A Technical Seminar Report

on

AUTOMOTIVE PAINTS AND COATINGS

Submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
in

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

by

NITTURE SHAJAHAN

(182G5A0309)
Under the guidance of
Mr. Harinath, M Tech.

Assistant Professor

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

ANANTHA LAKSHMI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ANDSCIENCES
(Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & Affiliated to JNTU Anantapur)
Near S.K.University, Itikalapalli(v),Anantapur (D)– 515721. A.P(2017-2020)
 ANANTHA LAKSHMI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCES

(Approved by AICTE, New Delhi & Affiliated to JNTUAnantapur)

Near S.K.University, Itikalapalli(v),Anantapur (d) – 515 721.A.P.(2016-2020)

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Technical Seminor entitled "AUTOMOTIVE PAINTS AND
COATINGS" is bonafied work of N.SHAJAHAN Bearing Admission No: 182G5A0309
submitted to the faculty of MECHANICAL ENGINEERING in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the award of degree of Bachelor Of Technology in MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING from ANANTHA LAKSHMI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY &
SCIENCES, Itikalapalli(V),Anantapur.

Signature of the Supervisor Signature of the Head of theDept

HARINATH, M. Tech. Dr. RAYUDU PEYYALA, M. Tech, Ph.D,

Assistant Professor, Associate Professor,
Dept. of Mechanical, Dept. of Mechanical,
A.L.T.S , A.L.T.S,
Itikalapalli(v) Itikalpalli(v)
Anantapur. Anantapur.

Signature of the External Examiner

 DECLARATION OF THE CANDIDATE

I hereby declare that the work which is being presented in this seminar report entitled
“AUTOMOTIVE PAINTS AND COATINGS" submitted towards the partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the award of the degree of BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY in
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, Anantha Lakshmi Institute of Technology & Sciences is
an authentic record of my own work carried out during2017-2020 under the supervision of
Mr.HARINATH,M.TECH, Assistant Professor, Department Of MECHANICAL
Engineering, AnanthaLakshmi Institute Of Technology & Sciences,
Itikalapalli(V),Anantapur.

The matter embodied in this seminar report has not been submitted by me for the
award of any other degree. Further, the technical details furnished in the various chapters in
this thesis are purely relevant to the above project.

N.SHAJAHAN

(182G5A0309)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We fortune enough to have an opportunity to present report on “Future Automobiles

With Artificial Intelligence”. We take this opportunity to remember and acknowledge the
cooperation and extended by several individuals, out of which this report evolved.
We express our sincere thanks to our guide Mr. HARINATH, M.Tech, ALITS,
Ananthapuramu for his help extended to us by providing valuable suggestions, timely
advice encouragement and guidance in successfully completing the Technical Seminar.

We wish to express our deep gratitude to project coordinator Mr. S. Khaleel, M.Tech,
Ph.D, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ALITS, for their co-operation and
encouragement in addition to providing necessary facilities throughout the Technical
Seminar.
It is our privilege and pleasure to express my profound sense of respect, gratitude and
indebtedness to Head of the Department Dr. RAYUDU PEYYALA, M.Tech, Ph. D,
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ALITS, Ananthapuramu, for
his inspiration and constant encouragement throughout this project.

We express our sincere thanks to Dr. RAYUDU PEYYALA, M.Tech, Ph.D, Academic
DEAN, ALITS for his encouragement during the academics.

We sincerely extend my thanks to Dr. KHOKALAY V MOORTHY RAO, M.Tech,

Ph.D, M.Sc (Env.Sci), MIAH, MIWRS, MIMS, Principal, ALITS, Ananthapuramu.

We would like to thank all the staff and friends for their constructive criticism, good wishes
and helping hand, which led the successful completion of this project.

We would like to express our deep gratitude to ALITS, Ananthapuramu for providing us
an opportunity to carry out this endure.

By
Project Associate
N.SHAJAHAN
 CONTENTS PAGE No
ABSTRACT
1. INTRODUCTION 1-2
2. TRENDS IN AUTOMOTIVE COATING PROCESSES 3-6
2.1 POWDER COATING 3-4
2.2 ADVANTAGES OF POWDER COATING 4-5
2.3 DISADVANTAGES OF POWDER COATING 5-6
3. MODERN AUTOMOTIVE COATING PROCESSES 7-11
3.1 PRETREATMENT 7-8
3.2 ELETRODEPOSITION 8-9
3.3 RUST – PROOF MATERIALS SEALER/PVC 9-10
3.4 PRIMER 10-11
3.5 TOPCOAT 11
4. AUTOMOTIVE COATING PERFORMANCE 12
5. CONCLUSION 13
 ABSTRACT

