Ford Motor Company engineers and scientists have developed a new paint process that allows two different colours of paint to simultaneously be applied to a vehicle without the worry of having the colours bleed together. This claimed industry first wet-on-wet (WOW) process for painting accent colours will boost output of two-toned 2004 Super Duty trucks.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The new paint process enables the vehicles to be painted in two-tone colours yet go through the paint application process only once. In addition, the new process allows the elimination of material waste normally associated with painting two-tone vehicles such as the tape, plastics and paper required to “mask” a vehicle to ensure the two different paints don’t run together.
The desire to have multi-coloured exterior paint finishes and unique colour combinations on vehicles has been a customer demand since the early ‘50s. Driving a vehicle painted with multiple colours has its place in luxury and passenger vehicles but makes its biggest impact and meets its greatest demand in heavy trucks.
According to Ford colour and material designer Alan Eggly, “On a taller or more ‘trucky’ vehicle, two-tone paint breaks up a big vertical surface. It brings a sophisticated and technical feel to a large SUV or pick-up.”
 |
|
Old
masking method was difficult to use and created a lot of waste. |
Unlike the new WOW process, most vehicles
are given a two-tone appearance by passing
through the enamel booths and paint ovens
twice for a “bake-on-bake” process. “Putting
a vehicle through the paint application
process more than once not only reduces
two-tone capability but also exposes the
freshly painted surfaces to additional dirt
and contamination of the enamel,” said paint
process specialist Jake Braslaw. “This can
also result in more chip and scratch complaints
in service.”
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataIn addition, other two-tone processes that incorporate more than one paint cycle on a vehicle add an additional layer of basecoat and clearcoat onto the surface that increases the thickness of the paint. “Applying tape stripes to hide small imperfections is much more difficult. Air bubbles and other imperfections are one of the major customer complaints,” said Braslaw.
Ford’s paint application staff began researching a new and improved two-tone application process in mid-2001. There was a need to produce additional F250 and F350 two-tone models to meet customer demands. At the time the Kentucky Truck assembly plant was unable to meet the capacity demands and met with paint engineers to develop a solution.
As a result of enthusiastic cooperation from the plant, the new process was launched seamlessly, under budget and ahead of schedule. It utilises a combination of existing plant equipment together with new flexible, robotic bell automation. The previous prime booth was converted into a flexible painting cell capable of painting both prime and basecoat materials in any given vehicle area.
“What’s really exciting about this is that we were able to utilise the existing prime booth, make necessary conversions utilising 100% of the plant skilled trades while running a three crew operation, and deliver it ahead of schedule,” said wet on wet two-tone project Leader Aaron Fiala. “KTP will now be able to produce new and exciting two-tone features that will simply delight our customers.”
 |
|
New
masks are easier to install and create much less waste. |
The WOW process begins after electrocoat
is applied and cured for corrosion resistance.
A conventional exterior body primer is then
applied to the box and upper panels of the
vehicle while an advanced primer developed
by DuPont Hubert Automotive Systems is applied
to the lower areas of the truck that will
feature the two-tone accent colour.
The advanced primer was developed exclusively for the WOW process. The properties of the new primer make it possible to apply the colour accent coat over the wet prime layer while maintaining the chip protection, corrosion protection and durability standards of the conventional two-tone process. “This new development in paint technology is crucial for the success of the project,” said wet on wet material project leader Alyson Dunlop.
An advanced mask/demask process is another key aspect of the wet-on-wet process. The new masking material, developed by Ford paint engineers, is easier and faster to put on without tearing or leaving residue that might harm the finish.
As a whole, wet-on-wet two-toning effectively eliminates most of the drawbacks of the old “bake-on-bake” two-tone process. In addition, wet-on-wet is more environment-friendly because it substantially reduces the amount of solid masking waste.
Thanks to the WOW process the plant has started increasing production capacity by 29,700 units per year. Of these, 24,300 units are additional two-tone units. The additional units produced will improve profitability by more than $US300 million, Ford claims.
“Clearly the new wet-on-wet two-tone process can be considered an unqualified success,” said Braslaw. “Plans to replicate the process at other plants are now in progress.”
