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We believe brand interaction is key in commu- nication. Real innovations and a positive customer experience are the heart of successful communication.
We believe brand interaction is key in commu- nication. Real innovations and a positive customer experience are the heart of successful communication.
The automotive paint is usually applied to the car body in several layers, each layer having a thickness of a few micrometers. There can be more than 20 process stages (including cleaning, degreasing, drying, etc.).
These are the key stages of the process:
The car body is cleaned and degreased thoroughly. A phosphate coat is applied as the first layer. It serves as a corrosion protector and later on provides the necessary layer to bond the paint.
This step is followed by electro-coating. Solid paint particles are deposited onto the chassis via electrophoresis.
A spraying process (e.g. via spray booth systems) is used to apply the primer. The primer serves as a leveling and protective layer.
Afterwards, the base coat is sprayed onto the car body. The final finish of the base coat can be e.g. solid or metallic. While the solid one exhibits easier processability, the metallic one is more difficult to apply to the car body since solid particles need to be aligned in one direction to obtain a smooth surface.
The last step is to apply the clear coat. The clear coat is used to protect the car body, which is usually made out of steel, against abrasion and UV light. Whereas most cars have a shiny, clear, reflective, and glossy appearance, a recent trend has been embraced by automotive car manufacturers – the matte finish. Matte finish is mostly applied within this process step and leads to a hazy appearance.
Ever thought what is the base coat paint for cars? the answer lies right here! Primer is the first stage of the automotive painting process. The primer serves several purposes like levelling the surface of the body, overcoming manufacturing defects if any. The primer also prevents the body from rust, heat differences, stone chips, UV-light etc.
This is the second stage of the painting process which follows the primer coat. This is the stage where visual properties and colour effects come into being. The base coat is usually of three types: solid, metallic and pearlescent. These three categories differ on the basis of paint quality. Solid paints have no sparkles and comprise of solid colours.
Clear-coat is the last part of the painting process where a transparent coating is put on the base coat which comes in direct contact with the environment. It must be durable enough to resist abrasion and chemically stable enough to withstand UV light. This coat can be either solvent or water-borne.
