ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am indeed grateful to TATA MOTORS Ltd, Pimpri, and Pune

for giving me an opportunity of training in their company.
I would like to express my most profound and sincere thanks to
Mr.A.G. Hengle (TRG Manager), Mr. R.U.Sayyad who helped me a
lot and gave inspiration and achieves assistance during the period of
training.
I would like to express a deep sense of gratitude to Proff.
A.Y.Ingle, principal, Technical Institute, Pune, without their guidance
this training report work would not have been completed.
I must thank my entire senior at TATA MOTORS Ltd, for their
person attention, guidance and help which enable me to learn a lot and
complete my work in time.
Finally, I feel it’s my moral responsibility to thank all the staff and
people who have directly or indirectly helped me during my training.

Yours sincerely,

Nitin D. Gade.
2
 ► PRETREATMENT LINE
FLOW CHART:

Spray pre clean

↓
Dip pre clean
↓
Spray degrease
↓
Dip degrease
↓
Spray water rinse-1
↓
Dip water rinse-2
↓
Surface conditioning

3
 ↓
Phosphating
↓
Dip water rinse-3
↓
Spray water rinse-4
↓
Spray water rinse-5
↓
Passivation
↓
D.M. dip water rinse
↓
D.M. spray water rinse

Introduction:

“The sequence of chemical treatments given to metal prior

to application of organic coating can be referred as pretreatments”.

Pretreatments are becoming necessary due to the following

advantages:

1. Through cleaning of the substrate.

2. To improve anchoring property of subsequent coating.
3. To improve corrosion resistance.

It can be said that paint decides the life of the object &
pretreatment decides the life of paint.

There are many types of impurities present on metal are

classified according toothier origin and type:

4
 1. Anticorrosive oil, grease, waxes that may apart from
mineral oil corrosion inhibitors, saponifiable oils &
greases during storage, transport & in course of
manufacturing processes.
2. Hand perspiration, dust in shop building & corrosion
products that have contaminated the work piece.
3. Lubricants & abrasives & their residues, solid form of
pigments.
4. Inks or chalks that are used for marking the work piece
for further processing.

The PT process at line is 14 tank processes. The body in

white (B.I.W.) from body shop is taken in processing,
which takes 3 min.

INDIVIDUAL STAGE DESCRIPTION:

Stage 1: Spray pre clean

This stage removes the foreign matter such as dust, dirt, oil from
body effectively by spraying hot chemical. It removes completely or
partially the contaminations, which are removed on, further degreasing
stages. This stage is also to loose the adhesion of grease, oil etc. from the
body.
The B.I.W. (Body in white), which came from the body shop is
coated with then oil or grease for the protection of the from the corrosion
that should be removed for well adhesion of further coatings.

Specifications:

Chemical : Ridoline 1352 I

Ridosol 1250 I
Method : Spray
Pointage : 10-14 ml
Temperature : 45-55o c
Time : 2 min.
Pressure : 1-1.5 kg/cm2
Tank capacity : 25 cubic meters
Oil content : <5 gms/lit
Tank level : 250 mm from top

5
 The spray degrease tank is made up of Mild Steel (M.S.) material
of capacity 25cubic meter. The tank contains the mixer of alkaline
cleaners, based on silicates & phosphates, 5-15% phosphates, non-ionic
surfactants.

Stage 2: Dip pre clean

In the previous stage foreign matter, dirt, dust etc. are loosening
which are removed in the dip precleaning having same chemical. The
chemicals normally used are based upon sodium salts; anionic
surfactants in combination are used. The pH plays an important role; the
higher the pH better is the cleaning action.
It is a dip tank process in which the body is thoroughly cleaned
from outside & inside by dipping method. The tank contains the mixer of
soft water& chemical (KOH).

Specifications:

Chemical : Ridoline 1352 I

Ridosol 1250 I
Method : Dip
Pointage : 10-18 ml
Temperature: 45-55o c
Time : 2 min.
Pressure : 1-1.5 kg/cm2
Tank capacity : 87 cubic meters
Oil content : <4 gms/lit
Tank level : 250 mm from top

The sludge pump is connected at the cone shape bottom of the

transfer of the sludge to the filters. The sludge is remained on paper belt
filter & the clean liquid is again transferred to the degreasing tank.
The oil separator is also connected to the degreasing tank. It is
used for the removal of emulsified oil that is presenting the degreasing
tank by passing the solution through the water heater coil at 85o c .Due to
this heat treatment oil get emulsified from the solution and for4m the
intermediate layer of clear liquid and oil. This separated oil can be
removed.

Stage 3: Spray degreasing

The mechanical action of spray produces more effective cleaning

of the body. Maximum of contamination is removed in this stage.

6
 The sludge pump is connected at the cone shape bottom of the
transfer of the sludge to the filters. The sludge is remained on paper belt
filter & the clean liquid is again transferred to the degreasing tank.
The oil separator is also connected to the degreasing tank. It is
used for the removal of emulsified oil that is presenting the degreasing
tank by passing the solution through the water heater coil at 85o c .Due
to this heat treatment oil get emulsified from the solution and for4m the
intermediate layer of clear liquid and oil. This separated oil can be
removed.

Specifications:

Chemical : Ridoline 1352 I

Ridosol 1250 I
Method : Spray
Pointage : 14-18 ml
Temperature : 50-55o c
Time : 2 min.
Pressure : 2-2.5 kg/cm2
Tank capacity : 25 cubic meters
Oil content : <4 gms/lit
Tank level : 250 mm from top

The tank is also made up of Mild Steel (M.S.) material. The

volume of the tank is 25 cubic meters. The temp.of the t6ank is
maintained at 50-55oc with the help of Heat exchangers.

Stage 4: Dip degrease:

It is the dip tank process in which the body is thoroughly cleaned

from inside too by dipping method. The volume of the tank is 160 cubic
meters. The tank contains the mixer of soft water, alkaline cleaners based
on silicates & phosphates, 5-15% phosphates, non-ionic surfactants.

Specifications:

Chemical : Ridoline 1352 I

Ridosol 1250 I
Method : Dip
Pointage : 12-16 ml
Temperature : 50-55o c
Time : 4 min.
Tank capacity : 160 cubic meters

7
 Oil contain : <3 gms/lit
Tank level : 250 mm from top

The degreasing chemicals are alkaline in nature. Typically alkali

chemicals are Caustic soda, Trisodium phosphate, Sodium carbonate,
Sodium metasilicate, these are used with wetting agents, surfactants &
emulsifiers.
The cleaner saponifies any oil present on body, emulsifies &
flocculates the surface oil. Surfactants reduce the surface tension &
avoid the separation of oil and water emulsion.

Stage 5: Spray water rinse:

In this zone the cleaning of the body from the degrease solution is
achieved by the successive dipping of the body in 2/3 tanks of raw water.
It also helps in reducing the wastage but the important function is to
avoid contamination of the coming activation solution.

Specifications:

Chemical : Raw water

Method : Spray
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 1.5 min.
Pressure : 1-1.5 kg/cm2
Tank capacity : 5.5 cubic meters
Conductivity : 600 micro siemens max.

In this zone the raw water is sprayed with pressure of 1.5 kg/cm2
to remove the alkali & contaminations from body shell. The spray rinse
having volume 5.5 cubic meters at ambient temp. For filtration of water
tank 2 Bag filters are provided.

Stage 6: Dip water rinse:

In spray water rinse some traces of alkali are removed & it also
looses their adhesion due to the spray pressure. So in dip water rinse all
alkalis coming from the body shell is cleaned from inside as well as
outside of the body.

