Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Wood
Manufacturing &
Finishing Industry
Acknowledgements
This manual was developed with funds from the U.S. EPA Region VII and the
Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
I would like to thank the following organizations for their contribution of
resources to this manual:
Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment (KDHE) for materials from
the Kansas Hazardous Waste Generator Handbook
Kansas Small Business Environmental Assistance Program for the use
of Wood Furniture Makers Compliance Options and Regulatory
Requirements under the Clean Air Act: A Guide for Small Businesses
University of Wisconsin - Extension Solid and Hazardous Waste
Education Center for the use of materials from Wood Products ValueAdded Manufacturing and Finishing: Efficiency, Waste Reduction and
Regulations
Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and
Waste Reduction Assistance Program for use of materials from
Pollution Prevention in the Finishing of Wood Furniture resource manual and guide
Tennessee Valley Authority for resources from the Waste Reduction
Guide-Wood Furniture Industries workbook.
I would like to thank those P2 programs across the nation that developed P2
case studies and manuals used for background information contained in this
manual, and to thank the following people for their contributions to the
development of this document:
Jean Waters and Gene Meyer, for technical reviews
Mary Rankin for reviews and editing
Bob Davis for illustrations and layout design
Sherry J. Davis, Industrial P2 Specialist
May 1999
Table of Contents
Section I: Introduction to P2.........................................................................1
Definition of Pollution ......................................................................................2
History of the Development of P2 ....................................................................3
Principles of a Waste Reduction Program .......................................................4
Section II: Is My Waste Hazardous?............................................................6
Characteristic Hazardous Waste .....................................................................6
Listed Hazardous Waste...................................................................................8
Section III: P2 Strategies for Wood Shops ..............................................10
Section IV: Change the Operating Practice............................................12
Rough Milling .................................................................................................12
Gluing Operations ..........................................................................................13
Product Dimensioning: Machining, Sanding, and Assembly.......................16
Operational Wastes.........................................................................................19
Operator Training .....................................................................................19
Prepare Coatings Properly .......................................................................21
Direct Delivery of Coatings.......................................................................22
Use Heat to Control Viscosity...................................................................23
Equipment Cleaning and Line Flushing..................................................23
Equipment Maintenance ..........................................................................24
Inventory and Scheduling Maintenance ..................................................26
Cleaning and Stripping.............................................................................27
Reuse and Recycling of Finishing Materials ...........................................28
Section V: Change the Material/Change the Technology ....................29
Table One: Typical Coating Processes, Materials, and Wastes....................31
Waterborne Coatings ......................................................................................33
High Solids Coatings ......................................................................................35
Polyester-/Polyurethane-Based Coatings ......................................................37
Carbon Dioxide System ..................................................................................38
HVLP Applications .........................................................................................39
Airless Applications ........................................................................................40
Air-Assisted Applications ...............................................................................40
Electrostatic Technology.................................................................................41
Vacuum Coating..............................................................................................42
Roll Coating ....................................................................................................42
Dip Coating .....................................................................................................43
Flow Coating ...................................................................................................44
Curtain Coating ..............................................................................................44
Dry Coating.....................................................................................................44
(HAPs)
hazardous
Definition of Pollution
Webster's Dictionary defines pollution as the process of contaminating or
making an environment unfit with man-made waste. Laws have been put
into effect in the last 30 years to help protect our environment. Many of
these were in response to catastrophic events and public demands for new
laws to protect human health and the environment.
Air pollution is regulated by the Clean Air Act (CAA) and its Amendments,
water pollution by the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA), and other wastes by numerous laws including the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The appendix of this manual covers
aspects of these regulations that apply to the wood furniture and finishing
trades.
committed. Owners and managers must be committed to waste reduction before employees will buy into it and they are the ones that will ultimately make it work! Know each type of waste in your shop, where it
comes from, how much of it there is, and whether it's considered hazardous or not. Keep hazardous wastes segregated from nonhazardous
wastes to prevent contamination and promote easier, cheaper disposal or
recycling.
Know how much your waste is costing you. If it's
hazardous, do you know what your waste hauler
is doing with it?
Train all employees and family members
involved in proper management techniques for
waste; keep everyone informed of your waste reduction methods and goals.
Good housekeeping practices are a must in any waste reduction
programinvest in training and equipment that will prevent the spill
before it happens.
Keep informed! Regulations, new technologies, and new products can
affect how you operate. Use the resources available to you, such as the
Pollution Prevention Institute at Kansas State University, trade magazines, and associations.
Ignitability
An ignitable hazardous waste is a material that has a
flash point of less than 140 F, or spontaneously combusts upon exposure to the environment. In wood
shops, much hazardous waste associated with
ignitables come from solvents used in finishing
and washoff operations.
Reactivity
Reactive wastes may react violently with air or
water, are unstable in normal environmental conditions, react with water or corrosives to produce
toxic gases, or are explosive.
Toxicity
A Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure, TCLP,
commonly called a T-clip test, is required by a
certified lab to determine whether or not waste
material is hazardous due to its toxicity. If the
waste material exceeds the regulatory limits of
specific constituents, it must be labeled with
the appropriate waste code and shipped to a
qualified treatment storage and disposal
(TSD) facility.
Two other lists exist which are discarded commercial chemical products and are intended to designate
the chemicals themselves as hazardous waste at the time of their
disposal. The wastes may be offspec chemicals of commercial or
technical grade; obsolete, expired,
or out-of-date products; or any spill
cleanup materials associated with
these chemicals.
