Ever wanted to emblazon some sort of slogan across the side-blades of your shiny new Audi R8? Nope, us neither, but the Ingolstadt-based automaker says it is now offering this very service.
The German brand says it has “developed a process” for the partial matting of painted surfaces. A special powder roughens the clear lacquer on the surface to a depth of a few thousandths of a millimetre so that individual markings become visible.
With this process, the Audi exclusive programme is now offering personalised design of the side-blades for the R8.
Audi says that since the desired symbols or words are applied to components after being painted, the process can easily be integrated into normal series production.
“The method of partial matting is an excellent example of the flexibility of our production. Being able to implement individualisation in normal series production is one of the aims of our smart factory,” said Professor Doctor Hubert Waltl, member of the board of management for production at Audi AG.
Painting an automobile consists of – in addition to the cathodic dip coating to protect against corrosion – at least three further coats: filler, base coat and the transparent lacquer as the top protective coat. But with the new process, a template of the desired pattern is first placed on the component. A blasting system then sprays a special powder onto the surface, roughening the clear lacquer, which creates the effect of a “matt and homogeneous pattern”.
“With this process, we modify the brilliance of the paintwork and the intensity of its sheen. Light hitting the surface is then reflected diffusely by the individualised surface areas. This makes it appear matt,” explained project manager Doctor Erhard Brandl.
The brand says the process is “weather resistant, unlike conventional lettering and stickers, and it has a much more high-quality appearance”. At present, components with a size up to one metre by one metre can be processed in this way.
Audi reckons its paint shops can apply “almost any pattern that a customer might desire”, but adds that it must “not affect any third-party rights”.
The R8 is the first model for which this technology is offered through the Audi exclusive individualisation programme, but the automaker plans to extend the offer to other models in the future.
