The automotive painting process is one of the most time-consuming, technically complex, and environmentally challenging stages in vehicle manufacturing. As regulations on emissions and environmental protection become stricter, reducing hazards, cutting costs, and improving coating quality have become central goals in the development of coating technologies. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in terms of quality, eco-friendliness, and cost efficiency through new materials, processes, and technologies. Environmentally friendly materials are now widely used in standard three-coat systems, while innovative techniques that were once impossible to implement are now being applied or are on the verge of commercialization. This signals a new era of advancement in automotive body painting technology.
First, the four key elements of automotive paint booth operations—coating materials, processes, equipment, and management—are interdependent and drive continuous improvement in the industry. The 21st century is an era of heightened environmental awareness, with sustainability becoming a top priority globally. Automotive painting, especially for body parts, remains one of the most energy-intensive and polluting steps in the production chain. Therefore, reducing pollution, lowering costs, and achieving high-quality finishes remain central to ongoing technological development.
Second, wastewater from paint booths poses serious environmental risks. In recent years, coating technologies and equipment have evolved significantly, focusing on reducing waste, lowering costs, and optimizing production. Thanks to advances in coating materials, body coating systems have also seen major improvements. Several new coating systems and technologies are either already in use or will soon be implemented in industrial settings. While China’s current coating processes and equipment are comparable to those in Europe and the U.S. from about ten years ago, some companies have introduced advanced international equipment on their new lines, adopting several innovative body painting methods.
Third, several advanced coating technologies are currently being used or developed, including reverse process technology, secondary electrophoresis, integrated coating, and membrane technology.
Reverse process technology involves applying powder coating to the exterior of the vehicle body, followed by electrophoretic coating after melting. This reduces electrophoretic coating usage by around 60%, replaces the primer and intermediate layers with a 70-micron powder coating, and eliminates the need for an intermediate drying step. This leads to material and energy savings and lower VOC emissions.
Secondary electrophoresis uses two layers of electrophoretic material, with the second layer (35–40 microns) replacing the traditional intermediate coat. This method offers high stability, reliability, and material efficiency, requires less equipment investment, and can cut costs by up to 48%. It also reduces maintenance frequency and VOC emissions.
Integrated coating eliminates the intermediate coat by using a functional layer (15 microns) with the same color as the topcoat. Since no drying is needed between the functional layer and the topcoat, the intermediate coat line is removed, significantly reducing VOC emissions and boosting production efficiency.
Membrane technology involves pre-formed topcoat films suitable for thermoforming. These films offer performance and appearance similar to conventional spray coatings and are mainly used for plastic parts. The film is molded together with the part using insert molding or in-mold processes, resulting in a flawless finish.
In this system, the body frame is manufactured via traditional stamping and welding, and only painted in the booth. A powder coating is used for the top coat, which doesn’t need to match the cover’s color due to the limited exposed area. Large covers are made from plastic parts with film coating technology, offering thousands of color options. This simplifies the painting process, lowers costs, and ensures VOC emissions stay below 7g/m², well under European standards.
Currently, developed countries like the U.S. and Europe are rapidly adopting eco-friendly materials, with VOC emissions far below regulatory limits. Coating automation, efficiency, and material utilization have improved further, and new technologies aimed at reducing costs and emissions are emerging. These innovations are not limited to traditional processes but include alternative techniques that are changing the design and manufacturing concepts of automotive bodies.
This indicates that automotive painting technology is entering a new phase of development, offering more choices in design and protective solutions. Although China’s current body painting technology is not very different from that in Europe and the U.S., there is still a gap in R&D for coating materials and related technologies. Addressing this gap is a shared challenge across the industry.
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