Automotive coatings and the processes used to coaat automobile surfaces exemplify the
avant-grade of technologies that are capable of producing durable surfaces, exceeding
customers expections of apperance, maximizing efficiency, and meeting environmental
regulations. These accomplishments are rooted in 100 years of experience, trial-and-error
approaches, technique and technology advancements, and theroetical assessments. Because
of advancenments 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 coating and coating technologies was considered to be a value to
industrial practitioners and researches. 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; (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& paints. Modern automotive coating procedure are also discussed
in details.
 CHAPTER – 1

INTRODUCTION

At the beginning of the automotive industry about 100 years ago, cars were painted with a
varnish-like product that was brushed onto the vehicle surfaces; this coating was sanded and
smoothed, and then varnish was reapplied and refinished to establish several layers of the
coating. After multiple layers of varnish were applied, vehicles were polished to produce
shiny surfaces. Some manufactures, including Ford in the model T line, employed a
combination of brushing, dipping, & even pouring to fully cover and protect various parts
of car.

All of these coating steps were implemented manually, and it was not uncommon for
the period between ht beginnings of the coating process to the end, when the coating was
dry and the car was ready to sell, to take upto 40 days. Between the 1920s & 1940s,
automotive transitioned to using spray equipment & ‘stoving enamels’ that were based on
alkyd resins; these two advancements decreased application and drying times to a week or
less. Because of the newly developed spray coating technologies, the surface finishes were
more even & less sanding was needed.

Automotive coatings continue to evolve as they either satisfy or are anticipated to

meet customer expectations & environmental regulations while also lowering manufacturing
& ownership costs. One of these evolutions is in the use of smart coatings because thet offer
the potential to significantly improve surface durability while adding additional
functionalities or properties like self-healing, super-hydrophobicity, self-stratifying, self-
sensing, sound proofing, & vibration damping.

For example, a smart coating could respond to its environment to enhance the coating
life; a smart coating with self-healing properties would be useful in response to an abrasive,
mechanical trigger or to a corrosive event in which the coating is self-healing as result of
UV, heat, or mechanical activation.

Self-healing can also be achieved by employing shape memory polymers that are
triggered with temperature and humidity manipulations, or with UV radiation; self-healing
asscocited with the swelling of special clays such as montorillonite is also possible. Other
smart coatings include those with internal sensing capabilities that entail the passive or
active triggering of fluorescent molecules or quantum dots. In the former, the sensing system
signals & activates changes in or repair of the coating by sending data to an external detector,
in the latter, the sensing system itself would be responsible for outputting the response
signal.
 CHAPTER – 2

TRENDS IN AUTOMOTIVE COATING PROCESSES

The current trends in automotive coating process are motivated by lowering manufacturing
costs, delivering customer satisfaction via aesthetic features and corrosion protection, and
mitigating environmental concerns. A tremendous amount of consideration has been put into
current automotive coating systems, and they have a level of sophistication that satisfies
most customers around the world. Compared to 30 years ago, the problem of corrosion is
almost alleviated, and the durability & appearance of the topcoats have become acceptable
for the lifetime of a car. In fact, with the worldwide emergence of two-layer topcoats, the
color, gloss, & chip resistance of automobile coating remain in relatively excellent condition
during the first 7-10 years of an automoblie’s use. Aesthetic features are also trending with
automotive fashions. Hence, a closer look at recent trends in automotive coatings is
presented in the following:

2.1 POWDER COATING

Fig.2.1.0. Powder Coating

 One solution to the emission of VOCs has been the replacements of liquid coatings
with coatings in the form of dry, particulate solids, commonly called ‘powder coatings’.
Their compositions contain very low concentrations of volatile solvents, on the order of 2%
substanstially less than any other paint system. Currently, the automotive industry uses
powder coating on wheels, bumpers, hubcaps, dorr handles, decorative trim & accent parts,
truck beds, radiators, & numerous engine parts.

A clear powder topcoat has been developed; BMW & Volvo are using it on their new
model cars, & GM, Ford, & Chrysler have formed a consortium to test it on their production
lines.

2.2 ADVANTAGES OF POWDER COATING

1. Powder Coating is More Durable

Powder Coating gives consumers, businesses, and industries one of the most
economical, longest lasting, and most color-durable quality finishes available on virtually
any type of metal. Powder coated surfaces are more resistant to chipping, scratching, fading,
and wearing than other finishes. Colors stay bright and vibrant longer.

2. Powder Coating is More Environmental Friendly

Powder Coating is also highly protective of our environment. While liquid finishes
contain solvents which have pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOC's),
powder coating contains no solvents and release negligible amounts, if any, VOC's into the
atmosphere. Therefore, there is no longer a need for finishers to buy and maintain costly
pollution control equipment.

