Zero HAPs Waterborne Formulation for Paint Line Purging and Paint Stripping

摘要

Water-reducible products that contain HAPs-free solvents and aggressive surfactants are making a significant impact on today's coatings markets. Up until about 1996, the product options available for line purging and paint stripping were limited and, for the most part, unsafe for the user and the environment. Over the past few years, new technologies are taking hold in a wide array of industries including automotive OEMs, aircraft manufacturers, the Air Force, other military installations, and top military contractors. The new technology allows the user the flexibility in application merely based on the amount by which he reduces the product with water while virtually eliminating employee health risks and environmental hazards. Tasks ranging from flushing activated two-component diisocyanate urethanes out of plural-component mixing systems, pressure pots, and paint lines, to gun cleaning and paint stripping can often be accomplished with a single, surfactant-based product. Although traditional methods for performing these tasks have been somewhat successful, today's environmental regulations and health risk discoveries have forced most coating facilities to take a new approach. The Aerospace NESHAP is one example of the EPA's regulatory pressure to cut down dramatically on HAP emissions from paint hose flushing and gun cleaning operations. But what are the advantages to converting to surfactant-based chemistries over traditionally used solvent blends?