BASF claims R-M’s new one-coat clearcoat is “answering customer demand for speed and efficiency.”

R-M is a premium refinish paint brand of BASF.

RMC1000 is the first one-coat clear on the market, reduces cycle time, provides sag resistance, and is of OEM quality, according to BASF.

BASF wouldn’t provide technical details of how the product is different but told Repairer Driven News that, “unlike other one-and-a-half coat clears, RMC1000 can achieve the appropriate mils for UV protection in one coat, either on horizontal or vertical panels [and] from one to multiple panels [or] jobs.”

RMC1000 is applied with one wet coat and 30 minutes of drying at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. BASF says this saves painters at least 10 minutes due to no flash-off time and no second coat when compared to one-and-a-half coat clears that are currently available.

Application requires one wet coat at 80%-100% overlap using a medium to fast gun speed, BASF said. “Check the part being sprayed for a missed dry spot. If found, blend in the area. Overspray acceptance is approximatively 15 minutes, and then immediately bake.”

RMC1000 is suitable for all weather conditions and is part of the R-M warranty program.

When asked if RMC1000 is meant for use in production facilities, BASF told RDN it’s a “very versatile product” and creates shop efficiency without adding more repair orders.

“The final look and DOI (distinctness of image) of RMC1000 is better than other traditional one-and-a-half or two coats without needing the additional coats required by a traditional style clear,” BASF told RDN. “The feedback we get from shops is that RMC1000 has OEM appearance.”

According to BASF’s calculations, if a shop uses RMC1000, it can complete 4.6 booth cycles, or 0.6 cycles more a day, adding $564,000 a year in revenue.

During the 2023 Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) IDEAS Collide Showcase, 3M Application Engineer Jason Garfoot shared tips to achieve paint booth efficiency and booth cycle times, including the advantages of getting one more booth cycle per day.

BASF found as well that shops can save $2,000 a year in energy costs because of less booth run time and 7,000 pounds in CO2 emissions.

“As the very first one-coat clear in the industry, the increase in speed and efficiency is simply unobtainable through any other product on the market,” said Jim Reddy, BASF marketing manager, Americas – Refinish Coatings, in a news release. “When you combine that benefit with energy savings, CO2 emission reduction, and the ease of application RMC1000 not only answers the growing demand from shops for improved productivity and less complexity, it exceeds it.”

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