Specifications:

Chemical : Raw water

8
 Method : Dip
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 1.5 min.
Pressure : 1-1.5 kg/cm2
Tank capacity : 87 cubic meters
Conductivity : <300 micro siemens max
Bath level : 250 mm from top
pH : <9

The volume of the tank is 87-meter cube. The level of the

tank is maintained to 100-300 mm from top. The pH of the bath water is
alkaline.

Stage 7: Activation:

“Activation is the process which activates the metal surface in

order to achieve better phosphating”.

This stage also called as conditioning. This zone activates the

metal surface in order to achieve better phosphating. This tank also
contains the mixer of DI water & activating agents (Titanium salt).
During the cleaning operations in hot alkali solutions, metal
surfaces looses a lot of “Active centers” which acts as nucleating sites
for the nucleation & grow of phosphate crystals during phosphating
stage. Since the number of nucleating centers are considerably reduced
during degreasing stage. The phosphate coating will be coarser grained,
thicker, porous and considerably will have low corrosion resistance.
Activation chemicals are the weakly alkaline dispersions of
“Titanium complex”. This treatment leads to the formation of large no.
of crystals of titanium compound on the metal surface and acts as crystal
nuclei for the growth of phosphate crystals during the phosphating stage.
The activation tank having the volume of 87 cubic meters.

Specifications:

Chemical : Fixodine 50 CF
Method : Dip
Temperature : 30-40oc
Time : 3 min.
Tank capacity : 87 cubic meters

9
 Bath level : 250 mm from top
pH : 8-10

Stage 8: Phosphating:

“Phosphating is a type of conversion coating in which formation

of crystalline phosphate layer takes place on the metal in the form of
film or coating.”

This tank contains the mixture of Tri-cationic Phosphates such as

Zinc, Manganese, Nickel along with 30-40% Phosphoric acid, Fluorides,
Nitrates >50%, neutralizer >20% NaOH, <7% Hydrofluoric acid , <10%
Fluorosilicic acid along with water.
The percentages of tri-cations are-Ni++=0.6-1.0 gm/lit, Zn++=0.8-
1.2gm/lit, Mn++=0.6-1.0 gm/lit. It is the dip process in order to keep
accumulation of sludge to a minimum, phosphate liquid is constantly
removed from tank and is directed in to filter press from where the
desludged liquid is again send to main tank. The heating is carried out
with individual plate type heat exchangers heated with hot water.
During circulation of the phosphate solution firstly it goes to filter
presses then it goes to heat exchanger then it come back to main tank.
Because of the cone shape pf the bottom the sludge can be removed from
the bottom. Filer press removes the remaining sludge.
The phosphate coating is having good adhesion to the metal &
gives the porous coating so that next coating should adhere better. The
phosphate coating is used for the good adhesion & good corrosion
resistance.

Specifications:

Appearance : Light gray, fine microcrystalline coating.

Total acid : 22-26 ml
Free acid : 0.8-1.2 ml
Temperature : 48-52 oc
Toner : 3-4 ml
Sludge : <3 ml/lit
Zinc : 0.8-1.2 gm/lit
Manganese : 0.6-1.0 gm/lit
Nickel : 0.6-1.0 gm/lit
Phosphate (PO4) : 16-22 gm/lit
Free fluoride : 105-120 ppm
Tank capacity : 87 cubic meters

10
 Coating wt : 2.0-3.0 gm/m2
Crystal size :< 10 micron
Crystal shape : Block type
Time : 4 min.

MECHANISM OF PHOSHATE COATING PROCESS:

The zinc phosphate coating is deposited on metal surface by an

interfacial reaction between thy metal surface and phosphate solution
when a metal surface is placed zinc phosphate bath the free phosphoric
acid of the solution dissolves metal and produce soluble primary with
liberation of hydrogen.

Fe + 2H3PO4 → Fe (H2PO4) + H2 ↑

Substrate Free acid Soluble iron phosphate Hydrogen

H2 + O → H2O

Fe (H2PO4) + O → FePO4 + H3PO4 + H2O

Ferric (sludge)

3Zn (H2PO4) → Zn3 (PO4) + 4H3PO

Zinc dihydrogen phosphate coating phosphoric acid
(Tert.zinc phosphate)

Phosphate desludging system:

During phosphating excessive phosphate sludge (i.e. of iron

phosphates) is found continuously, it has to be removed from the tank.
Hence tank has given the cone shape to remove the heavy sludge. Then
the filter press is also provided to the tank to remove the excess sludge.

Diagram:

11
 Stage 9: Water rinse – 3:
After Phosphating the body is given 3 water rinses. Firstly to
remove the traces of Phosphating chemical from body. After a
phosphate power (sludge particles) found on body mainly on
horizontal parts of body and those dry on body due to process
temperature. This powered may not remove from body by dip rinse
and may lead to rough finish to the further CED coating and require
heavy sanding Therefore the body is given spray rinses to remove this
layer An additional spray rinse is given to ensure the body completely
clean before Passivation also to keep wet otherwise rusting may takes
place if body dry off between water wash and chromate rinse.
Specifications:
Chemical : Raw water
Method : Dip

12
 Conductivity : 500 micro siemens max.
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 2.5 min
PH : >5
Tank capacity : 87,000 lit.

Stage 10: Water rinse – 4

Specifications:
Chemical : Raw water
Method : Spray
Conductivity : 300 micro siemens max.
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 2.5 min
Pressure : 0.9-1.0 kg/cm2

Stage 11: Water rinse – 5

Specifications:
Chemical : Raw water
Method : spray
Conductivity : 300 micro siemens max.
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 1.5 min
Pressure : 0.9-1.0 kg/cm2

Stage 12: Passivation:

“The coating that is active towards the atmosphere is made
passive by treating it with the solution of chromic acid with
combination of phosphoric acid”.

13
 To improve the corrosion resistance of 0f Phosphating coating
they are given a post Passivating rinse with solution of chromic acid.
Deionised water is used to prepare Passivating solution so as to avoid
blisters in the paint. The solution contains about 0.04 % chromic acid.
Passivation reduces the porosity of phosphate coating by about 10 -30
% while the chromic acid, which retained reduced the corrosion of
iron, acting as inorganic inhibitor in the presence of moisture.
Specifications:
Chemical : Deoxilyte 7030 A
Method : Spray
Pointage : PH 4.5 – 5.5
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 1 min
Tank capacity : 5,500 lit.
Pressure : 0.9-1.0 kg/cm2

Stage 13: D.M. water rinse:

Specifications:
Chemical : D.M.water
Method : Dip
PH : 6-7.5
Conductivity : 50 micro siemens max.
Pointage : PH 4.5- 5.5
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 2.5 min
Tank capacity : 87,000 lit.

Stage 14: Fresh D.M. water spray:

14
 The traces of chromate rinse remain on body gives rise to
defects caused by migration of salts in to paint bath. Spots and
patches appear in the paint film, particularly at those places where
higher concentration of chromates presents. Other defected are the
formation of blisters in the paints, reduction of adhesion and
discoloration of the paint film. In order to avoid this drawback the
body is given a rinse with demonized water, which also retains the
benefits of increased corrosion resistance that chromic acid rinse
confers.

Specifications:
Chemical : D.M.water
Method : Spray
PH : 6-7.5
Conductivity : less than 20 micro siemens
Temperature : Ambient
Time : 2.5 min

▶ ELECTRODEPOSITION

CED primer application:

Introduction:

15
 “CED means cathodic electro deposition it is dipping process in
which electric conductive surface is immersed in a water borne paint.
The paint dispersed in the water electrically deposited on the surface to
form uniform water insoluble coating. The polymer species defines
weather the coating is taking place at cathode or anode that gives rise
to two types of coating process”.

Paint analysis:
The CED paint is prepared from the mixer of two components F-1
& F-2, which are pigment dispersion paste & resin emulsion
respectively.

