eliminate the need for an air emissions permit
and allow reclassification of the facility to a very small
quantity generator of hazardous waste. |
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The risk of fire was greatly reduced
because the new paints are not flammable and are thinned
with water. These changes will reduce the time employees
spend on hazardous material and safety training. |
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The new product costs $60 more a gallon,
but as production volumes increase the cost will go down.
Glenn Caffrey, supervisor of Vehicle Supplies said, "It's
going to save a lot of money." |
By working with coating and
equipment suppliers, facility staff easily addressed obstacles.
Together they determined the best tip size and spray gun for
the new product. When troubleshooting is needed the coating
supplier is working on the problem within 20 minutes according
to Caffrey.
"Training was our biggest
challenge," said Caffrey. "It's a totally different
system and employees had to learn a new spray technique."
The coating supplier provided step-by-step training for the
painters.
"So far everything is
running great. The paint comes out perfect on every job."
Overall Caffrey says they’re "more than satisfied"
with the new system which is now also being tested in Albany,
Kansas City and Milwaukee. Future plans include working with
the paint supplier to reduce the paint's dry time.
The new products meet the USPS’s
quality standards and are easy to work with. If testing continues
to go well, the post office may adopt the waterbased paint
nationwide and it could become commercially available for
fleet maintenance.
| Paint
and Solvent Tips |
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Improve efficiency by training painters
to mix correct amounts and properly prepare surfaces. |
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Use high transfer efficiency application
equipment—like HVLP and air-assisted airless—and
keep it well maintained. |
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Explore biochemical alternatives to
paint stripping such as terpenes, d-limonene, and dimethylsulfoxide
(DMSO) from natural raw wood lignin. |
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Check into abrasive stripping processes
that use natural materials such as wheat starch, walnut
hulls and carbon dioxide. |
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Reuse or recycle cleaning solvents. |
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Evaluate waste generation to identify
opportunities for minimizing waste. Adjust purchasing,
equipment cleaning schedules and inventory systems accordingly. |
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