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The Most Popular Car Colors in the World

Due to ever-changing vehicle and consumer preferences, automotive colors are continuously in flux. The results of a paint manufacturer's annual global study on the most popular colors are based on an analysis of manufacturer data and are an indicator of market trends. The current study refers to figures on the year 2021. PDF-Download

Display Instead of Coatings - Turns the Car to a Chameleon

Digitalization has long since found its way into the interiors of modern vehicles. A premium automaker has now offered a glimpse of a future technology that uses digitization to customize a vehicle's exterior to individual preferences as well. The body surface of the concept car can vary its color at the driver's request. PDF-Download

Plastic Coating 4.0

Digital, highly networked and intelligent, but without overengineering: With a new coating line, a plastic parts manufacturer is setting up a reference plant for the production of plastic parts and highly integrated modules for the automotive industry according to Industry 4.0 standards. PDF-Download

New Opportunities for Electromobility

A sustainable coating process for plastic metallization is to enable new functions and designs. It shows its potential in an all-electric compact SUV. Here it is used in the form of radar-transparent coatings for driver assistance systems. PDF-Download

Clever Coating of Composite Components

Aslı Dal

Coating in the molding process - that sounds tempting. Such a one-step process is promised by PIMC, or powder-in-mold coating, for composite components. Special powder coatings for the SMC (Sheet Molding Compound) process not only offer efficiency gains, but can also eliminate problems and provide the components additional surface properties. PDF-Download

Nameplate with Paint Mask

Michael Spörl

The automotive industry has exacting marking requirements: The clear identification of components should last across their entire lifecycle. This poses a special challenge because many components pass through a painting process. A laser-markable film with an integrated paint mask provides an effective solution. PDF-Download

Large Filter Areas Ensure Clean Exhaust Ducts

Jan Leuderalbert

According to its manufacturer, the dry separation system consisting of rotating filter towers with a particularly large filter area achieves excellent separation results at high energy efficiency. The system, which was developed for use in serial painting, is impressing manufacturers in the automotive industry. PDF-Download

Fully Automatic Equipped for Each Individual Part

Fully automated coating in series production is part of everyday life for many companies. Order-related production is different. Here, the diversity of the parts to be coated poses major challenges for automation. A machine manufacturer has developed a system that solves these and fully automatically coats complex gear parts from batch size 1. PDF-Download

Painting Complex Body Parts With Sharp Edges

Contrast roof painting was the first series application of a robotic system for overspray-free paint application in the automotive industry. Now, with the enhanced version, it can also paint very complex body surfaces such as vertical surfaces or A- and C-pillars, as well as apply individual design elements - masking-free and fully automatically. PDF-Download

Simulating Rust-Free Car Bodies

The development of electric vehicles is posing many new challenges for automotive manufactures. Especially in all aspects of safety, corrosion protection is increasing in importance. A corrosion protection and non-destructive testing specialist offers simulated cavity preservation for components that were only previously available as a digital twin. PDF-Download

Electromobility: New Demands on Cleaning

Electromobility and autonomous driving are the major trends in the automotive industry. This means that parts and components as well as production processes are changing. New and changed tasks are also arising for parts cleaning. PDF-Download

Solvent Cleaning for E-mobility

A manufacturer of complex connecting elements produces copper busbars for e-mobility. Between the individual production steps, which include cold forming, rolling and machining, the parts have to be cleaned. A solvent plant performs this central task reliably, economically and in an environmentally friendly manner. PDF-Download

Touchsensitive Chrome-Plated Plastic Elements

Markus Häp

By combining sensor technology with a chrome-plated component, it is possible to define several touch areas at the same time under a closed chrome surface, which can be applied selectively or over a wide area. In this way, slider functions can also be realized, while at the same time the recyclability of the chrome-plated plastic components is taken into account. PDF-Download

Environmentally Friendly Nickel Plating Processes

Oliver Beier

Two new processes for plastic metallization have been developed as part of a research project. The plasma-assisted processes enable adhesive chemical nickel deposition on a wide range of plastics, but also composites, glasses or ceramic surfaces. A chemical pre-treatment of the substrates can be dispensed with. PDF-Download

Objective Eye Evaluates Visual Color Impression

Anita Fehr

A quality control solution provider for the coatings, inks and plastics industries is introducing a new benchtop spectrophotometer designed to revolutionize color measurement. According to the supplier, the combination of several measurement methods makes it to an objective eye that evaluates the visual color impression in its entirety. PDF-Download

E-Mobility: Superfinishing Reduces Running Noise

With the increasing spread of e-vehicles, the issue of smooth running is gaining in importance. This also increases the demand for superfinish technology. An automotive supplier has purchased an economical superfinishing center and uses it in the production of its e-gearbox shafts. PDF-Download