With the OEMs introducing more and more unique colors, the use of limited use toners (LUTs) is inevitable. As the name implies, these toners are used infrequently and are typically only in a handful of colors. Because these toners are not getting used as often as others, it’s important to care for them properly to insure they maintain their quality.

For waterborne toners, leaving doser lids on LUTs may cause the toner to dry in the lid, which may cause skins that could drop into your mix. Always use vented air cups and strain mixes before use for best results.

For solventborne toners, leaving an LUT on a mixing bank for extended periods can cause solvent evaporation which may lead to an increase in viscosity and pigment concentration.

Since doser lids or mixing lids do not provide an airtight seal the best practice is to recap LUTs between uses. Also, writing the date the toner was opened and put on the mixing bank on the side of the can or bottle will help you gauge its frequency of use.

To help identify limited use toners on your mixing bank, check out the links below. LUT reports and mixing schematics can be found anytime on ppgrefinish.com (after logging in of course!).

Limited Use Toners: http://us.ppgrefinish.com/PPG-Refinish/Color-Tools/Bulletins-Checklist.aspx#LUT

Mixing Schematics: http://us.ppgrefinish.com/PPG-Refinish/My-PPG/Customer-Tools/Mixing-Schematics