New Flame Treatment Tech for Paint Coming from GM

American auto giant General Motors has just introduced a way to eliminate solvent from the paint process. Specifically, the flame treatment technology lets paint stick to plastic vehicle parts like instrument and door panels without using primers that contain solvents and can foul the air.

The new technology is faster than spraying primer, while the capital expense pays for itself in less than four months. The company says it is being used on the Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic, and Volt.

GM learned about this technology through Suppliers Partnership for the Environment, a working group of U.S. automakers, their suppliers and the Environmental Protection Agency. Whitmore Lake, Michigan-based supplier FTS Technologies was striving to get its flame treatment technology implemented and approached the automaker.

For example, the technology’s use on the Cruze has helped GM suppliers to reduce solid and liquid waste from 48 tons a year to less than one, decrease air pollutants from 810 tons a year to 80 tons a year, and eliminate landfill waste like paint sludge and painted scrap material from 25 tons to nearly zero.

“Once I understood the potential of this process, we worked to connect the right GM engineers and our suppliers,” said John Bradburn, GM’s manager of waste-reduction efforts. “As we strive to design all of our vehicles for the environment, we can create requirements for our suppliers. In this case we were able to provide the enabling technology, making it easier for all of us.”

“As engineers and technology developers, we have the capability to improve the environmental footprint of the manufacturing process. Technology drives us forward and it’s encouraging to see companies like GM willing to change a process,” added Russell Brynolf, president of FTS.