In addition to the inspection of car body paint, there are also paint inspections for exterior parts such as bumpers, door mirrors, and fenders. In fact, painting exterior parts is very difficult. This is because the materials used as the base for painting are different. Most car bodies are made by pressing aluminum, while exterior parts are made by molding resin or plastic. If the base material for painting is different, the color will be slightly different even if the same paint is applied. This is an issue not only for automakers but also for the exterior parts manufacturers, and they are working on technological improvements.
The most common approach is to mix each batch separately for each part so that the color after painting is the same for each. The process of trial and error for this is difficult. Paint manufacturers often cannot provide paint with the same pigment mixture to each exterior parts manufacturer, because of differences in materials and surface preparation among the manufacturers. In addition, some exterior parts may be ordered from several companies as a hedge against the risk inherent with single-supplier purchasing.This is to prevent supplies from being cut off due to accidents, disasters, or other such events. As a result, it is possible that the door mirror from Company A is painted the same color as the car body, while the door mirror from Company B does not appear in the same color as the car body. This can happen even if the same color samples are provided. This is thought to be caused by differences in the inspection environments at the suppliers and the materials they procure.Exterior parts are also a complex area of automotive painting, and there are limits to color management using measuring instruments, so color inspection is performed visually. Color matching between the car body and exterior parts requires even higher inspection quality than car body painting itself. The car body and exterior parts are placed right next to each other, making it easy to compare them and clearly see any color differences.
For both car bodies and exterior parts, artificial solar lighting XELIOS is the optimal inspection light source for color inspection. It has been adopted by many exterior parts manufacturers. Accurate color management is one reason for its adoption. Another is that since automobile manufacturers have adopted XELIOS artificial solar lighting, subcontracted parts manufacturers also need to have the same inspection environment.
The XG-500AF is often used for post-painting and final inspections of car bodies, but since exterior parts vary in size, the XG-100A is used for inspecting smaller items among the exterior parts, such as door mirrors.
In recent years, the adoption of the XELIOS-iO LED artificial solar lighting has also increased. Some customers mention that an advantage is its portability, as it can be used not only as a stationary device but also carried around.
While bumpers, fenders, and door mirrors have been mentioned as examples, XELIOS artificial solar lighting is also widely used for inspecting a wide range of exterior parts with different paints or coatings from the car body, such as door knobs, headlight covers, brake lamp covers, front grilles, and wipers.
