In the world of automotive paint, consistent results are key – not only to the folks in quality control, but more importantly, to the folks in the showroom (and I don’t mean the sales folks!)
Nov 21, 2018 3:35:02 PM
In the world of automotive paint, consistent results are key – not only to the folks in quality control, but more importantly, to the folks in the showroom (and I don’t mean the sales folks!)
Oct 29, 2018 4:12:25 PM
The robotic industry is growing by leaps and bounds. According to the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), 2017 was another record-breaking year. Last year, shipments were up 9 percent over the previous year. It was the seventh straight year North American robot shipments increased.
This year forecasts to be similar, continuing that upward trend.
The industrial robotic painting sector is no different. The same factors that are driving growth in the overall robotics market are driving growth in the industrial robotic painting segment.
For good reason.
Topics: Viscosity, Paint Temperature Control Series, automotive painting, paint temperature control, automotive paint finishing
Mar 18, 2018 4:04:00 PM
Editor’s Note: Our VP of Engineering & Technology Mike Bonner recently spoke at the 2018 Waterborne Symposium held in New Orleans, LA. His presentation went in-depth on the differences in atomization between spray guns and bell atomizers, shedding light on how paint finishers can further improve their applications. For those not in attendance, he’s also prepared his insights here for our blog as a series of posts. To view the rest of the posts in the series, visit the Guns vs. Bells blog series page. For a video of this presentation, sign up to follow our YouTube Channel.
Topics: Viscosity, paint and coating, Guns vs Bells Series
Mar 15, 2018 2:47:00 PM
Editor’s Note: Our VP of Engineering & Technology Mike Bonner recently spoke at the 2018 Waterborne Symposium held in New Orleans, LA. His presentation went in-depth on the differences in atomization between spray guns and bell atomizers, shedding light on how paint finishers can further improve their applications. For those not in attendance, he’s also prepared his insights here for our blog as a series of posts. To view the rest of the posts in the series, visit the Guns vs. Bells blog series page. Also, watch for the video of that presentation, arriving soon on our YouTube Channel.
Topics: Viscosity, paint and coating, Guns vs Bells Series
Mar 11, 2018 4:03:57 PM
Editor’s Note: Our VP of Engineering & Technology Mike Bonner recently spoke at the 2018 Waterborne Symposium held in New Orleans, LA. His presentation went in-depth on the differences in atomization between spray guns and bell atomizers, shedding light on how paint finishers can further improve their applications. For those not in attendance, he’s also prepared his insights here for our blog as a series of posts. To view the rest of the posts in the series, visit the Guns vs. Bells blog series page. Also, watch for the video of this presentation to be loaded soon on our YouTube page.
Topics: Viscosity, paint and coating, Guns vs Bells Series
Mar 8, 2018 2:56:00 PM
Editor’s Note: Our VP of Engineering & Technology Mike Bonner recently spoke at the 2018 Waterborne Symposium held in New Orleans, LA. His presentation went in-depth on the differences in atomization between spray guns and bell atomizers, shedding light on how paint finishers can further improve their applications. For those not in attendance, he’s also prepared his insights here for our blog as a series of posts. To view future posts in the series, check the Guns vs. Bells blog series page over the following weeks on Thursdays and Sundays. Also, watch for the recording of this presentation to be put up on our YouTube channel shortly…
Topics: Viscosity, paint and coating, Guns vs Bells Series
Mar 4, 2018 1:02:00 PM
Editor’s Note: Our VP of Engineering & Technology Mike Bonner recently spoke at the 2018 Waterborne Symposium held in New Orleans, LA. His presentation went in-depth on the differences in atomization between spray guns and bell atomizers, shedding light on how paint finishers can further improve their applications.
For those not in attendance, he’s prepared his insights here for our blog as a series of posts. To view future posts in the series, check the Guns vs. Bells blog series page over the following weeks on Thursdays and Sundays. The presentation was recorded and will be also available on our YouTube channel in the not-too-distant future. Stay tuned for that announcement!
Topics: Viscosity, paint and coating, Guns vs Bells Series
Jan 28, 2018 1:02:00 PM
Saint Clair Systems rings out 2017 by offering automotive paint finishers detailed, objective data on the impact of paint temperature on their paint finish quality.
In a series of controlled laboratory experiments, Saint Clair Systems teamed with Carlisle Fluid Technologies and BYK-Gardner to test the relationship between paint temperature and finish quality. The resulting data demonstrates that the two are intrinsically linked, quantifying the incredible quality improvements and cost savings that temperature control can provide for automotive paint finishers.
This comprehensive study is a first for the paint finishing industry.
Topics: Temperature control, paint temperature control, automotive finishing, Industrial finishing
Jan 18, 2018 3:06:38 PM
Ceresana, the German market research company, just released its Market Study of Automotive Coatings for 2018. According to Ceresana, “The report examines demand and revenues of 7 world regions and 16 countries from 2008 to 2024.” It focuses on electrodepostion coating and the primer/surfacer, basecoat, and clearcoat layers.
Topics: coating, automotive finishing
Jan 11, 2018 3:27:43 PM
Automotive finishing is set for incredible growth. According to a report from Research and Markets, from $8.82 billion in 2015, the global industry is projected to hit $12.54 billion by 2022!
This growth is being driven by expanding markets overseas — especially in China — as well as strict environmental regulations at home and in Europe that are expected to increase the demand for waterborne, UV cure, and powder coatings.
What does this mean for you as an automotive finisher? In a word: “opportunity.” But only if you can keep up with the higher quality standards that will invariably accompany the increase in demand.
As a market grows, customers expect more from their suppliers, so automotive painters will have to find ways to ensure that their finishes are free of blemishes, defects, and imperfections.
That’s certainly a tall order, especially considering that, even today, some of the top automotive manufacturers struggle to control issues such as orange peel (as shown in this video).
But, fortunately, it’s not impossible.
One solution can be found in paint temperature control. Saint Clair Systems has demonstrated that there is a direct and measurable correlation between paint temperature and surface finish quality. In fact, paint temperature can be used as a tool to avoid surface imperfections on a finished part.
These conclusions were confirmed in a series of lab experiments performed in partnership with Carlisle Fluid Technologies, a global leader in surface finishing equipment with hundreds of years of experience in the industry across its brands (which include Binks and DeVilbiss, two companies started by the acknowledged inventors of paint spraying technology), and BYK-Gardner, a global leader in finish quality measurement, whose “Wavescan” is the “Gold Standard” for measurement of orange peel. In this Design-of-experiments, panels were sprayed at different temperatures across a range of finishing variables.
So what’s the point?
Put simply, one way to keep up with the rising demand the finishing industry will see over the next roughly four years is maintaining rigorous process control. And this study shows the importance of paint temperature as one of those critical variables. Automotive finishers need to identify the ideal application temperature for each of their paints, and then they need to maintain that temperature as part of their process.
This is where a comprehensive paint temperature control system is important. You can do everything possible to control your process variables, including robotic applicators and controlled booths, but unless you’re controlling your paint temperature, you’re still going to see intermittent finish quality issues. It’s a science all its own. Well-designed paint temperature control systems use a variety of technologies to manage temperature at the most critical point in your process – the point of application.
This is a key way to ensure you get your slice of that $12.54-billion-dollar pie!
If you’d like more information on custom paint temperature control systems designed specifically for your application, contact Saint Clair Systems.
Topics: Viscosity, Paint Temperature Control Series, automotive painting, paint temperature control, future outlook, automotive finishing
