STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - September 18, 2018
PPG has announced its Commercial Coatings training schedule for the fourth quarter of 2018. Classes cover a wide variety of subjects and are designed to ensure that paint technicians stay up to date with their commercial refinish certification and knowledge of PPG commercial coatings products, processes and technological advances.

Led by expert PPG trainers, the commercial coatings training classes are held at PPG Business Development Centers and numerous field locations across the U.S. and Canada. The courses take one to two days and provide extensive classroom instruction along with hands-on work in the spray booth. Technicians are given generous opportunities for informal discussions and Q&A sessions with the trainers.

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio - September 18, 2018
PPG has announced its custom refinish painting class schedule for October, November and December. Custom painting classes cover a variety of creative topics and take place at PPG Business Development Centers throughout the United States. The classes are part of PPG’s overall commitment to training and help technicians skillfully use PPG products to create imaginative custom paint finishes for cars and trucks.

Classes are offered for paint technicians at all levels — professionals, custom builders, hobbyists and others — and are led by expert instructors. The classes include lectures, Q&A sessions, informal discussions and hands-on experience in the spray booth.

STRONGSVILLE, OHIO - August 30, 2018
PPG (NYSE:PPG) has introduced a training video to assist paint technicians with refinishing Lexus automobiles sporting the OEM’s Structural Blue finish, a complex premium color available on a limited number of Lexus LC500 models. The video has been produced to dispel the notion that complex colors require a complex refinish process.

“In many instances, paint technicians assume that a finish like Structural Blue is difficult to work with, but that’s not the case,” said Randy Cremeans, PPG director of training. “Because Structural Blue is a very sophisticated finish, it may look like it requires a four- or five-stage progression, but in truth, it is a simple two-stage process that a painter can easily master. The video clearly shows how uncomplicated and straightforward the task is.”Read More >

Why is Your Clearcoat Film Build So Important?

Clearcoat is one of the most important parts of a quality paint job. From a simple repair to an overall, the final appearance is most notable. In order to maintain a quality finish, the film build of your clearcoat is critical. Film builds that are too high or too low can diminish your hard work.

Dry film builds in the range of 2-2.5 mils are commonly recommended. Too low of a film build (less than 2 mils dry) can lead to reduced durability, premature film failure, dieback, and overall poor appearance. Too high of a film build (greater than 3 mils dry) can lead to solvent pop, dieback, and even potential adhesion failure.

When spraying any clearcoat for the first time, it’s good practice to measure your film builds. This will help you gauge how your application techniques affect final film thickness.

So next time you're getting ready to pull the trigger, remember this tip to produce a finish with long-lasting first impressions.

It's Vacation Time!

Wishing everyone an enjoyable and relaxing 4th of July holiday! Look for Paint Pointers to return on August 7th with more great technical tips!

T493 and P935-1255 are new additives for the Envirobase® High Performance and Aquabase® Plus waterborne basecoat systems. This new technology is designed to enhance film properties of the basecoat system, maintaining excellent application, appearance and productivity. Even better, T493 Modifier and P935-1255 Modifier do not add additional cost to your RTS mix!

These new Modifiers are truly a benchmark in performance and are a best practice when it comes to spraying waterborne basecoat. Give them a try today!

Check out the product data sheets for proper usage of T493 and P935-1255:

Download the EHP Waterborne Basecoat Product Data Sheet

Download the P989 Aquabase® Plus Basecoat Product Data Sheet

This friendly and intuitive color identification and selection tool is designed to give you a visual representation of a vehicle’s exterior color and model usage as well as any underhood, wheel, and trim information when available from the manufacturer.

Paint It application offers these great features:

No log in required!
Select multiple years and/or vehicle manufacturers right from the main page
Usage options including exterior, interior, roof, wheel, etc.
Best of all, it’s connected to ColorMobile® software for easy color formula retrieval!
The Paint It application can be accessed anytime, anywhere - from your desktop, laptop computer or tablet device.

OE manufacturers are turning towards more and more exotic colors to differentiate themselves in the market and these colors often require special pigments. Some colors in particular, such as Nissan KAB Super Silver or Mazda 46G Machine Gray, require a specialized aluminum in order to achieve that “liquid metal” or “solid steel” appearance.

When repairing these vehicles, it’s important for the specialized aluminum to orientate properly. This is best achieved by using a smaller fluid tip. Tips of 1.0 – 1.1 are recommended. Restricting your spraygun fluid amount and applying thin, wet coats will help with the proper orientation as well.

Check out the technical bulletins for special colors such as these for more information on the recommended repair process. Technical bulletins can be found in the product catalog for each brand on ppgrefinish.com.

PPG is excited to introduce a new video demonstrating the advantages of the Shop-Line® Plus Color Platform, available exclusively through PPG Platinum Distributors.

Shop-Line® Plus features:

• High-strength toners, Diamond pearls and special effect pigments
  
• Formulas with a resin specifically designed for both National Rule and VOC compliant markets
• A color deck of more than 2,000 sprayed, chromatically arranged chips — inclulding tri-coats.

The Shop-Line® refinish system offers a wide variety of primers, sealers and clearcoats to complement the color platform.  In addition to a wide range of products, the Shop‑Line® system is backed by the excellent service and support you have come to expect from your PPG Platinum Distributor. 

Check out the latest upcoming Houston PPG training classes offered at the PPG Training Center.

PPG Automotive Refinish Training Center
4444 Campbell Rd, Houston, TX 77041

More and more OEM’s are offering unique color options for their vehicles as a way to differentiate themselves. These distinctive colors often require a unique pigment or special process when refinishing the vehicle.

Did you know you can find these special repair processes on ppgrefinish.com? Under each product page there is a Technical Bulletins tab. Click on the tab to become familiar with what’s available!

These color bulletins are also referenced in the PAINTMANAGER® software for any color that may have a special process. Beside these, there are many other helpful technical bulletins available too. Check them out today!