The paint shop

Prior to receiving its first paint coat, the body is subjected to an intensive preparation process. To guarantee metallic purity of the surface, lubricants, polish and other interfering substances are removed. This is followed by a phosphate coating process during which a zinc phosphate solution is applied to the sheet steel. This guarantees optimum adhesion of the corrosion protection which is subsequently applied. To prevent air bubbles from forming in cavities, resulting in uncoated areas, the body is turned by 360 degrees in the basin. In addition, the phosphate coating is consolidated during a subsequent follow-up treatment.

The welding seams of the vehicle are sealed here with special PVC materials. While most of the steps in this sealing process are carried out by application robots, some manual work procedures remain. The underbody protection is also applied here. It consists of a material which contains PVC and chiefly protects the body from rock chip.

Now painting robots apply the filler on the inside and outside of the body. This coat of paint levels out any remaining unevennesses and possesses UV-protection characteristics. Thanks to its high elasticity, the filler protects the topcoat against damages while simultaneously boosting its brilliance. We use three different filler colors, depending on the topcoat color of the vehicle: white filler is used for bright topcoats, anthracite for dark topcoats and then we have medium grey filler for hues in between. The last step here is a 40-minute drying process during which the final cross-linking of the coats takes place at higher temperatures.

Before the bodies receive their final color, they are thoroughly cleaned and any dirt from preceding processes is removed. Only then is the coloring basecoat applied using high-speed rotating atomizers. In a fine spray of tiny color particles is given its desired hue. We use a special basecoat for metallic hues.
Yet, this paint coat alone will not produce a glossy surface. Once the carrier (water and solvents) has evaporated, the coat will turn matte. The body is now subjected to an 8-minute intermediate drying process before the clearcoat is applied just as precisely as the other coats before it. This coat is chiefly responsible for gloss and color depth and it provides perfect and reliable protection from environmental damages. To cure the topcoat, the body is put through a 35-minute drying process at 135° C.

After the drying process, the vehicle is taken back to ground level and subjected to a thorough visual inspection in the light tunnel. This tunnel is fitted with strips of LED tubes which project their light onto the car bodies. The LED tubes create a uniform strip light pattern which allows our quality inspectors to detect even the slightest imperfection in the paint. Here, we accept nothing short of immaculate: if there is the slightest flaw in the paint, the body is taken out of the line and transferred to spot repair. At this point, the raw vehicle body has been transformed into a high-gloss Porsche Macan or Panamera, which is now taken to the assembly line.