EXACTING REQUIREMENTS
FOR SURFACES

In automotive manufacture, visible skin panels have to meet particularly stringent quality requirements. After all, the results are plain for the customer to see. Not only do irregularities in the surface look ugly; they can also create weaknesses in the body structure.

That is why LÄPPLE AUTOMOTIVE goes to such extreme lengths to ensure that the surface of each skin panel is free of defects. Surface quality is inspected and, where necessary, rectified by experienced employees at every stage of the process chain, from forming of the individual part at the press shop and joining on the body-in-white assembly line right through to application of the final finish.

From bonnet panels, tailgates, doors and roofs to complete body side panels, LÄPPLE AUTOMOTIVE is an expert producer of high-quality skin panels for production models. It can deliver these directly to customers' plants – painted to match the colour of the vehicle, if required.

DIP PAINTING FOR SPARE PARTS

To ensure perfect surfaces on original spare parts, LÄPPLE AUTOMOTIVE uses the cataphoretic dip painting (CDP) process. For this, it relies on its own in-house system at the Teublitz site. CDP meets the most stringent of aesthetic demands while also delivering excellent technical properties – a smooth and shiny appearance coupled with a shock-proof, scratch-resistant and anti-corrosive coating.

In the space of one hour, our CDP system can cover a surface measuring approximately 700 m² with a coating 20 µm (+/- 5 µm) thick. The object inside the curing oven reaches a temperature between 160°C and 180°C.

This versatile coating method is even suitable for coating parts that have been formed into complex shapes. The reason for this is that the direct electrical current still manages to apply an even coat of paint when the part features ridges, corners, cavities or double walls.

CDP-coated surfaces provide the best possible foundation if they are to be combined with a powder coating or a conventional painting technique.