R&D 100 winners: Axalta’s paint system cuts energy consumption by half

Axalta Coating Systems’ new Fast Cure Low Energy Collision Repair Paint system won an R&D 100 Award this year in the Mechanical/Materials category. The new system, a surfacer and clearcoat for repainting damaged vehicles, reduces energy consumption by up to 49% and cuts cycle times by 50% compared to conventional systems, according to Axalta. This speed and efficiency is achieved through Axalta’s patented resin chemistry, which leverages temperature and ambient humidity to accelerate the curing process.

The system is “a new approach to our primers and clears that enhances throughput and productivity in the repair booth, as well as significantly reduces the amount of energy that we consume,” said Matt Boland, vice president of technology and product platform for refinish at Axalta Coating Systems. The system is 50% faster than other repair paint systems and consumes approximately 49% less energy than the equivalent peer product, Boland said. 

Axalta delivers the system through three of its brands: Cromax (as the Ultra Performance Energy System), Spies Hecker (under the Speed-TEC product family) and Standox (as the Xtreme System). It consists of a new clearcoat, the final coat applied over the base coat, and a new surfacer, a sandable coating applied before the base coat. 

“The system is also able to meet the most stringent requirements by our OEM customers for warranty repairs,” Boland said. Backed by Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen, the system offers scratch, chemical and weather resistance as well as corrosion protection. 

Axalta develops its own resins, the component of paint that binds the pigment and other ingredients together, in-house, which is a “key differentiator,” Boland said. Making the resin in-house allows Axalta to tailor the products for the properties it wants to achieve and have control over the quality of the product, Boland explained. 

“It gives us endless flexibility to adjust the product as we need for specific uses and allows us to maintain that competitive advantage within Axalta,” he said. 

Reducing energy consumption

The Fast Cure Low Energy system, which was launched in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in April, reduces energy consumption by almost half. The system can dry quickly at low temperatures — 10 to 15 minutes at 104 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit (40 to 45 degrees Celsius) or 30 to 55 minutes at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) — meaning body shops can keep their ovens at lower temperatures, reducing energy consumption. 

The reduction in drying temperatures is made possible by Axalta’s resin chemistry. Humidity in the air acts as a catalyst within the resin that triggers the chemical cross-linking reactions, the curing process, at a faster rate than with heat alone. As a result, the paint can dry completely at room temperature. 

At Axalta, sustainability is a corporation-wide commitment. “We are committed to sustainability within Axalta as a corporation, in that our goal is that at least 80% of all of our new technology and innovations will have a sustainability benefit over incumbent product solutions,” Boland said.  

Axalta’s Fast Cure Low Energy technology has been delivering on sustainability since 2022. The company claimed that the reduced energy consumption enabled by their technology “decreases the bodyshop’s carbon footprint by up to 55%.”

“We are very honored that we’re receiving an R&D 100 award for this technology,” Boland said, “It’s an affirmation that we’re doing the right thing.”