F-1 :- The pigment dispersed paste contain four main components which
are pigment dispersant resin, organic solvent, De-ionized water & the
main pigments like TiO2,carbon black, anticorrosive pigments, & body
pigments.

F-2 :- The resin emulsion has 6 components which are basic resin,
hardener, additives, neutralizer, organic solvents, DI water.

The process of CED primer application utilizes direct current from

the rectifier, applying the coating on the anode. Along with a current
supply the cations (the paint film forming component) & anions
(neutralizer involved) move to cathode and anode respectively.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUTN TANK :

The vehicle after phosphating enters E-coat line through an
enclosed tunnel. These are pendulums used for transferring the body
shell through the system. The body is dipped at angel of 45 o in the tank.

16
The body is dipped for 3 mins. There are copper bus bars present. The
front pendulum has brushes and while passing over bus bar t5he body
gets –vely charged. Initially as the body gets dipped the voltage is kept
less & for t5his auxiliary rectifier is used. Then as the body gets further
dipped then deposition starts on main rectifier. The acetic or formic acid
is generated during the electro deposition and if its concentration
increases t5he H+ ions increase with increase the pH. To avoid change in
pH, anolyte cells in the tank continuously remove the acid generated.
The main tank of ED is made up of Stainless Steel (SS) material,
having the volume of 215 cubic meters. The tank application mode is
dipping. The tank contains ED paint which is the combination of resin,
pigment, and additives dispersed in acidic medium i.e. water. The
coating time is 3 mins.
Before entering the body shell in to the paint bath fresh DI water
spray rinse is given to the body shell, form this purpose ring of 12 nos. of
nozzles are provided. To maintain the temp. of the paint bath at the plate
type heat exchanger is provided to the main tank. This pump is also used
for the dosing of emulsion (resin).
The main tank is equipped with cooling system, filtration system,
ultra filtration system, anolyte system (anodes) etc.
After electro deposition the vehicle is passed through 4 rinses in
which solvent from the paint itself is used for rinsing. For this purpose
there is ultra filtration system provided to separate the UF solvent for
rinsing. The paint has to continuously re circulated of paint there are
individual circuits of individual system described in forth coming pages.

THE FLOW CHART OF ED LINE :-

PHOSPHATED BODY SHELL

17
 ↓

ELECTRODEPOSITION
↓

UF SPRAY RINSE 1
↓

UF DIP RINSE 2
↓

UF SPRAY RINSE 3
↓

UF SPRAY RINSE 4
↓
OVEN

Mechanism of deposition :-
1.Solubilization: In this stage the insoluble resin component is made
soluble in to the bath so that it develops the charge around the resin
molecule & then helps in the deposition process.

R R
R- N: + A-COOH → R-N-H + ACOO -

18
 R R
Solubilizing agent
Electrolysis: It is the chemical deposition produced by passing an
electric current through a conducting liquid.

4H2O → 3H+ + 3OH-

2.Electrophoresis:
The movement of charged particles in a fluid or gel
under the influence of an electric field.

3. Electro coagulation:
In this process the actual film formation take place at
cathode due to the resin coagulation reaction-taking place between acidic
resin and basic neutralizer.
Reaction at cathode:

H2O + 3H+ +4e- → 2H2O + OH-

R R
R-N-H + +OH- → R-N: + H2O
R R

Oxidation at the anode:

3OH- + 4e- → H2O + O2 + H+

4. Electro dialysis:
The H+ ions produced in the above reaction are
removed by this procedure.

19
 R-COO - + H + → R-COOH

5. Electro endosmosis:
Expelling the obstructed water through the porous
electrodeposited paint layer. These reactions give the total idea of the
coating formation on the metal substrate that is immersed in the ED
paint.
In general, CED paints are much stable than AED because of its
resin structure which is seldom to have hydrolysis and nor oxidation
polymerization during the long run operation.

Diagram:

20
Specifications:
Sr.no. Parameters Specifications
1. Chemical F1 pigment (1 part)
F2 Resin (2.5 part)
Mixing ratio 1:3 to 1:4
2. Method Dip
3. pH 5.7-6.3
4. DC voltage Stage1: 150-250

21
 Stage 2: 170-270
5. Solid contents 16-19 %
6. Conductivity 1300 – 1900 us
7. Bath temp. 28 – 32 0c
8. Tank capacity 215 m3
9. Bath level > 75 % of tank volume
10. Total solvent 1.0 – 1.6 %
11. Ash content 18 – 22 %

22
E-COAT OVEN:
After Electro deposition the body is sent to oven. The E-coat oven
is recirculation air oven fired by LPG as a fuel. For safety reasons no
cellulose paint to be cure.
The oven is sub divided in to: -

SR.NO. OVENS ZONE TEMPRATURE

1. Incinerator zone 660-700 oC
2. Heat zone -1 200-240 oC
3. Heat zone -2 200-240 oC
4. Heat zone -3 220-260 oC
5. Heat zone -4 220-260 oC
6. Hold zone-1 215-255 oC

23
 7. Hold zone-2 180-220 oC
8. Effective metal 150 oC / 20 min.
temperature (EMT) or 160 oC/ 10 min.
TACHNICAL DATA:

SR.NO. PARAMETERS VALUES

1. Efficiency 87 %
2. Conveyor speed 5.2-6.6 m/min.
3. Object temperature 150 oC
4. Total heat up time 20 min.
5. Holding time 8 min.
6. Effective metal temperature 150 oC for 20 min.
7. Cooling zone - object end 50 oC
temp.
8. Cooling time 3-4 min.

24
► SEALANT, UNDERBODY AND SURFACER LINE :

When body comes from PT-CED process it is unloaded and sent

to further processes. The following stages are carried out after PT-CED
application line.

1. Unloading.
2. Inspection and Rectification
3. Melt sheet application.
4. Sealant application line.
5. Masking.
6. Underbody application line.
7. UBS oven.
8. Dry sanding.
9. Tag-o-rag zone.
10.Surfacer application.
11.Surfacer oven.

25
 12.Wet sanding.
13.Tag-o-rag.
14.Feather duster.
15.Top coat application
16.Polishing.
17.Touch up.
18.Waxing.

1.UNLOADING:
When body comes from PT &CED application it is
unloaded and sent to next stages.

2.INSPECTION AND RECTIFICATION:

At this stage, the defects of the CED coated body are
identified and marked and then sent either to dry scuffing or to the
major repair booth. If the body is defected more then it is sent to
the major repair and if minor defects are present on the body, then
it is sent to dry scuffing booth.

3.MELT SHEET APPLICATION:

At this stage, the melt sheets are applying from inside the body. The
melt sheets are of three types.

26
1. Magnetic melt sheet- These are applied to the uniform, plane,
vertical surface. These sheets are containing magnetic effect because
of which it sticks to the body firmly.
2. Gummed melt sheet- These sheets are applied to the folded and
vertical surfaces of body. It is applied at 65 oC and then it applied to
the body from inside.
3. Without gummed melt sheet – These melt sheets are applied to the
horizontal surface inside the body floor. The melt sheet is made up of
mixer of sand and bituminous material. The melt sheets are mainly
used for reducing the NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness).

4. SEALANT APPLICATION :

The sealant application is carried out after melt sheet application.

There are two types of sealants that are used: -
1. Hem sealant.
2. Seam sealant.
Both are best on PVC resin system. The hem sealant is used in the
welding section and it is applied in the hem (i.e. folds or fitting gaps)
while the seam sealant is applied in the sealant line as in seams ( i.e. gaps
or crevices ). These are applied to avoid corrosion in the gaps or crevices
that could take place and also to minimize the leakage of conditioning of
air at the time of AC in operation.

