EPA offers waterborne coatings webinar

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted its 2009 Waterborne Automotive Coatings webinar July 14 for collision repairers, which discussed the switch to waterborne paint.

The webinar, which can be downloaded for free, is designed for repairers who want to learn more about the specific brands of waterborne coatings, the pros and cons of using waterborne and what it takes to make the switch. It features an hour-long presentation from instructors and shops that have made the switch to waterborne coatings, followed by a second hour of questions and answers.

Speakers include:

• Larry Hults of I-CAR – Hults is a waterborne coating instructor for I-CAR. He addresses the general waterborne coating technology and covers commonalities across the different paint manufacturer lines. These commonalities include reduced VOCs, ease of use, better blending and color match.

• Kevin Stalder, owner of Driven Autobody in Anchorage, Alaska – Stalder has been using PPG’s waterborne line for about 1.5 years. Before choosing PPG, he had experience with several other lines. In addition to running a “Green Star” business in Alaska, Stalder serves on the board of Green Stars and helps other businesses become better environmental stewards. He is an advocate of waterborne coatings and claims it is a superior product that’s more economical than solvent-based coatings.

• Jerry Richardson, owner of Advanced Collision Repair in Seaside, Ore. – Richardson has been using BASF’s waterborne coating line for several years. As a shop owner in an ocean resort town, Richardson is keenly aware of his impact on the surrounding community. He has been involved in the development and application of waterborne coatings for more than a decade and has been involved in the collision repair industry for more than four decades.

• Matt Thornton, owner of Parks Royal in Boise, Idaho – Thornton has been using BASF’s Glasurit 90 line for more than a year.

• Greg Richards, instructor at Clover Park Technical College’s collision repair program in West Virginia – Clover Park’s program teaches exclusively with waterborne coatings and has been doing so for more than a year.

The webinar was sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center and can be downloaded for free by clicking here.