How to Test Automobile Coating for Different Weathers?

The automobile industry is very finicky about its paints and coating. Vehicles are susceptible to different climatic conditions, light, UV, rain, humidity and snow. Apart from environmental factors, coatings get affected by external forces like collisions and scratches. Manufacturers take appropriate care that paints should remain highly resistant to all these factors.

Different tests are performed by the vendors to make them fit to use in automobiles. Premium car manufacturers perform weathering tests on a complete vehicle in massive xenon test chambers. Whereas, automotive part manufacturers perform in laboratories by simulating weathering conditions.

The sample coating is applied on the piece of metal or fibre and placed inside the chamber and analysed under different conditions. Another way of performing this test is to damage the sample first and then expose to harsh simulated conditions. This will help in assessing the tear resistance behaviour of the coating. For instance, the paint is chipped of from the corner of the bumper. When subjected to heat and light, how the damaged coating will behave under prolonged attack from the environment?

What Xenon Chamber Does?

This equipment simulates environmental conditions inside the chamber, rain, heat, light, humidity, condensation. Under 2 types of light test can be performed, Xenon and UV light. To deliver the accurate results, Presto’s Xenon test chamber is equipped high-grade glass wool insulation for avoiding any climatic loss. For precise results, it is always advised to open the chamber once the test is over. Otherwise, there will be a loss of uniform conditions maintained inside the chamber.

A test sample or deliberately damaged sample is placed inside the chamber. The climatic conditions are programmed through HMI display and chamber is locked. This is a periodic test, it will create environmental conditions one after the other. This is an accelerated climatic test. Hence, the effect which a piece of metal will reflect can be assessed in some hours. It is assumed that in reality, the climatic conditions are not as harsh as created inside the chamber. But to check the feasibility, it is important to test the sample for extreme conditions. It can assess the properties of paint against fading, flaking, chalking, loss of lustre, etc. 

A Xenon test chamber is a feature loaded device and perfect to use in Paint industry;

• It can test the sample from ambient to 80°C
• It can test the sample from relative humidity to 96%
• Lighting test can be done using Xenon lamp or UV light
• Stainless steel body for corrosion protection of equipment
• Exposure area 2,800cm²

For more information, contact us.