Sealant application: -

27
 The application is with he help of specific guns,
which are specifically designed for sealant application. The nozzles are
special interest they are known as bead and are like small tube with
special exit ending of sealant. There are mainly two types flat and round
bead types. The flat bead is used for door edges while the other is used
for rest of areas. After the application is complete the sealant is brushed
so that it is filled totally in the Gaps or Crevices and extra sealant is
wiped out so that it should not create ant problem after words when it is
dried.
There is one more type of sealant known as –
Thumb grade sealant that is applied by thumb. It is especially for those
areas, which have big gaps so they’re only few places on the gap where
this sealant is to be applied.

Sealant line: In this line the sealant is applied at different parts of the
body at different stages. The seam sealant is applied at the joints of the
body to resist the leakage of water. It avoids the corrosion. The stages
are as follows:-

1. Roof Top – At this stage, the flat beading is done at the rooftop of
the body and the rounded beading is done under the joint of
rooftop.
2. Flat beading – at this stage, beading is done at the flat surface of
the body from inside. It is done with the help of round nozzle
beading.
3. Round beading- the round beading is done at the different joints
of the body from outside.
4. Brushing- At this stage, brushing is done from inside so that gaps
in the joints should be completely filled.

28
 5. Door beading- At this stage, the flat beading is done at the doors
joint from inside.
6. Side wiping- The over application should be removed at this stage
and the body is totally wiped with the solvent to remove traces of
the excess sealant.
7. Buy-off – At this stage t5he defects of the sealant are removed and
repair. The sealant is mainly applied for avoiding the water
leakage inside the body and to avoid the corrosion at joints.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Sealant type : PVC based (stoving).

Viscosity : 250-300 poise.
Solids : 96-98 %.
Pressure : 4-5 kg/cm2
Method : Airless pressure feed gun.
Air velocity of booth : 0.4 m/s.
Circular nozzle : For filling small Gaps.
Flat nozzle : For filling bog Gaps.

SEALANT OVEN :-

The sealant applied to the body should be partially

cured hence it is heated at 140 -160 oC for 15 min. so that in the primer
application sealant should not be removed.
There are three zones of the oven
1) Incinerator, 2) Heat zone, 3) Hold zone.
The temperature of heating zone 160-300 oC and
the temperature of holding zone is 160-180 oC.

29
 Then the de-masking is carried out after oven. The
surface is dry sanded by 400 grit sand paper.

The temperature as per the zones:

SN.NO. SECTION TEMPRATURE

1. Incinerator zone 670-690 oC
2. Heat zone -1 260-300 oC
3. Heat zone-2 160-180 oC
4. Hold zone-1 160-180 oC
5. EMT 140-160 oC

5.MASKING:
Before the masking the cab is lifted and some
specific areas are masked with masking tape (transparent or paper)
and at some places fitting of grommets in holes and sleeves on the
screw base is carried out, as they are expose from the bottom. It is
done to avoid underbody to be applied on it.

6.UNDERBODY APPLICATION LINE:

Underbody is PVC based compound and contains
more percentage of pigments and extenders, politicizes etc. and are
applied at higher thickness to achieve sound deadness also for water
repellency and corrosion resistance.
For application of underbody the air less type gun
is used. The underbody is also based PVC resin system. The underbody
is applied at DFT of about 500-600 micron. The main purpose of
underbody is to avoid the noise, which is created during the stones, and
pebbles that are striking on the external side of base of cab at the time of

30
traveling. The main function is to avoid corrosion that will start from the
scratches that will be generated during striking of stones and pebbles.

SPECIFICATIONS:
1. Underbody type : PVC based (Stoving)
2. Method : Pressure feed spray gun.
3. Pressure : 5.0-6.0 kg/cm2
4. DFT : 500-600 micron.
5. Baking Temp. : 140-160 oC
6. Baking time : 15 min.
7. Viscosity : 900-1200 cp

After underbody it is sent to Tag- O-Rag

application. And the body is sent to the oven for stoving. After the oven
the de-masking is carried out. At the Tag-O-Rag stage, the body is wiped
with the help of Tag-O-Rag cloth, which is somewhat sticky in nature
because of resin present on it. The body is wiped from outside surface.
The over spray of the underbody, sealant should be removed at this
stage. The masking of the body from inside is removed at this stage.

8. DRY SANDING: -
When body comes at this stage, observe the body defects, if
defects are more, then dry sanding is done with the help of orbital
sander. For then dry sanding 400 grit paper is used. The orbital sander
having a capacity 12000-rpm is used. After dry sanding the body send to
next stage.

9. TAG-O-RAG: -

31
 Tag-o-rag is special type of cloth which is semi-varnished sticky
in nature which is used to remove loosely adhered dirt, dust from body.

10. SURFACER APPLICATION:-

FLOW CHART-

Air wiping or body conditioning

↓

Tag-o-rag
↓

Color selection
↓

Manual application zone

↓

32
 Bell m/c application zone
↓

Touch-up zone
↓

Flash off zone

↓
Surfacer oven.

In this line, firstly the Tag-o rag is done at staring of the booth.
The sensors sense the body type and color of the surfacer that should be
applied to the body. The operator, who is working at this stage, enters the
body type and color of the surfacer on control panel gives command to
the robot. The body goes to next stage where the manual application of
surfacer is done from inside the door. The velocity of air from ASU is
0.5 m/s for manual application stage. The body goes to the next stage
where robotic application of surfacer is done. For Robotic application air
velocity is 0.3 m/s. the revolution of the bell of robot is 42000 rpm. The
paint flow should be 80-100 ml/min. the supply of electricity is 240 v.
the shaping air is 100-150 nl. The shaping air controls shape of the spray
pattern. At this stage, the surfacer is applied with the electrostatic
charges given to the paint and the body, which is earthed. Because of
electrostatic charges, the edges of body are well covered. Because of
Electrostatic Bell application the base coat is applied uniformly. Some
bodies are directly painted without primer application like some utility
vehicles are painted with White paint directly. The velocity of the
conveyor is 3.1 m/min in this line.

33
SPECIFICATIONS:
Surfacer : High luster Polyester type.
Booth temperature : 24-28 oC.
Humidity : 65-75 %.
Booth conveyor speed : 3.1 m/min.
Oven conveyor speed : 2.4 m/min.
Air velocity (at manual
Stage) : 0.5 m/sec.
Air velocity (at auto stage) : 0.3 m/sec.
Application viscosity : 23-25 sec.
Finish : Semi-glossy.

After Robotic surfacer allocation the body goes to manual spray

zone to ensure that uniform surfacer application on the body. After this
the body passes to Flash off zone for 8 min. minimum.

11. SURFACER OVEN:

It is tunnel type of oven. The temperature of oven is 160-180 oC.

The time required for baking is 45 min. After the baking of surfacer the
color selection stage is present where the selection of color, which is
applied to the body, takes place. After this stage the body is sent to Wet
sanding booth.

12. WET SANDING:

At this stage, the defects of surfacer are removed. At this stage 800
grit papers is used for Wet sanding and removal of defects. The defects

34
are dust, dirt, run down. The defects are removed at this stage & body
sent to Tag-o- rag stage.

13. TAG-O-RAG:
Tag-o-rag is special type of cloth which is semi-varnished sticky
in nature which is used to remove loosely adhered dirt, dust from body.

14. FEATHER DUSTER:

Feather duster is used after wet sanding to remove loosely adhered
dust, dirt from the body. It removes the surface contaminates with the
help of static charge due to the friction of feathers on body shell.

15. TOP COAT APPLICATION:

FLOW CHART:
Air wiping or body conditioning
↓

Tag-o-rag
↓

Color selection
↓

Manual application zone B/C

↓

35
 Bell m/c application zone B/C
↓

Flash off zone

↓

Bell application of C/C

↓

Flash off zone

↓

Topcoat oven.

