Toyota invents new way to paint with 95% efficiency

Miko M · 03-12-2020, 08:41 PM

Japanese automaker has turned to an innovative new paint atomizer as another way to reduce CO2 emissions. The airless paint atomizer makes use of static electricity instead of air and, as a result, achieves a coating efficiency of 95 percent instead of the usual 60-70 percent.
What exactly is coating efficiency? It applies to the volume of paint sprayed relative to the amount of paint that ends up sticking to the vehicle's body. With a loss of only five percent from spraying to adhesion, Toyota claims that the new technique achieves the highest coating efficiency in the world.

Using the new painting process will reduce the Toyota Group's CO2 emissions by approximately seven percent, no mean feat for one of the largest automobile manufacturers globally. Unlike conventional air paint atomizers using aerodynamic force - a process that causes paint particles to ricochet off of the surface it is applied to - Toyota's new process sees statically charged particles gravitating to the surface (the vehicle body). In this way, far fewer atomized particles are scattered, so wastage is dramatically reduced.
The diagram below shows the tip of the airless paint atomizer. Cylindrical in shape, the tip has 600 grooves and, upon rotation, the paint flows through the grooves. Using static electricity, the paint is atomized.

Red Bread · 03-12-2020, 08:57 PM

Very cool. I wonder if it helps with orange peel, seems like it could.

c1pher · 03-12-2020, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Very cool. I wonder if it helps with orange peel, seems like it could.

I think it would too since orange peel is essentially a bit of over application.

IllSic_Design · 03-12-2020, 09:17 PM

Pretty neat, sort of like powder coating, but WAY more efficient lol.

Emilime75 · 03-12-2020, 11:59 PM

Can't the powder coating over spray be recycled by scooping it up and spraying it again, making it 100% efficient?

IllSic_Design · 03-13-2020, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emilime75

Can't the powder coating over spray be recycled by scooping it up and spraying it again, making it 100% efficient?

I mean you technically could if you were spraying in a clean room, or had a super clean floor or something to catch the extra powder on. I wouldn't want any bit of dust or dirt particles in my powder.

Emilime75 · 03-13-2020, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IllSic_Design

I mean you technically could if you were spraying in a clean room, or had a super clean floor or something to catch the extra powder on. I wouldn't want any bit of dust or dirt particles in my powder.

I'd assume automotive manufacturers would be spraying in a dust free space, anyway.
Besides, it was a theoretical comment/question.

dreamingat30fps · 03-13-2020, 12:47 AM

Hmmm... i though a lot of manufacturers did this already? At least I think I recall seeing these electro static painters on a bunch of episodes of that ultimate factory car building show.

zx10guy · 03-13-2020, 11:19 AM

Yet, Toyota can't figure out how to produce a proper Infotainment system and can't figure out how to add Android Auto into pre 2020 Entune 3.0 head units. SMH.

FuriouslyFast · 03-13-2020, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Yet, Toyota can't figure out how to produce a proper Infotainment system and can't figure out how to add Android Auto into pre 2020 Entune 3.0 head units. SMH.

Or a proper remote start where the car does not shut off when you open the door.

Red Bread · 03-13-2020, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuriouslyFast

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Yet, Toyota can't figure out how to produce a proper Infotainment system and can't figure out how to add Android Auto into pre 2020 Entune 3.0 head units. SMH.

Or a proper remote start where the car does not shut off when you open the door.

Haha, really? There's no workaround for that?

FuriouslyFast · 03-13-2020, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Haha, really? There's no workaround for that?

None that I know of

heavyD^2 · 03-13-2020, 02:51 PM

The shift to environmentally friendly paints has led to a plague of orange peel on vehicles regardless of brand or price. Hopefully this technology could help rectify this issue.

hellrotm · 03-13-2020, 03:40 PM

Is this really new? Hammonds new show Big, showed an identical process for painting at VW plant using static electricity.

ky0u · 03-13-2020, 05:30 PM

Isn't this the general idea behind powdercoating?

thegump · 03-14-2020, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

The shift to environmentally friendly paints has led to a plague of orange peel on vehicles regardless of brand or price. Hopefully this technology could help rectify this issue.

This is a pretty standard process in current manufacturing plants.

Our facilities have been doing this longer than I've been here (>8 years), changed to water based paint about 6~7 years ago for environmental reasons as you mentioned

juld0zer · 03-16-2020, 08:04 AM

Mazda has been doing this for ages. The end result is a much thinner (weaker) coat

TrevorM3 · 03-16-2020, 11:30 AM

you guys that are whining about orange peel, go buy a Bentley or RR. You will ALWAYS have orange peel.

Red Bread · 03-16-2020, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

you guys that are whining about orange peel, go buy a Bentley or RR. You will ALWAYS have orange peel.

Not nearly as bad with older oil based paint.

Anyone can color sand too, it just obviously adds expense, which explains why Bentley and Rolls are some of the few doing it. But Lexus and Mercedes can manage to paint a car with a fraction of the orange peel of BMW.

inTgr8r · 03-16-2020, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuriouslyFast

Or a proper remote start where the car does not shut off when you open the door.

I thought that was for anti-theft reasons.