Mixed Waste
If you mix any non-hazardous waste with a waste that is on the "F-, P-, K- or
U-" lists, all of it becomes hazardous. Even if there is only a very small
amount of listed waste in the mixture, it all must be disposed of as hazardous
waste, so remember to keep your wastes segregated.
Is Your Waste Hazardous?
To determine if your waste is hazardous, check to see if it is on one of the lists
of hazardous wastes. If it is not, you need to find out if it exhibits one or
more of the hazardous characteristics. Check the material safety data sheet
(MSDS) or contact your supplier for information. If you are unsure if your
waste is hazardous, you should have it tested in a laboratory.
Managing Hazardous Wastes
There are very specific requirements for managing hazardous waste from
your business. The requirements you must meet depend on what and how
much waste you generate. You will need to know how much acutely hazardous waste ("P-"listed) and non-acutely hazardous waste you generate each
month. Waste generation cannot be averaged over time. You also need to
know how much of each of these types of waste you have accumulated onsite
at any one time.
Please see the Kansas Hazardous Waste Generator Handbook for "Listed"
hazardous waste lists, and TCLP constituents and their regulated levels.
In wood manufacturers' and finishers' shops, operators with good spray techniques can save their employers measurable amounts of finishing materials
and consequently reduce the company's emissions and raw material costs
(see "employee training" checklist in Appendix A).
Production scheduling may be harder to implement, but can offer savings in
raw materials use and line-cleaning materials. One company indicated that
10 gallons of finishing material and lacquer thinner was used every day, due
to color changes in their shop, costing them thousands of dollars a year.
Scheduled maintenance practices minimizes emissions from leaks, weak
seals, and inefficient equipment, saving raw materials and reducing cleanup
wastes.
Change the Material
It may be possible to change to a less hazardous material to produce the
product without affecting its quality or having to change major pieces of
equipment in your processes. In some cases, this can be done by changing
the type of material used to finish a piece, or by changing the type of solvent
used for washoff operations.
Some material substitutions include: higher solids finishes which reduce the
amount of finishing material needed, ultraviolet coatings which have almost
100% transfer efficiency, and waterborne coatings with very little volatile
organics that can be cleaned up with water.
Change the Technology
Many times changes in coating materials also requires the use of new application, drying, and assembling technologies, and so may be considered as
much a technology change as a material change. Technology changes to
reduce waste includes the following:
coatings application equipment changes
increased automation for simple, highly repetitive processes
layout changes to improve work flow
forced air drying systems
Some examples of technology changes for the wood manufacturers' and finishers' industry would be going to a roll-coating system for flat work and
changing to airless, air-assisted, or high-volume/low-pressure (HVLP) spray
guns to increase transfer efficiencies in the finishing process.
The following sections examine each of these waste reduction methods in
detail for wood manufacturing and finishing operations.
11
Rough Milling
The purpose of rough
milling and gluing is to
remove defects and
convert the dried
rough lumber into rectangular shapes or
"blanks" of lumber or
veneer that will be
used to make furniture
or cabinet components.
Typical functions of
rough mill and gluing
include:
planing
sawing
gluing and joining
(including lamination)
P2 Opportunities:
Your company can reduce wastes
from these processes by using the
following approaches:
Combine the cutting of multiple
long and short lengths on the
same rough lumber board to
improve yield.
Utilize new equipment and
technology such as "rip first"
methodology, automatic board
12
joint.
ribbon wood from short
pieces of wood glued together
where unmatched grain pattern
is acceptable.
Use wood with imperfections in
new natural products, selling
them at reduced prices.
Use
Finger
Gluing Operations
Gluing is a value-added process that offers waste reduction opportunities to
save raw materials and reduce labor losses.
There are three situations to check prior to gluing wood together which can
lead to unwanted wood waste:
moisture content of wood
untrue surfaces
inactive surfaces
13
P2 Opportunities:
Consider substituting solvent-based, urea-formaldehyde and some epoxy
resin adhesives which generate significant air emissions with hot melt,
heat seal, aqueous-based, or PVA adhesives. These glues do not generate
significant air emissions and are considered very good alternatives to solvent-based adhesives.
PVA glues are aqueous-based synthetic latex systems and are the primary glues for solid wood. In these glues, vinyl acetate monomer is regulated; however, it makes up less than 0.4 percent of the adhesive, so
emissions are low. PVA adhesives are widely used in furniture assembly, and their use in veneering and laminating is increasing.
Hot melt adhesives cure as they cool and are used primarily for edge
banding applications. Polyurethane refractive (PUR) hot melts are a
common wood furniture hot melt adhesive.
Heat seal adhesives generally are applied to the back of flexible laminates by the laminate manufacturer and then heat sealed with low temperature and pressure to panels by an automated roller or press system
at the furniture manufacturer. Unlike hot melts, they do not re-flow if
reheated. Water-based heat seals provide a viable alternative for those
laminate manufacturers who wish to reduce their emissions and associated regulatory burdens.
Aqueous-based adhesives are used in laminating, too, typically applied
with spray guns. The adhesives can take 30 minutes or more to adequately set before bonding, and six hours or more for a total cure time
after bonding. However, some of these type adhesives can set and cure in
comparable times to solvent-based adhesives. Standard fan drying
works well but compressed air should be avoided as it tends to dry the
adhesive too quickly.
