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First Vehicles Painted with Ford’s New Three-Wet Process on the Road
26 December 2007
Ford Motor Company and U-Haul launched more than 200 Ford E-Series trucks painted with Ford’s new three-wet process (earlier post) which results in a 15% reduction in greenhouse gases, about a 10% cut in VOC emissions, and a cut in Ford’s production costs. U-Haul began renting the units to customers this week.
The technology combines an advanced chemical formulation of high-solids, solvent-borne paint with an innovative three-wet application process that requires a smaller, less expensive and cleaner paint shop than traditional automotive paint facilities.
The company estimates it can save approximately $7 per vehicle by cutting the time it takes to paint a vehicle by almost 20% as well as reducing the size of the traditional paint shop by nearly 15%.
Ford’s new high-solids, solvent-borne paint formulation produces fewer VOC and CO2 emissions than do water-borne and current solvent-borne paints. Because the new formulation contains more color pigment, it requires less paint to cover a vehicle than water-based paint.
The paint formulation contains new polymers and other additives that prevent running and sagging during the three-wet application process. And Ford’s laboratory tests show the high-solids, solvent-borne paint provides better long-term resistance to chips and scratches than does water-borne paint.
December 26, 2007 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments
This may seem like boring trivia to many people. It certainly doesn't have the pop of headlines like: "New Diesel Electric Hybrid breaks sound barrier..." and the like, but this is the bread and butter of environmental engineering. Multiple, tiny, well thought out changes. And a $7 per vehicle savings to boot!
Posted by: Bike Commuter Dude | Dec 26, 2007 9:04:03 AM
I agree this is HUGE! I wonder if U-Haul will put a Ford eseries hybrid in these vehicles when they become available in 2008. This is another example where less is more.
Posted by: Azure | Dec 27, 2007 3:30:18 PM
$7 per vehicle adds up if this gets used on, for example, the million F-series pickups Ford builds each year...
Wasn't it Ford that was also using VOCs recovered from their paint shop as an fuel input for a fuel cell system?
Posted by: rob | Dec 27, 2007 7:58:11 PM