3. Powder helps reduce the health hazard to operators

As powders do not contain solvent there is a marked reduction in nose, mouth and
throat irritation. With liquid coating, any liquid paint which comes into contact with an
operator’s skin needs to be washed off with solvent, and then removed by emulsifying with
soap in hot water. In general powder does not cause skin irritation though in rare cases
individuals may react to certain types of powder. The powder can be removed from the skin
easily by washing with warm water.

4. With powder, processing time is reduced

Powder processing times are generally shorter than those used for wet stoving paints
since, as there is no solvent, no flash off period is required. Instead, the powder coated
articles can pass directly into the oven. This gives substantial saving in space and time.

5. With powder, the air requirements are reduced – more cost savings

The air extraction in a powder spray booth is a lot less than for solvent based paints.
Great news if you’re looking for economies in ventilation and the consequential heating of
work areas. As less warm air has to be replaced in workshops, less dust is attracted and
there is less air-draught for the operators to contend with.

6. Powder is cleaner to use

Applying powder is much cleaner than applying wet paint. A spray booth can be
cleaned down quickly and easily using a rubber squeegee whilst the normal air extraction in
the booth is operating. Brushes or an air hose should not be used for this purpose. Any
spillages of powder outside the booth can be removed with an industrial vacuum cleaner
which is fitted with an air-driven or dust-tight motor.

2.3 DISADVANTAGES OF POWDER COATING

Although powder coating has many advantages, it also has disadvantages as well, including:

• Hard to achieve thin coating layers

• Will break down if exposed to UV rays
• Color change difficulties
• Start up costs are high
• Difficult to touch up
• Part has to be grounded in order to powder coat
• Less control over the speed and amount of powder coating applied
• Requires baking
• Less control over smoothness
• Must be painted electrostatically
• Requires a powder coating over, spray gun and booth

CHAPTER – 3

MODERN AUTOMOTIVE COATING PROCESSES

Modern automotive coating methods consists of five main steps. They include the following:

3.1 PRETREATMENT

Fig.3.1.0 Pretreatment sequences for the body-in-white

The first sequence in preparing the BIW for subsequent coating is pretreatment sees
Fig.2. Preatrament removes & clean excess metal & forms an appropriate surface structure
enabling bonding of a corrosion protection layer. It consists of cleaning the body surface to
remove remaining oils from the staming process & welding residues through three primary
liquid dip processes of degreasing, conditioning, & phosphating. Pretreament helps the
primer to bond onto the metal. A phosphate treatment applies an inert layer of metal
phosphate, providing resistance to corrosion spread.

The degreasing solution is composed of alkaline salts & surfactants & can include
caustic soda, sodium carbonate. The surfactants are types of detergents for emulsifying oils
& lubricants on the BIW. In surface conditioner which creates nucleation sites for phosphate
crystal growth. It increases the number of crystallization nuclei on the metal surface that
enchance bonding mechanism for the subsequent phosphate sequence. Finally, the liquid dip
phosphate ions, nitrate ions, zinc & hydrogen ions. The free acid etches the steel surface,
causing hydrogen to be released while metal phosphate ions are precipitated onto the surface
in a crystalline form.

3.2 ELETRODEPOSITION

Fig.3.2.0 Electrodepostion coating process

E-coating involves dipping automobile bodies into the coating solution & passing an electric
current through the body & the liquid ED paint solution. Because of the charged nature of
this coating process, the ED paint penetrates into places a spray would not reach.

During operation, a mixture of resin, binder, & a paste containing the pigments is
fed into the ED tank. The automobile body is lowered into the tank, & an electric current
applied; the solution in the tank consists of 80-90% deionised water & 10-20% paint
solids.The resin is the backbone of the final paint film & provides corrosion protection,
durability, & toughness. Pigments are used to provide color & gloss. After E-coat, the
automobile body enters a bake oven, in which heating & keeping at a temperature of 160_C
for 10 min causes film curing to promote maximum performance properties.
 The oven temperature & heating time primarily enchance chip resistance & film
adhesion to the body; corrosion protected is affected less by these conditions. Because
surface roughness influences the smoothness & brilliance of the topcoat, some sanding of
the surface is usually performed to remove or eliminate defects before the body enters the
next application step. A common challenge in the cureent E-coating process is that of water
spots that contaminate coated surfaces. If water spots are present, they have removed ny
sanding. Hence, it is necessary to use well-deionoised water & routinely monitor its
conductivity. Alternstely, operators also add surfactants or ultrafiltrates to the water rinse
zone to eliminate or manage water spots

3.3 RUST-PROOF MATERIALS: SEALER/PVC

Fig.3.3.0 The Underbody Coating

The third step is underbody coating & seam sealing using PVC. Fig.4 displays the
lower door sections & rocker panel locations where PVC or urethanes are applied as an anti-
chipping protection, & shows the cross section of this layer with respect to the other coatings
on the body parts.

