“On cars with tinted rear windows, the cover plates in high-gloss black are a perfect match with the design,” says the Director of the Powder Coating Lab.
Robust and beautiful: the B-pillars of the Audi A8 4.0 TFSI quattro are hidden behind aluminum cover plates covered with powder coating from Wörwag.
Acrylic powder also guarantees flawless gradation as well as a brilliant, scratch-resistant surface.
Application of the coating is relatively simple: apply the coating, cure, done. The cover plates are packaged and shipped directly after coating. The key to success when working with aluminum surfaces is the pretreatment, which ensures an optimal adhesive bond on the substrate.
This is different from the application process on sheet steel, for example, on which the bond with the substrate can often be assured even without pretreatment. Alternatives include foils and liquid coatings. Wörwag also offers these types of products. Aluminum looks set to become even more important in body construction. And with it, the use of powder coating will become more important as well. In the current C-class from Mercedes, the aluminum content is 50 % of the total. Compared to the first VW Golf, the aluminum content in the seventh generation rose from 50 kilograms (110 lbs) to 140 (308 lbs). No doubt about it—aluminum is no lightweight.
Arne Mielke
an expert in aluminum coating processes. And he appreciates the everyday benefits of aluminum: “Perfect for packing sandwiches.”
Photos: Frederik Laux; Audi AG