Check the moisture content (MC) of the wood. When MC is very low, the
liquid in the glue (usually water) is almost immediately extracted from
the adhesive. Unless the glue joint is completed immediately, this rapid
absorption of liquid will lead to a very weak joint due to premature thickening and setting of the adhesive. And the reverse is also true for higher
MCs, the length of time required for the glue to set is extended. If the
joint is not allowed to fully set, the part may fail at the next manufacturing step, wasting wood and labor.
Make sure the wood's MC is in equilibrium with the air's moisture content; if not, the pieces of wood being glued will change size. If they change
size before the pieces are glued together, then it is likely the gap between
the adjacent pieces will exceed 0.006 inches, meaning the glue joint
between them will be weakened causing warping or cracking.
Keep glue containers covered whenever possible to prevent chemical
vapors from escaping, and to keep out moisture and oxygen, prolonging
shelf life.
Perform periodic maintenance and calibration (where possible) of glue
applicators for proper transfer and reduced glue losses.
14
Inspect
These P2 options can reduce hazardous air emissions and fire and
health hazards, and reduces glue
use and re-works. Shops should
use care with all gluing operations.
The shelf life and pot life of glues
vary. Be sure to know the shelf life
before purchasing or catalyzing
large quantities of glue as they
could end up as waste.
15
16
17
P2 Opportunities:
Control moisture content to increase machining quality and reduce rejects
of parts:
High MCs, especially with lower density species such as aspen and basswood, lead to an increase in fuzziness when planing, boring, routing, and
even sanding. On the other hand, higher MCs reduce the likelihood of
planer or roller splits, torn or chipped grain, and raised grain. A very
notable decrease in quality machining occurs at moisture under six percentchipped grain becomes inevitable, shelling (especially in white
pine) increases, and dulling of the tools increases.
Low MC lumber is prone to warp, especially cupping, leading to movement of the pieces when first machined (such as in a gang rip saw). As a
result, edges are not high qualitythey arent flat or straight enough for
many subsequent manufacturing operations. Optimal MC is an average
of 6.25%-7.25%.
Another MC-related machining problem is case hardening (or drying
stress). Case hardening shows up as immediate warp when machining,
rendering the wood unusable, and is due to stresses created when drying the wood.
Install dust collection systems to:
reduce wear on equipment
improve worker health and safety by keeping the dust out of the breathing air and off the floor.
improve sanding efficiency by preventing dust from becoming embedded
in the sanding belt.
collect and keep sawdust from becoming contaminated with dirt and
other contaminants so that it can be recycled.
Explore opportunities to use wood waste. Wood waste can be costly for
companies to dispose of, especially if their local landfill has closed and the
waste must be transported long distances to a waste facility. Recycling
options include the following:
use in particle board, chip core, laminates
shredding or grinding for use as animal bedding, mulch, or decorative
landscaping material (this also reduces storage volume)
use in pulp and paper manufacturing
use as fuel for energy production
use in composting operations
Remember: Proper orifice selections are necessary for adequate face and
collection velocities, and appropriate velocities in the ventilation ducts
must be provided to prevent particulate settling. Energy-efficient systems have dampers to cut off branches that are not needed. Filters, bag
houses, and cyclones are examples of mechanisms to separate dust from
the exhausted air.
18
Operational Wastes
When examining your finishing operations for waste reduction opportunities,
shops must include the following operations or processes:
operator training
coating preparation
coating delivery system used
coating viscosity adjustments
equipment cleaning and maintenance
inventory and scheduling
cleaning and/or wash-off operations
materials recycling
Many times wastes from these processes can be reduced with very little capital expenditures and great savings potential for companies.
Operator Training
Operator training is now a requirement for those regulated under the
Wood Furniture NESHAP
(National Emission Standard for
Hazardous Air Pollutants). Even if
your business is not regulated,
operator training can save companies money by:
Teaching proper spray techniques to reduce material waste
and excessive emissions.
Increasing product quality.
Reducing reworks from operator error.
Reducing equipment misuse
and injuries.
19
improve
productivity
improve work place safety
reduce incidence of injury (e.g.,
carpal tunnel syndrome)
through ergonomic improvements
P2 Opportunities:
Formal operator training is essential to successful waste reduction and
should include the following:
Communication of safety and health, quality, productivity, waste reduction and energy conservation goals and expectations, and how this will
help the company and the operators.
Use of equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications
such as utilizing proper spray gun air or fluid pressures, coating concentrations, flow rates, and care and maintenance.
Proper spray technique fundamentals such as:
5 percent overlap of the spray pattern
spray gun held six to eight inches away from the work piece
holding the spray gun perpendicular to the work-piece surface
triggering the gun at the beginning and ending of each pass
maintaining a consistent gun speed (general rule approximately 250
fpm)
Some companies periodically videotape their operators so that the operators can critique themselves and point out where improvements are necessary (see the following case study).
Wiping stains can be applied with a sponge, brush, rag, or roller, instead
of being sprayed. These direct applications have transfer efficiencies that
approach 100%, thus raw material usage can be reduced. Stains are traditionally designed to soak into wood and usually require a topcoat such
as varnish to improve the piece's appearance. Spraying may offer no
appearance advantage in operations where wiping follows spraying of
stains.
