NEXA AUTOCOLOR TURBO VISION Coatings

Progressive companies such as PPG continuously move forward with new ideas and refinish products to respond to their customers’ needs. Now, PPG’s premium automotive refinish brand, NEXA AUTOCOLOR®, has strengthened its commercial transportation (CT) coatings offerings in Europe with the launch of the TURBO VISION™ product line, a dynamic paint system using a new generation of proprietary technologies and advanced color tools to provide enhanced levels of color excellence, efficiency and, ultimately, customer satisfaction.

“Our customers want innovative products that deliver quality and productivity,” said Emanuela Muggia, PPG CT global project manager. “We listen and respond with original and appropriate solutions. Requests for a fast-drying, user-friendly application with best-in-class color and exceptional flow have driven Nexa Autocolor product research. Turbo Vision is the result of our commitment to address our customers’ needs.” 

With the launch of the Turbo Vision system and its Premium High Flow Topcoat, the Nexa Autocolor brand has revealed its revolutionary vision for the future of CT coatings in the European commercial vehicle industry.

A New Kind of Topcoat

Premium High Flow Topcoat is the first of an array of topcoats that will make up the Turbo Vision system. The topcoat is formulated from next-generation Nexa Autocolor patented technologies and designed to deliver consistent color stability from batch to batch in all weather conditions, using the wide range of application equipment typically found in the CT market. The topcoat’s color consistency and versatility are remarkable achievements and present a coating that reliably delivers exceptional appearance, gloss and durability to meet customer demands.

The new topcoat does not stand alone. The Turbo Vision system is based on a mixing scheme consisting of 23 newly designed toners supported by a selection of hardeners and thinners that together match OEM specifications and cover all job types and conditions A supporting range of high performance  binders provide flexibility across a wide range of new and existing refinish applications. And there’s more coming: The Turbo Vision system will introduce a full range of options to the market in phases, with six binders available by the end of 2018.

Beyond delivering superb finishes, Premium High Flow Topcoat also speaks to efficiency. It features fast-drying properties that reduce bake time and energy consumption by up to 25 percent while maintaining excellent hold-out. The new coating system is exceptionally hard after the bake, so automotive parts can be installed immediately rather than waiting for the coating to cure overnight. Customers can also benefit from material savings of approximately 10 percent thanks to the high opacity of the coating which reduces the need for rework and lessens energy consumption. These material savings can contribute to a 10 to 15 percent reduction in VOC emissions resulting in healthier working conditions for painters and helping body shop operators, manufacturers and fleet operators reduce their environmental footprint.

“Finish is critical, but customers also want the efficiencies that enhance productivity,” Muggia added. “With the Turbo Vision system, our customers will see improvements in final appearance, efficiency and throughput.”

According to Muggia, manufacturers and refinishers stand to benefit from Turbo Vision’s properties.

For aftermarket refinishers, she points to
• Extreme high-gloss finish
• Outstanding color reproducibility
• Superior flow and final appearance
• Efficiency (material reduction and reduced energy use)
• Ease of use and quick drying

For builders and manufacturers
• Faster process and increased throughput 
• Lower baking options and increased material saving
• Robust, easier to apply coating solutions
• Adaptable to any type of build

And then there are the color tools that make the Turbo Vision system work so well.

Color Tools Ensure Excellence

Nexa Autocolor has integrated a range of supporting color tools into the Turbo Vision system, with each one targeted to a specific user type depending on the color complexity the technicians see in their day-to-day work.

The RAPIDMATCH® GO spectrophotometer, is a compact and outstanding solution for shops that see a high number of different colors and require quick and accurate matches. At only 17 centimeters long, this portable, handheld, easy-to-use device is the trimmest five-angle, five-geometries spectrophotometer on the market. RapidMatch GO’s contact points are small enough to get an accurate reading from the curviest of surfaces — even wheels. RapidMatch GO has a simple and intuitive workflow and accesses over 10,000 reflectance points. Imagine having the most accurate color tool ever seen with 10,000 color chips — that’s RapidMatch GO. And to ensure there are no color gaps, a feature named “e-colors” is being launched to give RapidMatch GO even more matches to access. With so many matches accessible, the Turbo Vision color system makes a painter’s job that much easier.

If shops have limited color needs, the Turbo Vision Color Library is an excellent solution. This simple yet innovative tool was inspired by listening to requests from CT painters. They saw frequent repetition of colors and valued having large and accurate color chips readily available to speed up operations. The Color Library comprises one hundred large panels representing more than 50 percent of the most popular International Standards and Commercial Vehicle color mixes. Panels are clearly displayed in shops for easy viewing and quick selection.

In addition, the Turbo Vision color selector, a traditional color chip tool updated to the new system’s standards, offers 3,200 chips sorted by color families. This is a wise choice for shops not quite ready for a spectrophotometer solution.

More to Come

Nexa Autocolor brand representatives point out that the Turbo Vision system reflects a deep understanding of the CT industry, cultivated from decades of working with Europe’s major vehicle builders and refinishers and their customers. As the Turbo Vision system rolls out, its products will provide a host of features and benefits including precise color matching, impressive finishes and unmatched productivity.

Muggia summed it up this way, “Turbo Vision is a real change in European commercial transportation coatings performance, delivering excellent finishes and enhancing the paint process. Our product consistency and sophisticated color tools come together to provide the customer with color performance that’s top class. And this is just the beginning, we’re far from done.”  

Turbo Vision is a trademark  and Nexa Autocolor and RapidMatch are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. © 2018 PPG Industries, all rights reserved.