Are you missing out on the benefits of modern Wet-On-Wet (WOW) primers? Combining their use with some very straightforward techniques could deliver valuable paint shop time savings that are too good to ignore.
Using modern WOW primers with the right techniques offers a welcome boost to productivity, as well as minimised material usage and increased quality of the end result. What’s not to like!
The WOW factors
Utilising the latest generation of WOW primers give a paint shop the ability to effectively delete entire steps from the refinish process. They do this by performing two main roles. Firstly, on new or existing panels, WOW primers provide excellent adhesion for the following paint layers, yet they lay down so smoothly they require no sanding prior to topcoating.
Secondly, by mixing a WOW primer in the correct spectral grey shade, it becomes a crucial part of matching the original OEM finish. These days, virtually all vehicle manufacturers apply a spectral grey or sympathetic groundcoat on the production line as an integral part of achieving a desired colour and sometimes not to opacity. It’s done for efficiency, cost saving and speed and that is exactly why collision repairers should mimic this method by utilising a WOW priming process. Because it helps to duplicate topcoat opacity in the minimum number of coats, it saves on both application labour time and material usage of the topcoat colour.
Primer gun
Be sure to use a good quality, dedicated primer gun – using a tired, old topcoat gun or a cheap ‘no-name’ brand makes it difficult to impossible to achieve the benefits from going WOW. We recommend the SATAjet RP 100 B Primer Gun with a 1.4 nozzle – it’s affordable and, because its purpose designed for the task, it has a precise, fine atomisation that leaves a smooth, flat finish perfect for the topcoat, as well as achieving the required film-build.
Features and benefits
Taking advantage of a productive WOW process starts with choosing proven WOW primer technology designed specifically for the job, such as PPG’s EnviroLOCK (part of the ENVIROBASE® High Performance Low-VOC range) and the popular PrimaGUARD 2K Primer. Both offer the full spectrum of WOW efficiency benefits.
No need to sand new e-coat panels: Not only cuts labour and process time, it also retains the e-coat corrosion protection.
Green part mode: No flash-off between coats. Simply apply in single visit mode – a ‘light’ coat, immediately followed by a ‘wet’ coat, bake and sand.
Plastic mode: Simply adding PPG’s LVA650 EnviroLOCK Plastics Primer Converter makes it possible to use a WOW process on plastic parts without the need for a dedicated plastic primer. It can then be overcoated with Envirobase High Performance topcoat colour, thus reducing labour time and material cost.
No sanding required: These WOW primers leave a silky-smooth finish which means no sanding is required before topcoating. Why sand if you don’t have to? It just consumes labour time with no benefit!
Seals off sensitive substrates: Can also be applied directly over small rub-throughs.
Overcoating a primer filler repair: Improves adhesion, gives extra security around the edge of the repair and helps colour accuracy with transparent colour, while also dealing with fine scratches and pin holes.
This Tech tip is brought to you by PPG Refinish National Training Manager ANZ Trevor Duke.