BASF has inaugurated a new innovative research center for e-coat at its headquarters in Münster-Hiltrup, Germany.
BASF Coatings has inaugurated a new research center for electrophoretic dip coating at its headquarters in Münster-Hiltrup, Germany. The electrophoretic or cathodic dip coat (e-coat) protects the surfaces, edges and cavities of a car body from corrosion and evens the roughness of the pre-treated metal surfaces, thus providing the optimal basis for the application of the subsequent paint layers.
The center will be used primarily for CathoGuard® 800 e-coat technology, which has already been applied to over 100 million vehicles worldwide. CathoGuard® 800 is free of organic tin compounds and has a very low solvent content. An optimized distribution of the film thickness saves material and, at the same time, guarantees the protection of the whole body thanks to its good throwing power.
“In our new e-coat research center, we can simulate our customers’ processes and paint systems. We can coat pre-treated original parts of our customers under the conditions of their individual paint lines in a 2,000-liter dip tank and bake them in a chamber oven. These parts can be doors, fenders or hoods”, affirmed Frank Naber, head of the Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions EMEA business unit at BASF Coatings.
In addition, the new center has two ultra-filtration and filtration stands with which the quality and stability of new e-coats can be tested under the conditions of the customers already before the tank is being filled for the first time. “In this way, we can ensure that the coating quality is at a very high level immediately after having changed over to a new e-coat material, and that it meets the customer’s specification. Thanks to these technical conditions, we are making another significant contribution to the success of our customers,” said Naber.
“We invested 15 million euros in the new building at the Münster site. The health and safety of our colleagues is particularly important to us at BASF. This is why, during the planning stage, we have not only given high priority to the quality and efficiency of the coating process, but also to ergonomics and occupational safety right from the start”, concluded Mathias Schöttke, Managing Director BASF Coatings GmbH.