Refinish paint supplier Cromax has launched two new products, designed to work together, that it says can completely change the preparation process. The new VOC-compliant Ultra Performance Energy Surfacer and the new Metal Pretreatment Wipes offer a faster and more flexible process thanks to innovative technology.

The new Ultra Performance Energy Surfacer comes in three different shades, PS1081 (white), PS1084 (mid-grey) and PS1087 (black) and air dries in only 20 to 40 minutes. It is then immediately ready to sand. 

PS1800 Metal Pretreatment Wipes must be used first on bare metal substrates in order for the surfacer to work properly. The wipes come ready-to-use, saturated in an innovative acid that offers excellent adhesion and corrosion protection for the metal substrate. In use, the wipes are more productive than conventional primers, with no flash-off time and mean no gun cleaning is required. 

The new Ultra Performance Energy Surfacer is easy to apply, in up to four coats, without flash-off times. It also has a very good vertical stability. Once dry, it delivers a smooth surface and outstanding gloss hold-out after top coating.

Kevin Welling, Training Academy Manager for Axalta Coating Systems says, “Our new Ultra Performance Energy Surfacer and new PS1800 Metal Pretreatment Wipes offer bodyshops a new era of productivity and a new performance record. After stringent testing, we confirm it can offer refinishers drying times that are three times faster than a standard air dry surfacer. In addition, there’s no time-consuming moving of IR equipment around the bodyshop. Together with the Ultra Performance Energy Clear CC6700, the new surfacer can also help to reduce energy consumption drastically. They work together seamlessly to help our bodyshops achieve brilliant results, quickly and productively.”

The new Ultra Performance Energy Surfacer is part of the ValueShade® concept, which helps to deliver the optimal undercoat for every topcoat colour. PS1081 (white), PS1084 (medium-grey) and PS1087 (black), can be mixed to form seven different shades of grey, each of which is matched to every topcoat colour, delivering a combination that requires less paint. All Cromax colour retrieval tools specify the ValueShade for every topcoat colour. This helps minimise preparation time and increases colour coverage with less paint consumption, which in turn helps to reap improved productivity and profitability.