Evolution of the Automotive Body Coating Process—A Review

Abstract

Automotive coatings and the processes used to coat automobile surfaces exemplify the avant-garde of technologies that are capable of producing durable surfaces, exceeding customers' expectations of appearance, maximizing efficiency, and meeting environmental regulations. These accomplishments are rooted in 100 years of experience, trial-and-error approaches, technique and technology advancements, and theoretical assessments. Because of advancements directed at understanding the how, why, when, and where of automobile coatings, the progress in controlling droplets and their deposition attributes, and the development of new technologies and paint chemistries, a comprehensive and up-to-date review of automobile coatings and coating technologies was considered to be of value to industrial practitioners and researchers. Overall, the critical performance factors driving the development and use of advanced automotive coatings and coating technologies are (a) aesthetic characteristics; (b) corrosion protection; (c) mass production; (d) cost and environmental requirements; and (e) appearance and durability. Although the relative importance of each of these factors is debatable, the perfection of any one at the expense of another would be unacceptable. Hence, new developments in automotive coatings are described and discussed in the following review, and then related to improvements in production technologies and paints. Modern automotive coating procedures are also discussed in detail. Finally, an extrapolation into the future of automotive coating is offered with a view of the developments and technologies needed for an increasingly efficient and more sustainable coatings industry.

Schlieren Visualization of Shaping Air during Operation of an Electrostatic Rotary Bell Sprayer: Impact of Shaping Air on Droplet Atomization and Transport

“…Electrostatic rotary bell sprayers (ERBSs) are widely used in industries requiring very high-quality surface finishes, and particularly in the automotive industry [1]. Generally, the paint in ERBS is supplied to the center of a rotating bell cup, and the friction between the paint and the bell cup wall causes the paint to rotate at roughly the same speed as the cup [2].…”

Non-destructive analysis of flake properties in automotive paints with full-field optical coherence tomography and 3D segmentation

“…The purpose of applying paint coating to automotive bodies is not only corrosion protection but also aesthetic enhancement [1,2]. The majority of modern automotive paint systems consist of four layers: electro-coat (E-coat), primer coat, base coat and clear coat [1,2]. The base coat, the most expensive layer in automotive paint systems [2], provides choices of colour to vehicle buyers.…”

Scan-Less Line Field Optical Coherence Tomography, with Automatic Image Segmentation, as a Measurement Tool for Automotive Coatings

“…Examples of this variety are the heavy industry clear top coats in modern car paint systems [1], the do-it-yourself varnishing of outdoor wooden objects [2], and the highly specialised varnish coatings for valuable works of art [3]. This paper is focused on the economically important industrial coating context [1,4].…”