Ford Motor Company says that its all-new Transit model is making its North American debut with more durable paint, thanks to an industry-first paint technology now in use at Kansas City Assembly Plant.
The Transit vehicles built in Kansas City are the first to use the new two-wet monocoat paint process developed by Ford and its paint suppliers. Ford says that the technology results in more durable paint, uses less energy and water, and reduces carbon dioxide and particulate emissions compared with conventional paint processes.
Meeting or exceeding Ford standards was all that Ford would accept in the design and formulation for their new paint. In the testing stages, the paint was put through multiple testing processes, the paint was tested for its resistance to chipping and scratching, pollutants and sun exposure. Advanced weathering testing indicates that paint applied with the new two-wet technology will retain 90 percent of its gloss at four years in service compared to 1 percent gloss retention for paint applied using a conventional monocoat process.
“Durability was a critical consideration when we initiated this project,” said Dennis Havlin, Ford global paint engineering development and launch supervisor. “The advancements in paint chemistry enable us to deliver the appearance, performance and durability our customers demand.”
In addition to making paint tougher, Ford says the process reduces painting time and energy use by cutting the number of paint applications from three to two and the number of drying procedures from two to one.
This initiative coincides with Ford’s call for a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per vehicle produced from 2010 to 2025, and a 30 percent reduction in water use per vehicle produced from 2009 to 2015.
