PPG announced its new paint system, Delfleet One, for the commercial transportation industry in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. This new line is upheld by three pillars: color excellence, ease of use, and ultra-low volatile organic compounds (VOC).
“Color excellence has to start at the backbone of the platform, which is in the toners,” explains J.J. Wirth, PPG segment manager, commercial coatings, U.S. and Canada. “PPG used a proprietary technology to develop a new toner platform that allowed for very low VOC and very consistent reproducible color.”
In addition to the new toner platform, Delfleet One’s color selector offers technicians over 3,800 real-world OEM and variant colors, including metallics and pearls.
The database for the paint system is ever expanding as new colors, variants, and special mixes develop. Using the chromatically arranged Tint Guide, the database is able to assist technicians when they cannot find a color to match for a job. Delfleet One’s database also includes the RAPIDMATCH XI spectrophotometer, TOUCHMIX XI computer, and PAINTMANAGER XI software, to further ensure an accurate color match.
“The tools that support the PPG Delfleet One paint system make color selection and matching accuracy much easier,” Wirth says. “Painters can rest assured that the system’s ‘what you see is what you’ll spray’ approach precisely matches commercial vehicle colors.”
When PPG asked their customers for feedback, ease of use and simple training were at the top of their lists. Delfleet One’s base coat and direct gloss have easy mix ratios of 2:1:1 with no fourth component or free solvent. The hardeners and reducers are shared as well, making the platform flexible with the least number of components necessary.
“That also leads to less inventory,” Wirth explains. The line is very compact with only 42 toners, three topcoats, five primers, and two clear coats.
Aside from the simple mix ratios and less inventory, Delfleet One is also easier to spray. According to Wirth, “The product line has excellent metallic control [and] very good rivet hang. We have a matte coating in the line that has very good anti-varnishing characteristics to it and anti-stripping so it’s easier to spray.”
The Delfleet One paint system also contains a VOC level of only 1.5 for the direct gloss, matte, and base coat topcoats, and a VOC under 2.0 for the primers and clears, meaning it has the lowest VOC in the industry. Compared with other paint systems, Delfleet One has on average a 50 percent VOC reduction.
To go along with this new paint system, PPG has created a microsite for Delfleet One – DelfleetOne.com. “This is a nice repository for support tools and training where you can find how-to videos on topics such as spray technique, repair technique, and color look-up with step-by-step technical documents that go along with that,” Wirth says. The microsite will also feature links to access technical data sheets and safety data sheets as well. In addition, PPG also offers in-person certification classes to teach painters about the product line.
