Since launching in mid-2018, PPG’s LVC-105 EnviroFIVE
™ Clearcoat has become an instant best seller and the ability to cure in only five minutes is just one of its advantages!
When it arrived on the local market, the obvious feature of LVC-105 EnviroFIVE Clearcoat was its five minute cure time which could be used all day, every day. However, as more and more collision centres switched to this ground-breaking clearcoat and feedback flowed in, it became apparent that it was far more than just a ‘one trick pony’, says John Hristias, PPG Business Support Manager Asia / Pacific.
“Users were blow away by the fact that EnviroFIVE came with no compromises. For a start, where other ‘express’ or ‘fast’ clears can be finicky to apply and struggled to retain gloss after baking, they found EnviroFIVE very easy to apply and to reproduce a factory clearcoat finish, no matter what the vehicle type. Typically, the excellent finish ‘off the gun’ was then exactly what came out of the booth. After hearing all that you could be forgiven for thinking EnviroFIVE might have polishing ‘issues’ but no – once cooled, it can easily be polished, if it needs polishing at all. These advantages are all thanks to PPG’s global R&D team who came up with an all new resin technology that effectively rewrote the rulebook for modern clearcoats. Conventional clearcoats cure in around 40 minutes and express or rapid clears can trim it to around 15 to 20 minutes, but EnviroFIVE cuts cure time to just five minutes at 60°C panel temperature. What’s more, no flash off is needed between coats or prior to baking, it’s not affected by humidity and the shorter bake time also saves on booth energy consumption.”
In a collision repair centre where the spray booth is a limiting factor for production capacity, EnviroFIVE provides a great option to cut booth cycle-time without investing in extra equipment. Even if you don’t need the outright speed, by reducing the bake temperature to 40°C, EnviroFIVE still cures in 20 minutes and saves even more on energy costs. A long pot life (compared to ‘fast’ clears) means it can be used on a spot repair, to a couple of panels or even larger jobs and it still produces an excellent end result.
“If nothing else, EnviroFIVE should be a catalyst for collision centres to really think about what clearcoat they choose to invest in. With the help of our MVP Business Solutions team, we have done the sums which clearly show the financial advantages of using a modern clearcoat, like EnviroFIVE. Although the initial purchase price may be more than for a budget clear, when you take into account material usage, labour and booth time, the overall cost for a given job actually works out significantly less. I am talking hundreds of thousands of dollars extra turnover each year! To learn more, just contact your local MVP Business Solutions Manager – they will be happy to help.”
LVC-105 EnviroFIVE Clearcoat is designed for use with PPG’s bestselling, ENVIROBASE® High Performance low-VOC paint system. Check out the fun video which highlights this innovative product at www.ppgrefinish.com.au/Envirobase-Product-Pages/LVC-10