Ford expands its Environmentally Friendly 3-Wet Paint Capacity by 50 percent

Ford Motor Company is expanding its industry leading 3-Wet paint capacity by 50 percent this year, adding the environmentally friendly paint process to four more plants on three continents. The actions will reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 30 percent at those facilities.

Ford, which was the first automaker to implement the 3-Wet high solids solvent borne technology in 2007, currently has eight plants in North America, Asia Pacific and Europe equipped for using the process to paint vehicles. That will expand to 12 plants in 2013, and then to additional facilities worldwide over the next four years.

“The 3-Wet paint process is significantly more advanced than conventional technologies in  applying durable paints in a high-quality, environmentally sound and cost-efficient manner,” said Bruce Hettle, Director of Manufacturing Engineering.

The 3-Wet process derives its name because three layers of paint are applied one after the other before the prior coats have been cured. The process eliminates stand-alone primer application and a dedicated oven required in the conventional process that was used before.  Advanced chemical composition of 3-Wet paint materials allows for the three layers of paint -- primer, base coat, and clear coat – to be applied while each layer is still wet without baking in between.

The result?  The 3-Wet technology allows Ford to maintain top quality characteristics that customers demand, including long-term durability and chip and scratch resistance.