Mazda Motor Corporation announced the successful launch of the newly developed Aqua-tech Paint System for vehicle body painting at its Ujina Plant No.1 in Japan. The innovative new technology achieves the world’s highest standards for limiting emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) contained in paint as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) gas generated from the energy consumed during the vehicle painting process.
The Aqua-tech Paint System maintains the same world-class low CO2 emissions volume as the Three Layer Wet Paint System — Mazda’s paint system currently installed at all of its production facilities in Japan — and reduces VOC emissions by a further 57 percent. At only 15 grams per square meter of vehicle body surface, the extremely low VOC emissions volume makes Aqua-tech the least polluting water-based paint system in the world. The new system also delivers improved paint quality.
Water-based paints tend to produce far lower VOC emissions than solvent-based paints due to their low VOC content. However, drying water-based paint consumes much more energy because the water must be evaporated through a drying process. The large amounts of carbon dioxide produced during this process have long been an issue associated with water-based paint systems. Mazda has solved this problem with the introduction of this new, innovative coating technology.
The Aqua-tech technology includes the introduction of an improved paint shop air conditioning system and a new, highly efficient evaporation system that removes the water contained in the paint. In addition, Mazda has managed to consolidate the coating processes by developing highly functional top coat paints that exhibit additional properties usually provided by the primer paint. These include brightness, durability and resistance to chipping and light damage. As a result of these technical breakthroughs, Mazda’s Aqua-tech achieves extremely low VOC emissions without increasing CO2 volume.
Going forward, Mazda will continue to advance new technologies based on its long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom. With cutting-edge production facilities that include the paint shop with the smallest environmental impact in the world, Mazda is committed to producing vehicles that offer driving pleasure in harmony with environmental and safety features.
The Ujina Plant No.1, one of Mazda’s main vehicle manufacturing facilities, is located near Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima.
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Text in Japanese
マツダ株式会社（以下、マツダ）は、塗料に含まれる揮発性有機化合物（以下、VOC：Volatile Organic Compounds）と塗装工程で消費されるエネルギーによるCO2の排出量を世界最高水準にまで抑制する、革新的な水性塗装技術「アクアテック塗装」の開発に成功し、宇品第1工場への導入を開始しました。
「アクアテック塗装」は、既にマツダが全工場に導入済みの「スリー・ウェット・オン塗装」で実現している世界最高水準の低いCO2排出量を維持したまま、VOCの排出量をさらに57%削減、ボディ面積あたりのVOC排出量をわずか15g／m2に抑制する世界で最も環境負荷の少ない水性塗装技術です。また、品質面でも従来以上の性能を達成しています。
一般的に、水性塗装は塗料に含まれるVOCが少ないため、VOC削減効果が大幅に見込める代わりに、希釈剤として使用されている水分を蒸発させる過程で多くのエネルギーを消費し、CO2の排出量が増えるという課題がありました。マツダは今回の新たな技術の導入により、この課題を解決しました。
具体的には、塗装ブースの空調システムを改良し、塗料の水分を効率的に蒸発させるシステムを導入しました。さらに、これまで中塗り塗装が担っていた発色性や耐チッピング性などのさまざまな機能を、上塗り塗装に移管する高機能塗料の開発により工程を集約しました。これらにより、CO2の排出量を増加させずに大幅なVOC削減を実現した、新しい塗装技術を確立しました。
マツダは、今後も技術開発の長期ビジョン「サステイナブル“Zoom-Zoom”宣言」に基づいて新しい技術を実用化し、世界で最も環境負荷の少ない塗装工場から、走る歓びと環境安全性能が調和した商品を提供しつづけていきます。
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Source: Mazda Global Web Site
The Aqua-tech Paint System maintains the same world-class low CO2 emissions volume as the Three Layer Wet Paint System — Mazda’s paint system currently installed at all of its production facilities in Japan — and reduces VOC emissions by a further 57 percent. At only 15 grams per square meter of vehicle body surface, the extremely low VOC emissions volume makes Aqua-tech the least polluting water-based paint system in the world. The new system also delivers improved paint quality.
Water-based paints tend to produce far lower VOC emissions than solvent-based paints due to their low VOC content. However, drying water-based paint consumes much more energy because the water must be evaporated through a drying process. The large amounts of carbon dioxide produced during this process have long been an issue associated with water-based paint systems. Mazda has solved this problem with the introduction of this new, innovative coating technology.
The Aqua-tech technology includes the introduction of an improved paint shop air conditioning system and a new, highly efficient evaporation system that removes the water contained in the paint. In addition, Mazda has managed to consolidate the coating processes by developing highly functional top coat paints that exhibit additional properties usually provided by the primer paint. These include brightness, durability and resistance to chipping and light damage. As a result of these technical breakthroughs, Mazda’s Aqua-tech achieves extremely low VOC emissions without increasing CO2 volume.
Going forward, Mazda will continue to advance new technologies based on its long-term vision for technology development, Sustainable Zoom-Zoom. With cutting-edge production facilities that include the paint shop with the smallest environmental impact in the world, Mazda is committed to producing vehicles that offer driving pleasure in harmony with environmental and safety features.
The Ujina Plant No.1, one of Mazda’s main vehicle manufacturing facilities, is located near Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima.
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Text in Japanese
マツダ株式会社（以下、マツダ）は、塗料に含まれる揮発性有機化合物（以下、VOC：Volatile Organic Compounds）と塗装工程で消費されるエネルギーによるCO2の排出量を世界最高水準にまで抑制する、革新的な水性塗装技術「アクアテック塗装」の開発に成功し、宇品第1工場への導入を開始しました。
「アクアテック塗装」は、既にマツダが全工場に導入済みの「スリー・ウェット・オン塗装」で実現している世界最高水準の低いCO2排出量を維持したまま、VOCの排出量をさらに57%削減、ボディ面積あたりのVOC排出量をわずか15g／m2に抑制する世界で最も環境負荷の少ない水性塗装技術です。また、品質面でも従来以上の性能を達成しています。
一般的に、水性塗装は塗料に含まれるVOCが少ないため、VOC削減効果が大幅に見込める代わりに、希釈剤として使用されている水分を蒸発させる過程で多くのエネルギーを消費し、CO2の排出量が増えるという課題がありました。マツダは今回の新たな技術の導入により、この課題を解決しました。
具体的には、塗装ブースの空調システムを改良し、塗料の水分を効率的に蒸発させるシステムを導入しました。さらに、これまで中塗り塗装が担っていた発色性や耐チッピング性などのさまざまな機能を、上塗り塗装に移管する高機能塗料の開発により工程を集約しました。これらにより、CO2の排出量を増加させずに大幅なVOC削減を実現した、新しい塗装技術を確立しました。
マツダは、今後も技術開発の長期ビジョン「サステイナブル“Zoom-Zoom”宣言」に基づいて新しい技術を実用化し、世界で最も環境負荷の少ない塗装工場から、走る歓びと環境安全性能が調和した商品を提供しつづけていきます。
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Source: Mazda Global Web Site