In this line, there is little stage like Tag-o-rag, manual application

from inside, Electrostatic application, Base coat application, and manual
clear coat application from inside, Electrostatic application of Clear coat.
Base coat applied for metallic shade on well-prepared surfacer.
When the body comes in the booth the sensors senses the body
type and color of the body i.e. to be applied. The operator enters to the
body type and the color of the body i.e. to be applied. Then Tag-o-rag is
done with the help of Tag-o-rag cloth. The body sent to the next stage.
At the next stage manual application of the base coat is done from inside
the doors of the body. Then body is sent to Electrostatic application of
base coat with the help of Bell m/c. the revolution of Bell of Robot is
5000-15000 rpm. The paint flow should be 80-100 ml/min. the supply of
the electricity is 240 V. the shaping air is 100-150 nl. The shaping air
controls the shape of spray pattern. Because of Electrostatic application
of base coat it applied uniformly. Because of Electrostatic charges the

36
metallic pigments are stand it gives defects. To avoid these defects, the
air assisted base coat is given to the body for orientation of these
pigments. The air assisted guns gives the uniform coating of base coat.
Then flash off is given for 2 min. Then the body sent to next stage where
the clear coat is applied manually from the inside doors. Then the body is
sent to Electrostatic application of clear coat. At this stage, clear coat is
applied uniformly on outside of the surface of the body. After this flash
off is given to the body for 3 min. Then body sent to the Topcoat oven.
It is camel back type oven. The temperature of oven is 160-180 oC for 45
min.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Booth temperature :24-28 oC
Humidity :65-75 %
Paint flow :80-100 ml/min.
Bell RPM :24000-35000 rpm.
Shaping air :100-150 nl.
Booth conveyor speed :3.1 m/min.
Oven conveyor speed :2.4 m/min.
Air velocity at manual stage :0.5 m/sec.
Air velocity at auto stage :0.3 m/sec.

The Topcoat is either solid or metallic base with the following

parameters:

SR.NO. PARAMETORES METALLIC SOLID

37
1. Composition TSA Polyester
2. Viscosity 15-18 sec. 22-24 sec.
3. Temperature 26-28 oC 26-28 oC
4. Humidity 60-80 % 60-80 %
5. % Solids 32-34 % 35-37 %
6. Air pressure 4-6 kg/cm2 4-6 kg/cm2
(manually)
7. Bell RPM 24000-35000 24000-35000

Diagram:

16. TOP COAT OVEN:

38
 After topcoat and clear coat application, the body sent to oven.
This oven is tunnel type. The temperature oven is maintained 160-180
o
C. There are various types of zones like Air seal, heat zone, hold zone,
cooling zone. Each zone has specific set temp. e.g.

Different zones Temperatures

1. Air seal : 190 oC
2. Heat zone : 280 oC
3. Hold zone : 160 oC
4. Cooling zone : 40 oC
A car body shell remains 45 min. in the oven for complete baking
of paint .The topcoat baking oven is about 100 m long.

17. POLISHING:
At this stage the defects of the body are identified. If dirt, dust are
present then it is removed in the polishing itself. And then body sent to
touch up. For polishing liquid Silicon polish of fine grade is used to
achieve desired gloss. For polishing buffing wheels are used having
RPM 12000.

18. TOUCH-UP:
At this stage, the body is brought to touch-up. The defects that
can’t polish are marked and then repaired by sanding it with 2000 grit
sand paper. There is different touch-up for different paint.
a) Solid touch-up- The paint used to touch-up is made as per paint
mixing formulation. The viscosity is adjusted to 20-22 sec. and air
pressure 1.0-1.5 kg/cm2.
b) Metallic touch-up- The touch-up is made with base coat and clear
coat of same quality. The application viscosity is 17-18 sec for

39
 base coat and pressure 0.8-1.0 kg/cm2. Then a flash off for 5 min.
is given and then the clear coat is applied in the similar manner
having viscosity 20-22 sec.

After touch-up the solvent is sprayed on the areas. For leveling or

merging the film with original surface. A flash off of 8 min. is given
after IR lamps do this baking of touch up. For touch up PU or aid drying
paint is used.
Parameters:
Temperature : 140 oC
Time : 20-25 min.
Distance between lamp & surface : 20-25 cm

After touch-up the body is sent to waxing.

19. WAXING:
The waxing is done at corrosive sensitive parts of the body. For
this purpose Denitrol 3850 Cavity wax is used. It is designed to give
long-term rust protection. It leaves a thick Light-Brown waxy film. It is
mainly used for cavity protection; manual spraying and semi-atomic
equipments can apply it. For the application Air assisted or Air less spray
guns are used.

40
►PAINT TESTING LAB:

The E-1 and K paint testing laboratory performs very important

role in assuring quality of paints and oils. The laboratory is equipped
with most sophisticated instruments for testing. With this laboratory also
performs the testing of PT chemicals, AED & CED paints. The testing of
plastic components is also carried out in E-1 laboratory. The components
such as bumper, wheel cap, door handles. This helps to maintain the
painting quality of auto bodies. As automobiles required good aesthetic
look and also good resistance to chemicals and corrosion.
In the laboratory, all testing of incoming paints, oils adhesives,
sealants, and pretreatment chemicals are carried out. K lab is related to
the car project and also approves various new shades for car project with
regular testing as given below.

Testing for the PT line:

41
 1. Pointage :- Titration’s.
2. PH :- H
P meter.
3. Conductivity :- Conductivity meter.
4. Coating thickness :- DFT meter.
5. Coating weight.
6. Accelerator content.
7. Water break test.
8. Oil content in degreasing tank.
9. Sludge content.

Some testing in details:

1) Determination of total alkalinity of degreasing bath:

Procedure:
1. Pipette out 10 ml of bath solution in 150ml conical flask.
2. Add approximately 50 ml of distilled water.
3. Add 2-3 drops of methyl orange indicator.
4. Titrate the content against 0.1 N HCL, till the color changes; end
point is yellow to red.
5. The numbers of ml’s of 0.1 N HCL is required represents total
alkalinity.

2) Determination of total alkalinity of surface conditioning bath:

Procedure:
1. Pipette out 100 ml of bath solution in 250ml conical flask.

42
 2. Add approximately 50 ml of distilled water.
3. Add 2-3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator.
4. Titrate the content against 0.1 N NaOH, till the color changes; end
point is colorless to pink.
5. The numbers of ml’s of 0.1 N NaOH is required represents total
alkalinity.

3) Determination of total acid pointage of phosphate bath:

Procedure:
1. Pipette out 10 ml of bath solution in 150ml conical flask.
2. Add approximately 50 ml of distilled water.
3. Add 2-3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator.
4. Titrate the content against 0.1 N NaOH, till the color changes; end
point is colorless to pink.
5. The numbers of ml’s of 0.1 N NaOH is required represents total
acid pointage.

4) Determination of free acid pointage of phosphate bath:

Procedure:
1. Pipette out 10 ml of bath solution in 150ml conical flask.
2. Add approximately 50 ml of distilled water.
3. Add 2-3 drops of Bromocresol Green indicator.
4. Titrate the content against 0.1 N NaOH, till the color changes; end
point is yellow to green.
5. The numbers of ml’s of 0.1 N NaOH is required represents free
acid pointage.

5) Determination of Accelerator (Toner) in phosphate bath:

43
Procedure:
1. Fill the gas evolution apparatus (saccrometer) with bath solution,
till the apparatus to release the entrapped air from closed end.
2. Allow the bath solution to run into the calibrated closed end
portion.
3. Again add enough bath solution to completely fill the apparatus.
4. Make a sure that all entrapped air has been expelled out from
calibrated closed end tube.
5. Add approximately 3-4 gms. Of suphamic acid crystals and
immediately invert the apparatus at such angle that most of
sulphamic acid will run into the calibrated closed end tube.
6. Hold in this position for 1-2 sec.
7. Place the gas apparatus on its legs or cradle.
8. After 1 min. the substantial portion of gas will have evolved.
9. Read the gas volume on calibrated closed end portion. Number of
gas ml’s of evolved is the accelerator pointage.