During this third step, it is also typical to apply a soft tip primer coat that improves
the chipping resistance . This layer is applied to the front edge of the hood , which is an area
prone to chipping shock, using a high elastic resin that resides between the ED & primer
coats. Also, during the third step, the radiator supports, wheel housing, & under rar areas of
the body are coated with a relatively dull black pigment called a blackout coating.
3.4 PRIMER

Fig.3.4.0 Primer Coating

The fourth coating step is the primer. It can be water-borne, solvent-borne, or a

powder. The primer fills & smoothes minor imperfections & scratches that may be created
during prior steps & by the intermediate sanding or grinding used to remove small
imperfections. It also provides additional protection against corrosion & maximizes
adhesion between it & the E-coat & basecoat; thereby, the primer incrases paint durability.

Primer coating operations in an automobile assembly plant are usually implemented

in three stages: Interior coating, Exterior coating, & then cutting in an oven. Manual spray
painting is used for the interior coating of the doors, engine compartment, & luggage or
trunk space. Some of the areas are not sprayed with basecoat. It is important that are primer
color matches the basecoat to be able to impart uniform coating appearances between
interior & exterior coats.

3.5 TOPCOAT

The final step in the body coating process is to apply the topcoat, which consists of two
layers the basecoat & clearcoat.
Basecoat: It contains the primary coloring pigments. As part of the topcoat, the basecoat is
third layr added to the car after the primer & before the clearcoat. It imparts the automobiles
color; roughly 40,000 base coat color are known today , & approximately 1000 new colors
are added to this list each year. Three different types of basecoats are used for automobiles,
including solvent-borne medium solids (MS), solvent-borne high solids (HS), & water-
borne.

Clearcoat: The final coating on an automobile surface is the clearcoa; it provides durability,
environmental etch, & scratch resistance to the overall coating. It protects against damage
such as fading that is caused by UV rays from the sun & imparts a gloss & depth that
otherwise are not as vivid. The clearcoat also makes repairs & maintenance easier.
Environmental etch is an appearance issue associated with the formation of permanent water
spots or non-removable marks from bird droppings, tree resin, or other chemicals after
contact with an automobiles surface. The physical damage resulting from etchi=ng is
associated with a localized loss of material & deformation or pitting of the clarcoat surface.

CHAPTER – 4

AUTOMOTIVE COATING PERFORMANCE

The performance of an automotive coating can be accessed from different views, e.g., the
durability of the exterior & interior paint finishes or the aesthetic features. However,
limitations exist on the paint properties, process capabilities, & most importantly, the
amount of money that can be spent to improve the finish. Consequently, each automotive
company define its color & appearance standards, which are to meet or exceed the levels
reached by competitors & customers expectations. For checking of coating performance we
consider some features like:

a) Coating Quality: It can be judged on three main criteria: protection against harsh
environment; durability; & appearance quality.

b) Color: Uniform & consistent color is essential to achieve the impression of a high-
quality finish & avoid customer complaints. This issue is important not only at the
time of purchase but also at the time of purchase but also throughout the lifetime of
a vehicle. Factors that influence color tone are pigment orientation & concentration

c) Corrosion Protection: Automobile coatings are subjected to a number of different

environments & situations during their service life. Degradation of the coating
depends on three main factors: coating formula, the intensities of the environments
or situation, & their duration. Exposure to UV from the sun, heat, & humidity has a
long term deleterious effect with different degrees of intensity depending on the
climate & weather conditions.

CHAPTER – 5

CONCLUSION
Automotive coatings confront an almost limitless variety of environments & environmental
assaults. Targeting customers, expectations, together with maximizing efficiencies &
meeting environmental regulations with new processes, has brought automotive coating to
a level not imagined 100 years ago. The appearance of the surface significantly affects a
customer’s perception of product quality. Additionally, customer expectations for the
attributes given by the appearance of coating s continue to increase as manufactures compete
to provide surfaces that offer enhanced surface characteristics.

The current paper gave a semi-comprehensive & up-to-date review of these new
processes & coating technologies to be of value to industrial practitioners & researches. New
developments in automotive coatings were chronicled & discusses, & then related to
improvements in production technologies & paints. Modern automotive coating procedures
were also discussed in details. Finally, the discussion covered recent trends in automotive
coating processes & potential future developments.