20
Mix
materials thoroughly
before use and during use to
maintain the desired uniformity.
Keep tanks covered to prevent
evaporative losses and contamination of the contents.
For continuous coating systems,
monitor the viscosity of the
coating in the reservoir so that
the amount of solvent added is
not excessive.
21
P2 Opportunities:
Volume cost discounts for bulk coating purchases.
Less waste from: spills during transfer, container residues, and evaporative losses.
Less employee exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Better finish quality through uniform material consistency.
Increase productivity and lower labor costs because of reduced transfer
tasks.
Lower solvent cost and reduced solvent
wastes because interim containers do not
need to be cleaned.
22
Use
Equipment Maintenance
Regular care and maintenance must be performed on all equipment, especially spray equipment, to keep it in optimum working condition, and to prevent
breakdowns or malfunctions and waste.
P2 Opportunities:
Keep feed tanks clean of contamination such as dirt, dried
coating particles, and dust, by
keeping them covered whenever
possible.
Keep tanks agitated to prevent
skim from forming and solids
from settling.
Locate the compressor where it
can intake clean air and maintain it properly by checking filters and draining condensate.
Select the appropriate spray
gun attachmentsneedle, nozzle, air capfor each coating utilized.
Maintain proper fluid and air
pressures.
24
Equipment
should be cleaned
as soon as possible after use
before coating cures and is
more difficult to remove.
Scheduled inspections and
repairs for all equipment to
maximize safety and operating
life.
Perform routine leak inspections, with timely repairs to
minimize material loss and
cleanup materials.
Develop standard operating
procedures for each process and
a training program for operators. This is especially important for spray operations where
gun tip size, adjustment of
spray patterns, and ideal air
and fluid pressures can reduce
raw material use and waste.
Develop high efficiency equipment set up guidelines to
reduce material handling, saving labor costs and reducing
damages to wood parts or products.
25
Manage
production schedules
to reduce color changes by
grouping parts requiring the
same finish can eliminate substantial amounts of waste from
gun cleaning and line flushing.
Efficient production scheduling
can maximize the usage of coatings with short pot life.
26
Remember: When supplies are unlimited for employees, they are usually
used in wasteful quantities; but when materials are limited, most workers
can accomplish the same quality results with less waste generation.
Establish a material checkout system to help track material use and abuse.
If you end up with an excess of coating material, consider the following:
Return unused materials to the vendor (Make arrangements with the
vendor up-front before purchase.).
Trade or give to other finishers to use.
Contact a waste exchange to see if someone might be able to use the material.
should consider the following stripping solutions:
N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), a
water soluble, biodegradable
solvent that has relatively low
toxicity, is nonflammable and
non-carcinogenic (but may need
to be reported to EPA). This
compound may be associated
with ill health effects and
should be used with adequate
inhalation protection.
Gamma-Butyrolacetone, a
water soluble, biodegradable
solvent that is FDA approved
and has tested non-carcinogenic
in rats and mice.
Acetone, a highly effective
stripper and delisted VOC that
is associated with few health
effects, but is considered very
dangerous because of its
extreme flammability.
Cleaning/Stripping
Cleaning and stripping costs companies excessively in wood, coatings loss and wasted labor, not to
mention the materials and labor
involved in reworking the piece, if
its possible. The P2 opportunities
provided in the change the practice section, if followed, will help
shops drastically reduce the
amount of reworks needing to be
P2 Opportunities:
Keep washoff tank covered
when not in use.
Minimize dripping by tilting
and/or rotating the part to drain
as much solvent as possible.
Allowing sufficient dry time for
the part.
28
29
30
Typical Material
Ingredients
General Types of
Wastes Generated
petroleum distillates,
white spirits
petroleum distillates,
mineral spirits
ignitable wastes,
spent solvents,
volatile emissions
refinishing/stripping
acetone, toluene,
petroleum distillates,
methanol,
methylene chloride,
alcohols, ketones,
oxygenated solvent
staining
stains
mineral spirits,
alcohol pigments
ignitable wastes,
spent solvents,
solvent still bottoms,
volatile emissions
painting
toluene, pigments,
titanium dioxide,
epoxyester resins,
aromatic hydrocarbons,
glycol ether,
halogenated hydrocarbons,
vinylacetate acrylic
finishing
varnish, shellac,
polyurethane,
lacquers with residues
ignitable wastes,
spent solvents,
solvent still bottoms,
volatile emissions
cleaning brushes,
spray gun and spray
equipment, and overspray
from spray booths
acetone, toluene,
petroleum distillates,
methanol,
methylene chloride,
isopropanol, mineral spirits,
alcohols
adhesives, glues
volatile emissions,
hazardous wastes
31
The following section on coatings chemistry has been included for those who
wish to know how coatings are classified and their mechanism of action.
Coatings Chemistry
Coatings are generally either liquid or powder compositions that
are applied to substrates. Coating
systems include the coating, the
application method, and the drying
or curing process. Coating chemistry, along with desired build and
appearance, are the primary determinants for the technical feasibility of any particular application
method. The drying or curing
process is dependent on the coatings constituents.
Solvents serve two functions: they act to dissolve and dilute resin
systems, and, based
on their evaporation
rates, control drying times of the
finish. Solvents
used in conventional coatings
typically have
been alcohols,
ketones, ester
solvents, glycol
ethers, aliphatic solvents, and aromatic solvents.