6) Determination of coating weight of phosphate coating layer:

Procedure:
1. 1 .Take 2 bare metal panels and processed through the PT cycle as
per the specification from degreasing to passivation stage.
2. 2.After phosphating dry thoroughly and weigh on chemical
balance ( w1 gms ).
3. 3.Prepare 5% Chromic acid bath solution and heat it up to 75-80
o
C. Dip the above-coated panels in it for 10-15 min.
4. 4.Remove the panels and wash these panels properly under
running water & remove loose coating.
5. Dry the panel thoroughly in desiccator and re-weight (w2 gms.).

44
 The coating weight of phosphate coating = (w2-w1) x
(Area of panel in sq.mtrs ) x 1000

7) Determination of sludge content in phosphate bath:

Procedure:
1. Take 1000 ml fresh phosphating bath solution from the bath and
poor in “ Im Hoff” cone/funnel.
2. Allow it to settle for 60 min.
3. Note the reading and express it in the form of “ ml/lit”.

Testing of 207 frame pretreatment line:.

No Stage Chemical Burette Pipette Indicat End point Stage Per point
. or pointage addition
1 Degrease Pyroclean 0.1 N 10 ml Methyl Yellow to 52-56 ml 25 kg
444 HCL orange red
2 Water Raw water 0.1 N 50 ml Methyl Yellow to 5 ml --
rinse HCL orange red max.
3 Derusting Rustoding 0.1 N 10 Methyl Red to 21-23 ml 400 lit
250 NaOH ml+90 orange yellow
ml
water
10 ml
4 Water Raw water 0.1 N 50 ml Methyl Red to 5 ml --
rinse NaOH orange yellow max
5 Passivatio Pyroclean 0.1 N 50 ml Bromoc Blue to light 55-56 ml 10 kg
-n 21 HCL -resol green
green

45
TESTING OF AED PAINT:
AED bath is maintained by testing the parameters lick bath PH,
bath conductivity bath solids with this it is necessary to maintain
conductivity and PH of cathlyte and ultra filtrate and also of D.M.
water. All this factors are necessary for proper working of AED bath.

1. Solid content:
Percent solid contents of AED paint are determined by taking
about 2 gm of AED paint in a reweighed disk. Then bake in oven at
165 0C for 1 hr. then reweigh the disc.

Then calculate the % solids by using formula,

% solid = wt. of sample after heating
------------------------------------ x 100
Actual wt. of sample
The % solid content in the AED bath should be maintained in the
range of 10-13 % If the solid contents are less than the specified, then
solids are maintained by just adding the fresh paint to the bath. To
increase AED bath paint solids by 1 % addition of 1000 lit. Fresh
AED paint is necessary.

2. Conductivity:
The conductivity of AED paint is determined by using the digital
conductivity meters. It consist of conductivity cell made of glass tube
having 100 mm internal diameters in which two platinum electrodes
are placed at a distance 78 mm apart attached to the display panel
which gives conductivity directly in microsiemens.
The test sample is filled in conductivity cell and reading is noted:

46
Sr.no. Test sample Specified conductivity
1. AED paint 4000- 6000 us
2. Catholyte 8000-140000 us
3. Utrafiltrate Min 2000 us
4. D.M.water Max. 25 us

3. PH testing:
The PH of paint is determined by using digital PH meter. The
meter consists of two probes, one is RTD, which detected
temperature, and the other is platinum electrode, which gives PH
value of sample.
The meter is standardized with a solution having PH 7 and it is
calibrated using buffer solution. The PH of AED paint should be in
the range 8-8.3 at 28 oC and that of D.M. water should be 6.5-7.5

TESTING OF PAINT:
The E1 paint laboratory every incoming batch of paint is tested to
maintain the quality of paint the testing of paints include AD/FD
primers, surfaces, staving enamels (topcoats) including metallic base
coats, solid colors and clear coats, from the major suppliers such as
GNP, BERGER, ASIAN etc. along with this testing of development
samples is done for establishing new shades and product. The testing
of paints include, wet paints testing, dry film properties and resistance
properties.
Following tests are carried out for the every new incoming batch of
paint.
1. Setting / skinning / separation
2. Fineness of grind
3. Viscosity
4. Non volatile content

47
5. Thinner ratio

1. Setting / Skinning / Separation:

Dipping spatula in paint container checks setting of pigment in
paint. The formation of tough skin like covering on liquid paint is
termed as skinning. Metallic mica based paints show high setting. The
setting should be easily redispersible on stirring.

2. Viscosity:
The viscosity of paint is checked by ford cup B4, expressed in
seconds. It should be in the specified range.

3. Fineness of grid :
By this method fineness of grid of pigment in the vehivle system is
checked. It is checked by Hegman gaugh. It is expressed in microns
of Hegmans.

4. Non volatile matter :

This is checked to determine percent solids in the paint.
% solid = wt. of sample after heating
------------------------------------- x 100
Wt. of sample before heating
5. Thinner intake:
It is amount of thinner require for 100 ml of paint to bring its
viscosity from supply viscosity to application viscosity. It determines
the amount of thinner require to thin down the paint at spray viscosity
at specific temperature.

48
DRY FILM PROPERTIES:
A. Testing of paint for aesthetic properties:
The incoming paint whether it may be solid or metallic is tested
for following aesthetic properties. For the following tests panel are
prepared as per specified baking schedule and DFT and with usual
system.

1. Shade / color:
The shade of the painted panel is compared with standard shade
panel. The shade is checked visually.

2. Gloss:
Gloss is checked with a digital gloss meter at specified angles such
as 20 0, 60 0, 85 0

3. Distinctness of image (DOI) :

DOI is ideal for the quality control of a painted or any other glossy
surface. It is different from gloss in terms that gloss is the amount of
light reflected or shines of the object but DOI is measure of clarity of
image. Using a DOI meter checks DOI.

B. Testing of paint for protective properties:

For these rests panels are prepared as per the specified baking
schedule and also as per specified DFT for DEC / AED, surface and
topcoat

49
 1. Adhesion:
It is the most important test and is checked by cross cut
adhesion test. In this test crosscuts are made perpendicular to each
other with a sharp blade. An adhesive tape is applied to cross cut
and pressed by thumb it is then lifted with jerk and is observed for
removal of any checks and according rating is given.

2.Impact test:
The test shows the resistance of paint film to impact under static
load. The apparatus used consist of single knob indenter. The
instrument provides a mean of adjusting height to standard weight.
The resultant distortion to the film is observed.
As per specification: max. Falling height = 40 inches.
Wt. of indenter = 0.908 kg.

3. Flexibility test:
The test is carried out on the conical mandrel. It consists of a
conical bar with deceasing diameter of 1/8 inch. The panel to be
tested is bend on mandrel. The panel is removed and observed for
any damage, or cracking of the film. If three is no crack or any
damage of the film then is said to have good flexibility. It is very
important test for automotive paint.

4. Cupping Test:
The purpose of this rest is to establish the behavior of point when
the body to which they are applied is subjected to deformation under
laid down conditions and to find our on the basis of the ductility of
the on the base metal.

50
 The cupping test also gives the information about the adhesive
quality of paint film during deformation. Usually the cupping test is
carried out of determining the depth of dent in coating system,
which is nothing but reverse flexibility at which coating tern of
flakes.
Place the test panel into cylinder opening with coating facing
towards the observe fixed firmly between sheet holder and matrix.
Switch on machine Note the reading at which paint film cracks as
cupping value.

