Painting Process Engineering

Choosing the right processes and systems significantly affects a paint shop’s profitability for many years. When conducting planning and optimization tasks, the Department of Coating Systems and Painting Technology implements established calculation and evaluation methods (e.g. the planning and forecasting system CoaTway®). It then checks the processes, system components and painting results in collaboration with the supplier companies concerned.

Today’s demands on existing coating facilities are changing constantly, for example due to new requirements concerning legislation, paint materials, painting technologies or a need to improve efficiency.  Painting processes therefore have to be continuously improved if a company wants to keep ahead of the competition.

Expectations regarding the durability of coatings are high. The pretreatment and painting processes must be performed in narrower process windows and costs must be minimized. This is a balancing act, which forces painting companies to find a way to guarantee production reliability while keeping costs low at the same time. Selecting and implementing the right Testing technology is a decisive success factor - no easy task given the huge number of available measurement and test procedures, standards, guidelines and in-house test specifications.

Fraunhofer IPA is an independent, unbiased institution that carried out application-oriented, practical research and development work and offers related services. The extensive range of analysis equipment in the Department of Coating Systems and Painting Technology’s test labs is constantly being adapted in line with current standards.

Our Services

• Painting process and system design
• Process optimization
• Analyzing weak points and coating errors
• Technology assessments
• Expert opinions
• Evaluating and comparing paints and painting facilities
• Concepts for integrating in-line painting processes
• Painting tests and inspection of initial samples
• Workshops, seminars and in-house training courses

Our laboratories

We implement accredited test procedures according to DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025.
We attach great importance to the reliability of testing and measuring methods as well as to fulfilling the expectations and demands of our customers.

The range of services offered by the test lab at Fraunhofer IPA includes, for example:

• Tests to evaluate machines and equipment,
• Determining material properties and the quality of coatings,
• Analyzing coating defects and damage,
• Optimizing and developing methods for analyzing paint films and
• Paint compatibility tests

In the course of planning and optimization projects, we help you analyze and evaluate coating technologies and rationalization potential:

• Elaboration of specifications,
• Tests on coatings,
• Specific tests on paints as well as staff training and seminars