ASAP · 03-16-2020, 12:41 PM

I will say having owned numerous Audis and BMWs... BMW paint is really bad... not only does it chip like crazy, it does show orange peel far more than others.

chassis · 03-16-2020, 12:43 PM

Static electricity in paint processes is not new, rather it has been around for quite some time, maybe as long as 20 years.

Automotive exterior “Class A surface” paint is not powder, it is liquid.

Good move by Toyota to improve operational effectiveness. The actions are not new or novel.

03-12-2020, 08:41 PM	#1
Miko M ///M 6648 Rep 3,683 Posts Drives: 2020 M2C. 2020 X3M Join Date: May 2018 Location: Wisconsin iTrader: (0)	Toyota invents new way to paint with 95% efficiency Japanese automaker has turned to an innovative new paint atomizer as another way to reduce CO2 emissions. The airless paint atomizer makes use of static electricity instead of air and, as a result, achieves a coating efficiency of 95 percent instead of the usual 60-70 percent. What exactly is coating efficiency? It applies to the volume of paint sprayed relative to the amount of paint that ends up sticking to the vehicle's body. With a loss of only five percent from spraying to adhesion, Toyota claims that the new technique achieves the highest coating efficiency in the world. Using the new painting process will reduce the Toyota Group's CO2 emissions by approximately seven percent, no mean feat for one of the largest automobile manufacturers globally. Unlike conventional air paint atomizers using aerodynamic force - a process that causes paint particles to ricochet off of the surface it is applied to - Toyota's new process sees statically charged particles gravitating to the surface (the vehicle body). In this way, far fewer atomized particles are scattered, so wastage is dramatically reduced. The diagram below shows the tip of the airless paint atomizer. Cylindrical in shape, the tip has 600 grooves and, upon rotation, the paint flows through the grooves. Using static electricity, the paint is atomized. Attached Images __________________ Life is too short...enjoy your life ///M
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03-12-2020, 08:57 PM	#2
Red Bread Major General 4354 Rep 9,135 Posts Drives: Smog machines Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX iTrader: (0)	Very cool. I wonder if it helps with orange peel, seems like it could.
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03-12-2020, 09:17 PM	#4
IllSic_Design Colonel 2111 Rep 2,759 Posts Drives: 12 E92 328i Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Northern California iTrader: (1)	Pretty neat, sort of like powder coating, but WAY more efficient lol.
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03-12-2020, 11:59 PM	#5
Emilime75 Colonel 1224 Rep 2,476 Posts Drives: 2010 335i E92 LeMans Blue Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Merica! iTrader: (1)	Can't the powder coating over spray be recycled by scooping it up and spraying it again, making it 100% efficient?
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03-13-2020, 12:47 AM	#8
dreamingat30fps Lieutenant Colonel 6047 Rep 1,940 Posts Drives: Miata, ES350, Model 3, F350 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: South Florida & NC iTrader: (1)	Hmmm... i though a lot of manufacturers did this already? At least I think I recall seeing these electro static painters on a bunch of episodes of that ultimate factory car building show.
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03-13-2020, 02:51 PM	#13
heavyD^2 Colonel 3737 Rep 2,990 Posts Drives: X3M Competition Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Too close to Santa iTrader: (0)	The shift to environmentally friendly paints has led to a plague of orange peel on vehicles regardless of brand or price. Hopefully this technology could help rectify this issue.
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03-13-2020, 03:40 PM	#14
hellrotm Banned 4078 Rep 6,924 Posts Drives: F80 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: ...Location...Location iTrader: (0)	Is this really new? Hammonds new show Big, showed an identical process for painting at VW plant using static electricity.
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03-13-2020, 05:30 PM	#15
ky0u Captain 1067 Rep 953 Posts Drives: e92 335i, f22 m235i, e30 325is Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1) Garage List 2015 BMW M235i [0.00] 1988 BMW 325IS [0.00] 2007 BMW 335i [0.00]	Isn't this the general idea behind powdercoating?
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03-16-2020, 08:04 AM	#17
juld0zer Lieutenant Colonel 480 Rep 1,600 Posts Drives: Prev 135i 7DCT, Now 130i 6sp Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: 2153 iTrader: (0)	Mazda has been doing this for ages. The end result is a much thinner (weaker) coat
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03-16-2020, 11:30 AM	#18
TrevorM3 Banned 3297 Rep 8,080 Posts Drives: 6.3 AMG Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Florida iTrader: (0)	you guys that are whining about orange peel, go buy a Bentley or RR. You will ALWAYS have orange peel.
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03-16-2020, 12:41 PM	#21
ASAP Major General 11204 Rep 9,177 Posts Drives: '23 X3 M40i Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	I will say having owned numerous Audis and BMWs... BMW paint is really bad... not only does it chip like crazy, it does show orange peel far more than others.
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03-16-2020, 12:43 PM	#22
chassis Colonel 8338 Rep 2,498 Posts Drives: 9Y0 Cayenne S Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Einbahnstraße iTrader: (0) Garage List 2020 Porsche Cayenne S [7.69]	Static electricity in paint processes is not new, rather it has been around for quite some time, maybe as long as 20 years. Automotive exterior “Class A surface” paint is not powder, it is liquid. Good move by Toyota to improve operational effectiveness. The actions are not new or novel.
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