Non-pigmented
stains often
consist of dyes
dissolved in
methanol and
are generally
one to five percent solids.
Conventional
lacquer topcoats are
nitrocellulose-based, solution coatings of 18 to 24 percent solids.
High-solids coatings contain less
solvent than low solids coatings
per unit volume.
Waterborne Coatings
Water, instead of conventional solvents, is the major carrying medium for the coating solids in waterborne coatings.
Using
waterborne
coatings, or
"hybrid" coatings with a combination of water and conventional solvents, can significantly reduce
VOC air emissions and reduce
associated wastes, especially from
cleanup processes.
33
P2 Opportunities:
Higher transfer efficiencies.
Reduced VOC emissions.
Reduced liquid and solid waste
disposals and costs.
Moisture resistant finishes.
Improved impact and abrasion
resistance.
Conventional application equipment used.
Reduced employee exposure to
VOC vapors.
Decrease in fire hazards.
Clean up with soap and
water=savings from reduction
or elimination of organic solvent used for line flushing and
cleaning, that requires disposal
as a hazardous waste.
Waterborne coatings are very different than traditional solventbased coatings and shops exploring
these coatings may have to work
extensively with their suppliers to
achieve a satisfactory finish.
Shops should be aware that waterborne coatings have been associated with the following factors:
Water-based coatings cost
between 25-50% more than con34
Wood
Some
VOC Content
(lbs./gal less water)
Solids Content
Percent by Volume
Nitrocellulose
16
Acid-Catalyzed
5.1 5.8
18 26
Waterborne
1.3 2.3
26 30
Polyurethane
3.4
30 60
Polyester (Acrylic)
3.0
30 50
Polyester (Styrene)
--
100
0 3.1
56 100
UV or EB Cured
35
Compliant coatings, those with higher solids content, have far lower amounts
of VOCs than standard solvent-based systems. Higher solids content with
solvent- and water-based carriers are associated with the following:
Disadvantages
Higher temperature curing may
be required in narrow time and
cure windows to maintain same
production flow.
Overspray is tacky and difficult
to clean.
Reduced shelf and pot life, especially with catalyzed coatings,
short pot life for two component
coating.
May require heaters to control
viscosity.
Cannot use effectively in dip or
flow-coating applications.
Wood surface must be clean.
Difficult to control film thickness and sagging; may require
heat dry.
Sensitive to ambient temperature and humidity.
Finished piece difficult to
repair.
Odor and slow flash-off require
use of vented flash-off zones.
P2 Advantages
Reduced air emissions and less
hazardous waste generation.
Less material required to coat
the same amount of board feet.
Fewer spray applications needed to achieve the same coating
thickness.
Higher transfer efficiency.
Reduced inventory, less handling, and shipping costs.
Less material required to coat,
reduce solvent usage and costs.
Reduce inventory, less handling
and shipping costs, additional
available floor space.
Less fire risk, potential reduction in fire insurance premiums
(in some cases).
36
Polyester-/Polyurethane-Based Coatings
Radiation cured coatings, such as ultraviolet (UV), electron beam (EB), or
infrared (IR) cured coatings are conversion coatings that are thermosetting
(form very stable chemical cross-linked finishes). The curing reaction is initiated by exposure to intense ultraviolet light or accelerated electrons which
begin a very rapid polymerization. This is completed in a matter of a few seconds or less. In general, these materials may require less energy and less
time to cure, and contain less volatile materials than conventional products.
Use of these coatings result in a dramatic reduction of VOC air emissions
over nitrocellulose solvent-based coatings. Polyester-based coatings include
styrene derived polyester of 100 percent solids which is cured by ultraviolet
(UV) radiation, and acrylic polyesters (30-50 percent solids) which are cured
by catalytic reaction or UV radiation. These coatings are typically applied by
conventional spray guns or flat-line applicators. Curing may require an initiator such as an organic peroxide or UV radiation.
Disadvantages
May require a clean room.
Coated piece is difficult to
repair.
Polyester is chemically incompatible with nitrocellulose
materials, cannot be used in the
same system or on the same
piecepotentially explosive:
Short pot life potential (1-6
hours).
Respiratory protection may be
required (for exposure to isocyanates).
UV radiation curing may be difficult for non-flat surfaces since
energy transfer is along "line of
sight"; 3D set ups are not easily
re-configured.
Some users report "plastic"
looking finish.
Higher capital costs than conventional ovens.
Exacting process to achieve
acceptable results.
P2 Advantages
Very high solids content.
Greatly reduced solvent usage,
consequent air emissions, and
disposal costs.
High film thickness with fewer
coats.
Very durable finish.
Small ovens that can be easy to
install or retrofit.
Low air movement reduces dust
contamination.
Fast drying, less floor space
needed.
Resistant to heat, chemicals,
impact.
High gloss with polyurethane.
Multiple application methods.
37
P2 Advantages
Reduce solvent usage and associated costs.
Reduce VOC air emissions, solvent wastes and associated
compliance and disposal costs.
Reduce worker exposure.
High quality finish.
High solids content.
Nitrocellulose resins can be
used and do not need reformulation.
Fewer coating applications
needed.
High transfer efficiency.
Sometimes reduces sanding
requirements.
Easy to repair.
38
P2 Advantages
Increase transfer efficiency,
reduce overspray.