5. Salt spray test:

The test is performed to see the resistance ability of paint coating
to salty atmosphere. The test is carried out in a chemically insert
container i. e. plastic with an acrylic closed fitting cover and an
atomizer A salt mist is produced in the chamber by spraying salt
solution through atomizer. The panels are supported on non metallic
rack at 15 degree to the vertical The panels are examined
periodically for blistering creep age.

The salt solution is made by 5 % NaCl solution in water The

processing temperature is between 33 to 37 0 C before exposure a
cross cut is made on coating of about 8x8 cm on panel and edges of
panel are masked.
AED + finish coat : 600 hrs
CED + finish coat : 1200 hrs

51
 There should no blisters more than 8 VF and the rust creep age
from cross cut line should nor exceed 15. mm on either side after
exposure.

6. Humidity test:
Relative humidity is the percent moisture in air. The rest is
carried to seethe performance of paint file to high humid condition.
The instrument consist of a closed in which relative humidity is
maintained approximately 100 % The temperature is maintained to
42 to 48 oC To ensure condensation on panel a fan is provided.
The panels are taken out after 25 hrs. at room temperature after
again panels are examined for blistering rusting and loss of adhesion
chalking or shade variation.

7. Accelerated weathering test:

The test is carried out in accelerated weather-o-meter (QUV) The
QUV is a laboratory simulation of the damaging force of weather
for the purpose of predicting the relative durability of materials
exposed to the outdoor environment There are two cycles of UV
and condensation each followed alternatively Each cycle is of 4 hrs
duration The QUV simulated the effect of sunlight by means of 8
fluorescent UV lamps of wavelength 280- 315 nanometer. The
temperature during UV is 60 oC.
The QUV simulated rain and dew by mans of revolutionary
condensation mechanism. During condensation period a water
reservoir in bottom to test chamber is heated to produce vapors. The
hot vapors keep the chamber at 100 % relative humidity at 50 oC.
The panels then checked for gloss blistering chalking after 100 hrs.
Specification: Solid colors = 500 hrs

52
 Metallic colors = 800 hrs.

1. Resistance to hot / cold water:

The purpose of this is to see the resistance of paint film to
prolonged contact For cold water test panel are immersed in water at
40 0 C for 500 hrs. And for hot water test panels are immersed in hot
water at 75 -80 0 C for 5 hrs.
There should be no blistering, rusting, chalking and loss of adhesion
of coating.

9. Resistance to diesel, petrol and engine oil:

The painted panels are dipped half portion into diesel, petrol and
engines oils at specified temperature and period The panels are then
removed wiped and observe.
There should be no deterioration in gloss, shade and grandness of
paint film.
Specified exposure time temperature: engine oil: 80 0 C/ 48 hrs
Diesel : R.T./24 hrs
Petrol : R.T./24 hrs.

10. Natural exposure:

Painted panels are kept as such for natural exposure at specified
angles for 2 years. And then checked for change in color, chalking
and gloss retention Gloss retention value should not be less than 85 %
of the original value of gloss.

53
ANCILLARY EQUIPMENTS –E D LINE:

A) ANOLYTE SYSTEM
B) PAINT FILTRATION UNIT
C) ULTRAFILTRATION UNIT
D) RO UNIT

A) PAINT FILTRATION UNIT:

Paint filtration is an important factor in order to improve the
quality of the paint coat. The dirt comes from outside and carried out into
the paint by body shell. The impurities entrained from pretreatment
cause dirt to be found as a reaction product with the paint.
These are 7 unit filters used for ED paint filtration all the filters
are bag type. After constant uses, the filter gets chocked & have to be
replaced. The filter fouling can be determined by pressure difference of

54
0.8 to 1.0 bar between inlet & outlet pressure. The pressure at inlet is 5.0
to 6.0 bar. The filter mesh of 50 to 100 m is used.

B) ANOLYTE SYSTEM:
Anolyte system is the important system for obtaining best quality
of E-Coat. During the coating pressure, there is continuous generation of
anions such as acetate or format and chloride (CH3-COO,Cl) according
to deposition paint quantity.
The acid ion is set free from paint during coating process and
chloride ions results from binding agent in paints. If the acid residue is
left in the bath material the pH increases slowly and also there is increase
in the conductivity of the bath due to which poor quality of finish results.
To avoid this, anolyte system is used and it serves as to obtain.

Anolyte system parameters:

Color : strew yellow
Conductivity : 500- 700 microsiemens
Flow rate : 60-100 lit/min

The anode cells are externally covered with rigid PVC tubes a
perforated filter clothes is covered to it to restrict impurities. There
are provided 6 additional bare cells to balance acid in bath.

1) Stable pH of bath
2) Stable conductivity
3) Stable condition
The free acid that is formed and anions are removed from dip tank
via a secondary circuit.

55
 The bath material and secondary circuit- the anolyte system are
isolated by selective permeable. Only the ingenious particles with respect
to electric charge can pass through membrane, paint particles are
retained.

PRICIPLE:
When DC voltage is applied, electro coagulation begins the
migration of particles between electrode begins, the pigment and binder
deposited at cathode and acid migrate to anode.
The secondary circuit consists of dialysis cell. It consists of anode
plate, which is made up of MS. Above this there is resinous mesh for
selectivity of ions. Further Teflon coating the cell is completely insulated
from tank and should not touch sides of tank covers it. Similarly the
selective membrane is always kept on the side facing car body.

BENEFITS OF DIALYSIS CELL:

1) The conducting device kept outside bath. Hence no conversion.
2) Homogeneous flow through the cell.
3) Better production of cell.

There are 70 anolytes in the tank with 35 cells on both sides. However
anolyte cell is sensitive to external agents and they get wear and
corroded because of –
1. Because of low pH, high acid content.
2. Presence of chlorides.
3. Foreign materials such as ions.
4. High voltage.
5. High protection rates.

56
 Also, the cell has to keep in the operation even if the man dip
tank is drained to dump tank, as the drying out of membrane is
irreversible and may damage the membranes.
If, the anolyte cell membrane is broken then paint particles
gets in to it and clog up the membrane, which cause the current flow to
decrease resulting in the decrease deposition. Hence the car is to be taken
that no anklet cell membrane damages.

ARRANGEMENT OF DIALTSIS CELLS AND ANOLYTE

SYSTEM:
The dialyses are arranged in the row of 35 on both sides in the
tank. There are 2 inlets and outlets through which anolyte liquid is
circulated though cell to anolyte tank forming a closed loop.
The anolyte tank has capacity of 5-meter cube and has over
flow drain facility. The tank is connected with DI pipe through which DI
added in case of rinse in the conductivity.

REACTION AT ANODE:
H++CH3COO :CH3COOH acid
Anolyte tank capacity :5 m3
No. of dialysis cells :70
Anode material :Mild steel
Anolyte conductivity :1000-1400 us

B) ULTRAFILTRATION UNIT:
There is one membrane type UF unit on E-Coat line.
Definition:

57
 “Ultra filtration is pressure dynamic process for separation
of suspended colloids and solids by applying thin semi permeable
polymer membranes”.
In elecrodepotision process UF is used to exact clear liquid
called as the permeate or the ultra filtrate. It is extracted from the ED
bath by retaining high molecular wt. species (pigment & binding agents)
while allowing water, solvent and low m. wt. solute (salts) to pass
through thin semi permeable membrane. In simple words it is extremely
fine filtration.
Thin clear liquid is used for 3 specific purposes-
1) For rinsing and to recover loosely adhere paint from the coated
article.
2) For removing undesirable ionic contamination and controlling the
solvent content in the bath.
3) Quality improvement: As no paint carried over, the uniform and
smooth surface to obtained hence less sanding work.

