Paint Process

[jtmarten]

"Division 3: Paint Division — Priming consists of the dip process of the body frame for anti-corrosion and the color side for painting the body panels utilizing an environmentally friendly “dry process.”"

The 'dry process' for painting the body panels intrigues me. Is this a powder paint (powder coat) process?

Glad to see they will be dipping the body frame for corrosion resistance.

 

[Keith Stone]

Nice looks like you got the update as well, I posted the plant layout "in the news forum"

 

[jetpack54]

"Division 3: Paint Division — Priming consists of the dip process of the body frame for anti-corrosion and the color side for painting the body panels utilizing an environmentally friendly “dry process.”"

The 'dry process' for painting the body panels intrigues me. Is this a powder paint (powder coat) process?

Glad to see they will be dipping the body frame for corrosion resistance.

Using positively charged powdered paint against negatively charged surface then baked?? It's an encouraging news from EM. Now they have the layout of the plant and a plan to put it all together. I'm hoping most if not all of the existing machineries and tools at the plant are usable for ELIO's assembly to save cost. Towards the end of that update it says "launch" and got me all pumped up thinking I'm gonna find a date somewhere in that update, unfortunately "no cigar" but it's a lot better than the last one.

 

[BlioKart]

So a galvanized and powder coated frame

 

[Keith Stone]

Using positively charged powdered paint against negatively charged surface then baked?? It's an encouraging news from EM. Now they have the layout of the plant and a plan to put it all together. I'm hoping most if not all of the existing machineries and tools at the plant are usable for ELIO's assembly to save cost. Towards the end of that update it says "launch" and got me all pumped up thinking I'm gonna find a date somewhere in that update, unfortunately "no cigar" but it's a lot better than the last one.

Glad they are painting frame, although it Sounds like a different way to paint..., makes me think of the saying opposites attract!

 

[Hog]

Pardon my ignorance here, but I am not aware you can powder coat plastic panels. Metal yes, we do it all the time, but how do you apply the voltage differential to a plastic panel? My only experience with this involved a static charge, and that repelled paint, not attracted it. Ended up buying new Ninja panels....

 

[goofyone]

Pardon my ignorance here, but I am not aware you can powder coat plastic panels. Metal yes, we do it all the time, but how do you apply the voltage differential to a plastic panel? My only experience with this involved a static charge, and that repelled paint, not attracted it. Ended up buying new Ninja panels....

I will search for a link to an article about it but I have read that in modern composite panels they mix in conductive fibers which allows them to give the panels the necessary charge for electrostatic painting.

Update: Ryan's article below apparently has another solution which was to be used by GM in Shreveport with SMC panels which is what Elio Motors has said they will be using. I have also found an article which mentions the conductive fiber solution so apparently they now have several ways of making this happen.

http://www.plasticsnews.com/article...84/sabic-plastic-body-panels-are-coming-back#

 

[Ryan]

Pardon my ignorance here, but I am not aware you can powder coat plastic panels. Metal yes, we do it all the time, but how do you apply the voltage differential to a plastic panel? My only experience with this involved a static charge, and that repelled paint, not attracted it. Ended up buying new Ninja panels....

I wasn't aware of it before, but apparently you can! Sounds like it's a matter of heating the part to make the powder stick, rather than using electrostatic charge:
Q: I’m investigating powder coating for use in coating fiberglass and carbon fiber fabrics. I would like to coat these materials with a thermoplastic powder at 40 percent coating by weight. The powder has a melt temperature of 540°F. Particle size can be controlled through grinding. The end-use application is composite part manufacturing. Any information would be helpful. S.R., Anaheim, Calif.
A: You can coat fiberglass with standard powder coatings. The trick is you have to preheat the fiberglass to get the powder attracted to and sticking to the part. This takes a bit of experimenting, but it does work. Standard powders are in the cure range of 300°F to 425°F. Fiberglass doesn't like those kinds of temperatures, so you can get a lower-temperature-cure powder, but it won't have much in the way of performance characteristics. Of course, what do you need when coating over fiberglass? It doesn't rust. Powders are typically rated by specific gravity. For instance, a "standard" powder’s specific gravity is likely to be in the 1.4 range. And it’s virtually 100 percent solids, so there are no emissions or solvents that would result in something less than the rated solids. There may be about 1.0 percent to 1.5 percent vapor in the curing process, but it’s harmless and negligible. For powders with cure temperatures as you noted, I suggest clicking on the magazine’s annual Buyer’s Guide on this site to find manufacturers to contact.
(link: http://www.pcoating.com/content/JournalAnswersDetails.aspx?Q=4&Y=2012 )

I also found this article (http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/innovation-driving-automotive-smc )
Adapting SMCs for powder priming
Just when SMC suppliers thought they had solved OEM paint line compatibility problems, several automakers, notably General Motors (GM) and DaimlerChrysler in North America, started replacing traditional solvent-based spray primer systems with powder coating systems. Because the electrodeposition coatings are water-based, and many topcoat systems were moving to water-based or low-VOC (volatile organic compound) systems, the primer applied between these two steps had become a target for solvent reduction. While the switch to powder coating was no problem for steel (large appliances have been powder coated for years), SMC parts, even those incorporating the new toughened resins and sealers, did not fare well. During cure, the primer on many SMC parts developed a rough, "leather-like"surface — a clear cause for rejection.

In search of a solution, GM's SMC expert Hamid Kia assembled a team that included resin suppliers AOC and Ashland, paint supplier Red Spot Paint and Varnish (Evansville, Ind.) and molders Continental Structural Plastics (formerly Budd Plastics, Troy, Mich.) and Meridian Automotive Systems (Allen Park, Mich.). GM research identified the cause of the problem: Moisture and air were absorbed into SMC during transport and storage, then released from molded parts in the 350°F/177°C primer ovens. The source of the absorption was found to be the industry standard low-profile additive polyvinyl acetate (PVAC), which formed microvoids as the SMC cured. "We found that all organic materials have this problem to some degree,"explains Mike Dettre, business manager for closed mold resins at AOC.

Both Ashland and AOC reformulated resins with alternate low-profile additives that limit the moisture pickup to less than 0.3 percent — less than half that of SMCs that incorporate PVAC — yet still achieve the same level of molded surface finish. Although the reformulated resins, with existing sealers, stopped the problem when the parts were painted soon after molding, parts still failed if allowed to sit for more than a few days, especially in humid environments. Since then, Red Spot has developed a new sealer that prevents moisture uptake for longer periods. The sealer has, to date, passed tests. A second round of testing in warm, humid weather is planned for summer 2007 at GM's Shreveport, La. assembly plant, after which the new materials can formally enter the approval process.

 

[Hog]

Interesting, thanks for the education.

found this -good read -
http://www.nordson.com/en-us/divisi...Powder Documentation/Case Studies/PWR3605.pdf

 

[DWR]

"Division 3: Paint Division — Priming consists of the dip process of the body frame for anti-corrosion and the color side for painting the body panels utilizing an environmentally friendly “dry process.”"

The 'dry process' for painting the body panels intrigues me. Is this a powder paint (powder coat) process?

Glad to see they will be dipping the body frame for corrosion resistance.

I don't know if this is what they plan on doing, but this way is more enviromentally friendly. Exactly what Tech Talk said it was.

http://www.gkn.com/corporaterespons...s/introduction-of-a-dry-painting-process.aspx