Reduce worker exposure from
bounce back.
Reduce VOC air emissions.
Lower booth clean-up costs.
Reduce filter replacement costs.
Decrease booth wastewater
treatment costs.
Sprays well into cavities and
recesses.
Can be used for a variety of
coatings (e.g., waterborne, high
solids).
Finish as good as conventional
spray guns with low to medium
viscosity coatings.
39
Disadvantages
Reduce spray pattern.
Relatively poor atomization.
Expensive nozzles.
Coatings limitation.
Tip plugging.
Danger of skin injection.
Increase training and maintenance
Capital costs
Disadvantages
Not compatible with some coatings.
Risk of skin injection.
Increase maintenance.
Increase operator training.
Capital cost.
40
Electrostatic Technology
During electrostatic coating, coating particles are given a negative electric
charge and the piece to be finished is either grounded or given a positive
charge. This electrostatic action causes the coating particle to be drawn to
the piece creating a high transfer efficiency of 35-70 percent for spray guns,
and 60-90 percent for rotary disk (centrifugal force) applicators. This allows
each piece to be coated with fewer passes and less coating material and associated waste. The particle velocity and electrostatic charge must be balanced
to achieve optimum coating.
Disadvantages
Pieces sometimes need to be
coated by humidity-sensitizing
agent as pieces must be conductive.
Safety/fire risk.
Extra cleanliness essential.
Touch up coating buildup at
high points and skips (uncoated
areas) in corners caused by
Faraday effect.
Bulky and delicate spray guns.
Relatively high cost.
Wrap-around may overcoat rear
edges.
P2 Advantages
High transfer efficiency.
Reduce material usage and
associated VOC emissions and
waste.
Uniform film thickness.
Good wrap around coating and
edge cover.
Can apply a variety of coatings
(e.g. solvent-/water-based, high
solids, radiation curable).
41
Vacuum Coating
Pieces are passed through a coating chamber under a vacuum. Coating
material fills the chamber, coating the piece as it proceeds through the chamber. An air jet removes excess finish. Film thickness is controlled by varying
the coating viscosity, vacuum magnitude, and air jet velocity. The technology
is limited to pieces with the same silhouette along their entire length. In theory, there is no wasted material as the chamber recycles excess material.
Water-based coatings can build up solid coating on reservoir walls and other
parts that require cleaning.
Disadvantages
Piece must have uniform silhouette.
Thinners and water can be
removed from the coating by
the vacuum causing viscosity
adjustments.
Some tendency to foam.
P2 Advantages
Excellent transfer efficiency
(~ 100 percent).
Waste coating and VOC emissions essentially eliminated.
High production rates.
Low labor costs.
Roll Coating
In roll coating, coatings are applied by rollers to a flat surface of the piece.
The roll coaters that apply the coating are often times engraved so as to produce a wood grain effect onto the piece of fiberboard or plywood.
P2 Advantages
High
transfer efficiency.
Reduce material waste.
High production rates.
Allows the use of high solids
coatings.
Lends itself to UV / EB curing.
Disadvantages
Limited to flat work.
For solvent-based coatings,
potentially large amounts of
VOC emissions as the rollers
have to stay wet.
Will not coat cavities or hard to
reach areas.
"Ribs" resulting from poor flow
of the coating are sometimes
created on the substrate.
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Dip Coating
Parts are dipped into a tank of coating material. This provides better coverage and causes less waste than conventional air spray systems. Dipping can
be manual or pieces can be loaded onto a conveyor that dips the piece into the
tank. Excess coating drips off the piece and drains back into the tank.
Optimize viscosity for desired coating thickness. If solvent-based coatings
are being applied, the system should be enclosed to prevent VOC emissions
from escaping the tank
Disadvantages
Finish is viscosity sensitive.
Not suitable for pieces with hollows or cavities.
Color change is difficult and
slow.
Appearance is poor to fair compared to spray finishes
P2 Advantages
Excellent transfer efficiency.
Reduce wastes.
Low labor requirements.
High production rates.
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Flow Coating
In flow coating, many individual streams (10-80) of coating are directed at
the surfaces of the piece as it passes through the flow coating chamber.
P2 Advantages
High transfer efficiency.
Reduce wastes.
High production rates.
Low labor requirements.
Low installation costs.
Disadvantages
Poor to fair finish appearance.
Coating viscosity controls film
thickness.
Curtain Coating
Curtain coating coats flat pieces by moving the pieces through a continuous
flowing "waterfall" of coating material. The coating material flows at a controlled rate from a reservoir onto the pieces which are conveyed through the
stream at high rates of speed. The excess coating material is trapped in a
reservoir and re-circulated with minimal waste
Disadvantages
Suitable for flat work only.
May require clean room.
Foaming and curtain breaks
are sometimes associated with
waterborne coatings.
P2 Advantages
Excellent transfer efficiency.
Reduce wastes.
Very high production rates.
Uniform coating thickness.
Lends itself to UV / EB curing.
Dry Coating
Dry coating can be achieved with a formulated granular wax that is tumbled
with the parts needing to be coated. This allows for reduction in amount of
VOC's generated while giving adequate coverage on the parts. The pieces
actually rub the surfaces of one another to create adequate coating. Great for
coating small pieces such as wood buttons, napkin rings, and balls.
P2 Advantages
Reduce material waste.
No VOC's.
