The evening started with a gourmet meal and an opportunity for attendees to mingle with equipment vendors and view

Richard Lawrie of Akzo Nobel reviewed changing air quality regulations at state and national levels to the audience at a recent waterborne paint clinic.

waterborne-related equipment. When the presentation was about to begin, everyone assembled in the paint department.
    Greg Decker of California Color Source started with introductions of speakers and guests, which included Roger Larsen, Body Service Supervisor for Toyota and Peter Lock from Contra Costa College who told the group he appreciates the continued support of his Collision Repair program at the college.
    Richard Lawrie, West Market Technical Manager for Akzo Nobel, started the presentation by reviewing current and proposed regulations at both the state and local levels. Although the State Air Resources Board adopted a Suggested Control Measure in 2006, the local air quality districts must adopt a rule for enforcement, which has yet to happen in the Bay Area. Lawrie then introduced Dan Belik, Rule Development Manager for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), who further discussed the rule changing process and timelines.
    Belik mentioned that his office plans to host a number of public workshops later this year as they work towards adopting the Suggested Control Measure (SCM) from the California Air Resources Board. Questions from the audience focused on record keeping requirements and the fact that if shops have to use compliant products, then why should they need to keep records of how much they spray?

More than 130 attendees participated in the waterborne technology clinic.

    Lawrie then moved into a discussion regarding waterborne technology and the differences technicians and shops can expect in regards to the current solvent based products in use today. The main differences focus on paint gun cleaning procedures, maintaining productivity with air acceleration options during flash-off, and waste disposal.
    During Lawrie’s presentation, Brad Jones from Akzo Nobel completed a spot repair in the booth on a Dodge Caravan showing that the Autowave Basecoat application took no longer than the current Autobase Plus system. A portable Trisk air amplifier was used to flash the product in between coats for two minutes. Two coats were applied.
    Brad also demonstrated a procedure for cleaning his paint gun after applying the base, which focused on flushing the gun immediately after finishing. One of the recommendations to ease the cleaning process is to use a disposable cup system for your paint gun. The audience was able to watch the demonstrations on a large screen via live video from the paint booth.
    As Lawrie discussed the new Autoclear Superior 250, the first clear in the industry designed specifically for waterborne basecoats, Brad applied two coats of the new clear to the fender and started the bake cycle.
    Lawrie summarized by letting the crowd know that California Color Source and Akzo Nobel are in a good position to move forward in implementing the Autowave waterborne system beginning in June.
    After the technical discussion and demonstration was complete, Roger Larsen from Toyota took a moment to inform the audience that Toyota training programs will include waterborne technology. He encouraged collision repairers to continue training efforts and take advantage of Toyota training programs.
    From the responses of the attendees, the evening seemed to be very informative and successful.