As the shift to environmentally-conscious products continues, there’s a rise in demand for more sustainable products. Ultrimax is delighted to announce the launch of its new water-based range, Aquimax. The Aquimax products have been developed to deliver the exceptional performance you can rely on while reducing the volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Kinder to the paint shop workspace and the environment, Aquimax can be used in place of more traditional polyurethane paints.
Understanding and Addressing the Impact of VOCs in Paints
VOCs are organic chemicals that can easily escape into the local atmosphere, becoming vapours or gases. For professionals working in paint shops, this becomes especially important to be aware of during the drying process as this is the point of release for the compounds. Exposure to high levels of VOCs can be damaging to the health of the paint shop team, increasing the risk of headaches, dizziness, and with the potential to cause respiratory problems. Prolonged exposure over longer periods of time can result in more severe health conditions.
As well as impacting the paint shop team, VOCs can also impact the environment outside of the paint shop, causing pollution and reducing air quality.
Opting to use paints that have reduced VOCs, such as water-based paints, can help reduce the impact of paint products on both the paint shop environment and the world we live in.
Aquimax – Working with Water-Based Paint
Water-based wood paint offers a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to solvent-based options – and they’re becoming more popular as a paint shop solution.
As well as lower VOCs, water-based paints bring with them a range of unbeatable practical benefits that can make life easier and more pleasant for your team.
- Low Odour: As well as fewer vapours, the lower levels of VOCs in water-based paints mean that you can also count on minimal product odour, which is critical for a creating a more pleasant working environment.
- Quick Drying: Water-based formulations often enjoy faster drying speeds, which can lead to enhanced productivity in the paint shop.
- Enhanced Cleanup: Working with water-based paints means that tools and equipment can be cleaned with water, eliminating the need for harsh solvents. This also means that you can review the amount of solvent that you need to purchase and dispose of safely, reducing costs even further.
- Durability: Advancements and developments in water-based technology means that water-based finishes are now as durable as solvent-based options.
- Regulatory Compliance: Many regions are implementing stricter VOC regulations; adopting water-based paints ensures compliance.
Harnessing the advancements in water-based paint technology, Ultrimax's Aquimax range brings together a reduction in VOCs and a superb performance while delivering against high professional standards and prioritising health and sustainability.
Meet the Aquimax Range
Aquimax Primer
The Aquimax Interior Wood Primer AQM073 is a versatile coating for interior use. A great option for use on MDF boards and rustic surfaces, Aquimax Interior Wood Undercoat Primer delivers:
- Excellent Coverage with superb opacity, ensuring even coverage over surfaces.
- Fast drying times that allow for quicker project completion and improved paint shop efficiency.
- Easy Sanding after drying for a smooth and polished finish.
The Aquimax water based wood primer paint is ready for use but can also be thinned to requirement and used as a Water based spray paint, using 1-10% water and depending on your equipment and environmental conditions. The wood water based primer is available in handy 5L and 25kg pack sizes.
For a block white base, the Aquimax Water Based Interior White Primer provides a seamless base layer for manmade or natural wood substrates and MDF.
The Aquimax Wood Primer can also be tinted to pastel shade colours to help with coverage of darker colours.
VOC Content: 2.50% by weight
Aquimax Topcoat
Designed for furniture applications, the Aquimax offers a smooth, durable finish with exceptional mechanical and chemical resistance. Aquimax Topcoat delivers:
- Superlative spreadability and a smooth, luxurious silky finish.
- High Coverage with excellent opacity.
- Resistant to both chemicals and mechanical wear and ensuring long-lasting protection, the Topcoat is highly durable.
With great flexibility around use, the Aquimax topcoat can be applied using a spray gun, airmix, or airless system and is available in dead matt (5%) and matt (10%) gloss levels. For optimal results, we recommend applying this topcoat over the Aquimax Primer AQM073.
The Aquimax Topcoat can be colour matched to any shade with Colormax.
VOC Content: 6.617% by weight
Aquimax Self Sealer Clear Lacquer
The Aquimax Self Sealer Clear Lacquer is ideal for interior wood applications, offering particularly strong results on solid wood and veneers.
With Aquimax Lacquer, you can count on:
- Accelerated drying delivering more efficient production cycles.
- Superb transparency that maintains the natural appearance of wood, enhancing its texture and grain.
- Strong non-yellowing properties, which ensure that the finish stays clear over time and preserves the wood’s natural colour.
The clear lacquer can be applied using a cup gun/spray or an airmix system and is available in matt (10%) and satin (30%) finishes.
VOC Content: 0.07% by weight
Conclusion
Beginning to use more water-based paints, like Ultrimax's Aquimax range, is a proactive and positive step towards sustainability and improved health and safety in the paint and finishing industry. In reducing VOC levels, we are not only protecting our environment but also ensure safer working conditions for our paint professionals. The Aquimax range demonstrates that it's possible to achieve high-quality, durable finishes without compromising on health or environmental responsibility.
For more information on the Aquimax range, visit Ultrimax's Aquimax collection.