Disadvantages
Parts must be uniform in size
with no sharp edges or irregularities in shape.
44
45
Employees
Yes/No
Do your employees know when inhalation protection is needed? Be
especially careful to avoid breathing vapors from a caustic tank. Most
old furniture finishes contain lead. Lead is dissolved by caustics and
will be contained in caustic vapors.
Yes/No
Do your employees wear proper personal protective equipment?
Protect eyes and skin from contact with remover from tanks. Wear
goggles, rubber gloves, long sleeves, and an apron while working
around a tank.
Yes/No
Is there a source of clean, fresh water near the paint remover tank so
that remover can be quickly and thoroughly rinsed from skin and
eyes in case of accidental contact?
Cut Costs Through Record Keeping
Here's a checklist of items to keep your record keeping in order for regulatory
purposes and cost savings.
Yes/No
Yes/No
Do you calculate the cost of this waste as a percentage of your operating expense?
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Can you buy in quantities adequate to your operation? Are they currently too large or too small?
Yes/No
46
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
47
Work Space
Yes/No
Are work areas well-ventilated? An exhaust fan should vent vapors
from paint removers outdoors. Give your shop a fresh air intake vent
with a capacity of two cubic feet per minute, per square foot of shop
space. Make sure that a fresh air duct in the work area is adequate to
replace all air drawn out of the room by exhaust fans located near the
stripping area, the rinse area, or in a paint booth. Without adequate
fresh air intake, exhaust fans may draw air from the furnace flue or
the hot water heater flue. Worker exposure to combustion gases,
including carbon monoxide, will result. Adequate ventilation with
fresh air will also prevent the buildup and possible ignition of combustible gases.
Yes/No
Are covers on tanks closed when not in use?
Yes/No
Does your shop use HVLP spray guns? If you process a high enough
volume of product to use sprayers when applying finishes, consider
high volume, low pressure (HVLP) sprayers to get more of the finish
onto the product and reduce employee exposure to the atomized finishes.
Yes/No
Do you use a spray booth for all spraying operations? If you use
sprayers, consider installing a booth with an adequate exhaust fan.
Yes/No
Is there a strict "No Smoking" rule in the work areas of your shop?
Refinishing Safety
Yes/No
Are MSDSs that come with stripping, rinsing, and finishing materials
available to employees?
Yes/No
Do employees know how to read MSDS's? Make sure you know the
"flash point" of the materials you are using. The lower the flash point,
the more easily a material is ignited. Some materials used in stripping and rinsingthinners and petroleum distillatesare a fire hazard.
Yes/No
Does your shop use methylene chloride strippers? Methylene chloride, a common stripping material, is not easily ignited, but many of
the paints and other finishes that become mixed with methylene chloride as it is used are ignitable. After considerable use, methylene chloride contaminated with other materials will burn and may produce
very toxic gases in the process.
48
Employee Training
Yes/No
Have operators been trained to
use proper spray techniques?
Spraying technique affects
transfer efficiency and finish
quality just as coating formulation does.
There should be a 50% overlap of spray pattern.
The spray gun should be
held six to eight inches from
the work piece.
The operator should hold
the gun perpendicular (at a
90-degree angle) to the work piece.
Make sure that the fan size isn't too big for the part being coated.
Use the minimum air pressure that still produces a good spray pattern.
Yes/No
Have operators been trained to prepare coatings properly? Reducer
should be added slowly and the mixture should be tested often to
determine when the desired mixture has been reached.
Yes/No
Do operators test for complete mixing by sampling the top and bottom
layers of the mixture and placing each on separate pieces of glass to
observe and compare color and rate of flow?
Yes/No
Are materials mixed before use and during use to maintain desired
uniformity?
Coating Application
Yes/No
Do you change spray pattern with piece configuration? Spray pattern
and technique should be optimized for a given work piece's size,
shape, and orientation. For example, coat slender pieces with a narrow spray pattern
Yes/No
Do you position work pieces to minimize overspray and for maximum
comfort? The work piece should be positioned to minimize overspray.
It should also be positioned to make spraying as comfortable as possible for the operator. This will increase the likelihood that good spray
techniques are used.
Yes/No
Do you use an application method which has a higher transfer efficiency than that of the conventional spray gun? HVLP, airless sys49
tems, and air-assisted airless systems have higher transfer efficiencies than conventional spray guns. Higher transfer efficiencies reduce
coating usage and VOC emissions. HVLP spray guns atomize materials with air at much lower pressure than conventional spray guns.
Airless spray systems atomize the coating by increasing its fluid pressure without introducing a pressurized airflow. Air-assisted airless
spraying combines compressed-air atomization with airless atomization.
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
sions. This method also allows for more consistent viscosity, faster
curing time, and use of higher solids coatings.
Yes/No
Do you use coatings that reduce VOC releases? There are several
alternatives to high VOC coatings used in most wood finishing operations. Waterborne coatings can be used to reduce air emissions and
hazardous waste generation. High solids, solvent-based coatings are
35% to 40% solids. These coatings reduce air emissions and have
higher transfer efficiency than conventional solvent coatings.
Cleaning
Yes/No
Do you sequence finishing projects in a way that reduces cleaning
needs? Reduce the frequency of cleaning equipment by staining or
painting all products of the same color at the same time. Schedule
batch processing of lighter shades of finish prior to darker shades of
finish so that equipment need not be cleaned between batches.
