Chrysler collaborates with suppliers to lower paint emissions

Manufacturing News, Source : TheManufacturer.com
Published : 05 Jun 2002 8:37

In a joint effort, DuPont and Chrysler have developed a clear-coat paint that reduces emissions by 25 per cent.

“By working together with our supply partners, we were able to reduce our emissions at the source—the paint—rather than adding costly equipment to control the emissions at the end of the stack,” said Jim Wolfe, plant manager of the Newark facility. “This should be a benefit to the community through reduced emissions and paint odors from the facility.”

Paint shops present the greatest emissions challenge in automotive assembly plants, due to the amount of solvents that are mixed with the powder to create a clear paint coat, according to Chrysler. Successful demonstrations from the joint effort have allowed the Newark plant to start using the new ultra-low emissions coating technology a year ahead of schedule.

According to Chrysler, a technology breakthrough using molecular engineering research has allowed DuPont to reduce the molecular weight and particle-size of the solids content in paint so it sprays more like a liquid during the application process. In the past, increasing the solid content prevented the paint from spraying properly. This breakthrough via molecular engineering allows the solid content of the clear coat to be increased and the solvent content decreased, reducing emissions.

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