Yes/No
Do you reuse lacquer thinner used for line cleaning in the paint spray
booths? Capture lacquer thinner and reuse it.
Yes/No
Do you drain paint gun lines prior to solvent cleaning? Lines should
be drained of all coating materials before cleaning with solvent. This
prolongs the solvent's life. Air pressure may be used to evacuate the
materials.
Yes/No
Do you use self-contained solvent recirculating gun washers? Selfcontained gun washing systems are ideal because this minimizes
VOC emissions and employees' exposure to solvent. A recirculating
washer maximizes use of solvent and prolongs solvent life.
Yes/No
Do you keep spray equipment feed tanks agitated to reduce solvent
use? Keeping tanks agitated prevents a skin from forming and solids
from settling. This will reduce the amount of solvent necessary for
cleaning equipment and, in turn, reduce VOC emissions.
Process Changes
Yes/No
Do you inspect parts before coating or painting? Reduce raw material
use by eliminating reject pieces before they're coated.
Yes/No
Have you installed a purification system for your booth water curtains? Install a purification system to reduce water content of paint
sludge generated through treatment of wastewater from the water
curtains in the sealer and topcoat spray booths. This decreases the
volume of hazardous waste that must be disposed of.
51
Kansas Generators
Kansas generators are those that:
create between 55 and 2200 pounds of hazardous waste in a calendar
month, and
generate no more than 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous waste or 55
pounds of debris and cleanup materials from acutely toxic waste spills,
and
accumulate no more than 2200 pounds of hazardous waste, or no more
than 2.2 pounds of acutely hazardous waste, or no more than 55 pounds of
debris and cleanup materials from acutely hazardous waste spills.
Kansas generators must comply with the following regulatory requirements:
A. Determine which wastes generated by the facility are hazardous.
B. Obtain an EPA identification number by submitting a hazardous waste
notification form to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
C. Prepare a manifest for all shipments of hazardous waste. Package, label,
mark, and placard all shipments of hazardous waste in accordance with
52
pre-transportation requirements.
D. Prepare and maintain the following records for three years.
1) A signed copy of all manifests initiated.
2) Annual and biennial report(s).
3) Manifest exception report(s).
4) Hazardous waste analyses.
5) Weekly inspection reports.
E. Meet all storage requirements for containers and/or tanks.
F. Meet emergency preparedness requirements.
G. Report all international shipments of hazardous waste to the Kansas
Department of Health and Environment and the Environmental
Protection Agency.
EPA Generators
EPA generators meet any of the following requirements:
create or accumulate more than 2200 pounds of hazardous waste in a calendar month at their facility, or
generate or accumulate 2.2 pounds or more of acutely hazardous waste, or
generate or accumulate more than 55 pounds of hazardous waste and
debris from cleanup of hazardous waste spills.
EPA generators are subject to all regulations for Kansas Generators, except
for the emergency preparedness requirements, as well as the following additional requirements:
A. Provide a personnel training program to ensure that facility personnel
are able to respond effectively to a hazardous waste emergency. The program must include:
1) A director trained in hazardous waste procedures.
2) Instruction which teaches facility personnel about the location of
emergency response and monitoring equipment; maintenance and
operation of such equipment; communications procedures and
response procedures for fires; explosions, and contamination incidents. Training must be completed within six months after the date
an employee enters a position.
3) An annual review of the initial training.
4) Development of job titles, job descriptions, a description of training
to be given each job title, and a record of all training which occurs.
B. Adequately provide for preparedness and prevention with the following
precautions:
1) Proper maintenance of facilities to minimize releases of hazardous
waste.
2) Where appropriate for the type of waste generated, provide an
internal communications or alarm system, a telephone or two-way
radio, and fire extinguishing and control equipment. All required
53
54
55
56
Washoff Operations
The
57
3M Adhesives Systems
Industrial Tape & Specialties Div.
Bldg. 220-7E-01
St. Paul, MN 55144
800-362-3456
Sherwin-Williams
2377 Riverfront Road
Kansas City, MO 64120
816-421-5111
Contact: Alan Ott 800-521-6671
Matrix Coatings
2124 Valley Dri.
Des Moines, IA 50321
800-720-9961
Minuteman Inc.
115 N. Monroe St, Suite 151
Waterloo, WI 53954
800-733-1776
Lily Industries
733 South West St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225
317-687-6700
800-395-7047
Midwest Lacquer
9353 Seymour Ave.
Shiller Park, IL 60176
800-343-1508
58
Corbett Industries
P.O.Box 212
39 Hewson Ave.
Waldwick NJ 07463-1819
201-445-6311
Fax: 201-445-6316
Contact Person: Robin Todtman
industrial ovens, dryers, furnaces, kilns, air heaters, fume
incinerators, spray booths, parts
cleaning equipment
Equipment
Contrast Equipment Company
1449 N. Topping
Kansas City MO 64120
816-241-2412
Fax: 816-241-4134
Contact Person: Bob Brown
solvent reclamation, spraying
equipment and systems, powder
coating systems, parts washer, oil
skimmers
Dll International
1808 Windsor Dr.
High Point, N.C. 27262
910-889-0469
dust collection systems
DeVilbis Equipment
7801 W. 110th
Overland Park, KS 66210
913-338-3381
paint booths, HVLP spray equipment and systems, conveyors,
enclosed gun and hose cleaners
59