Stage: Ultrafiltrate rinse – 1

Chemical : UF
Method : Dip
PH : 5.7 – 6.7
Temperature : 25-31 0 C
Process time : 2 min

Stage : Ultrafiltrate rinse – 2

Chemical : UF
Method : Spray
Process time : 2 min

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 Stage : Ultrafiltrate rinse – 3
Chemical : UF
Method : Dip
PH : 5.6 – 6.7
Temperature : 25-31 0 C
Process time : 2 min.
There is a continuous utrafiltration circulation system through ten
ultrafiltration modules.

Following parameters are maintained in UF module system.

Chemical : UF
UF flow rate : > 20 LPM
Number of module : Min. 3
Clarity of UF : clear
Inlet pressure : 4 kg/ cm2
Outlet pressure : 2 kg/cm2
Pressure drop across : > 1.0
Filter

IMPORTANCE OF UF UNIT :
1. Economic effect:
Saving of paint (max. recovery 98%) i.e. cost reduction.

2. Environmental protection:
Less contamination of rinse water, cost reduction for wastewater
treatment.

3.Quality improvement of E-coat:

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 Soft and smooth surface of ED coat, improvement in
condition of ED bath.

THE PROCESS:
There are 10 spiral modules in UF unit. The paint from tank is
taken by a pump and sent to UF unit. The traveling direction of paint is
from bottom to top. The membrane presents in filter separate the pigment
+ binder and solvent. The pigment and binder is sent to main tank where
as solvent is used for rinsing after Elecrodeposition
The difference in the pressure of paint at inlet and outlet should
not more than 2.2-2.5 bar. A low AP means low flux rate and results
because of deposit formation on membranes. Generally, the pressure at
inlet is 3.0-4.0 bar and that at outlet is 1.5-2.0 bar.

TECHNICAL DATA:
Diameter : 210 mm
Length : 840 mm
Membrane area : 21 m2/membrane
Paint recirculation rate : 100 m3/hr

ULTRAFILRATE RINSES:
After the paint passes through UF, the filtrate is sent to filtrate
tank form, which it is further used for rinsing.
The constantly produced filtrate has to be returned to the paint dip
tank. It is a closed loop system.

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The filtrate is returned via-
1. The complete rinse zone.
2. Directly in to dip tank.

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► Paint kitchen supply unit:
Paint kitchen is also known as “paint mix room”(PMR). It is
installed at the ground floor and it supplies to the spray booth, all shades,
clear coat and primer through supply line. The paint mix room consists
of lines for primer, clear coat, thinner and base coat. The thinner is used
for spray booth in the paint mix room; the paint is thinned down for
required viscosity (25-27 sec.). The paint-mixing unit is as follows:
The incoming paint, which is approved by E1 oil & paint lab, is
sent to the J-block & K-block paint kitchen. In this paint kitchen supply
paint from drum is prepared for the application purpose and supplied for
the AEG process.

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 The main function of kitchen is to adjust spraying viscosity, flow
rate etc of paint and to supply it to recipe zone & bell zone.
Usually there are 2 types-
1. Mixing tank.
2. Supply tank.
Mixing tank: Mixing tank is used for mixing thinner and paint. The tanks
are made up of stainless steel and having capacity of 200 lit. Each
transfer pump is used to transfer the paint from paint barrel though cloth
to the mixing tank. 100-grade filter cloth is used for Metallic & 400
grade is used for Solid paints. Mechanical stirrer is used to avoid settling
of pigments.
Level, flow and temperature are maintained properly by measuring
instrument. Then the paint is supplied to the supply tank. For the
pumping of paints, turbine pumps are used whose main functions are to
adjust paint quality. In the turbine pumps, in each stage 20-psi pressure is
developed. Thus the13 stage turbine pumps develop pressure of 20 psi to
27 psi as per requirement. The incoming pressure for inlet is 8.0

Diagram:

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kg/cm2and the exit pressure should be 7.5 kg/cm2. If it is exceeded, then
there is choke up due to contamination.
The paints are supply by KNP, BASF, Asian PPG, Berger, and
Dupond etc. These mainly supplies Stoving types of paints such as
Alkyd-amino, Polyester, Acrylic based for clear coat are stoving type
and baked at 130 oC, and final touch up air drying PU paint is used. For
AED paint water based Epoxy-ester while CED Epoxy- polyamide type
of paint is used. These paints are baked at the temperature 190 oC and
140 oC.

Specifications:

Paint Approx. thinner in Viscosity in sec.

take
30-35 % 22-25
Surfacer
35-40 % 22-24
Solid colors
85-90 % 15-17
Metallic mica
Clear coat 20-25 % 25-27

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Paint kitchen parameters:

Parameters Surface Solid Base Clear Thinner

coat coat coat
Back 1-3 Bar 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
pressure
Supply 8-10 Bar 12-15 12-15 12-15 8-10
pressure
Temperature 25-27 0 C 25-27 25-27 25-27 25-27

Safety measures in paint kitchen:

1. Use of pneumatic pump instead of electric pump to avoid fire
hazard.
2. Use of pneumatic stirrer to avoid heating and coagulation of paint.
3. Earthlings of all paint supply tanks.
4. Deadly NO SMOKING area.
5. Chiller plant to maintain the temperature at 25-29 oC.
6. Automatic CO2 fire extinguisher.

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► QA/ME LABORATORY:
The QA/ME laboratory in Chinch wad division performs various
metallurgical testing as well as control Hard Chrome plating process,
Manganese phosphate process & testing includes hardness,
Microstructure, Metal composition are checked for various metal jobs.

HARD CHROME PLATING

Hard chrome plating is an Electroplating process. Chrome plating
is mainly done the articles fork, piston, and rings. It improves resistance
to wear, abrasion, heat, corrosion rather than to enhance appearance. So
it is commonly known as “Industrial” or “Engineering chrome plating”.
Hard chrome plating provides various properties such as-
A) Improve resistance to wear and tear.

66
 B) To prevent friction.
C) To provide heat and corrosion resistance.
D) To increase abrasion resistance.

HARD CHROME PLATING BATH:

In the chrome plating bath Chromic acid (CrO3 ) is the main
source of chromium, however a chromic acid solution will not deposit
chromium unless a definite amount of catalyst is present. The catalyst
helps to provide anions. The catalysts used are-
1. Fluorides.
2. Sulfates.
As per choice of catalyst above two baths are prepared.
In conventional bath Sulfate and in other bath Silico-fluoride is used as
catalyst. Silico-fluoride bath having more throwing efficiency to deposit
brighter Hard Chrome plating on articles.

PARAMETERS OF PLATING BATH:

A) Conventional bath.
1. Density of bath solution : 17-22 Be
2. Temperature of bath solution : 50-60 oC

Composition:-
1. Hexavalent Chromium : 170-260 gms/lit.
2. Sulfate content : 1.7-3.0 gms/lit.

B) Silico-fluoride bath:
1. Density of bath solution : 17-22 Be
2. Temperature of bath solution : 55-60 oC

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 Composition:-
1. Hexavalent Chromium : 170-260 gms/lit.
2. Sulfate content : 1.3-2.0 gms/lit.
3. Silico-fluoride : 3.0-6.0 gms/lit.

HARD CHROME PLATING PROCESS:

In this plating process the article to be coated is made cathode and
Lead/Tin metal alloy plate is used as anode. The bus bar of Copper
plated is used to convey the current when the article is immersed in
the tank. At the first “Reversed current” or “Etching current” is
applied. This activates the surface of the article to be coated i.e.
slightly etches the metal. Then the polarity current of same magnitude
i.e. 25-50 A/dm2 is applied. The current applied depends on the
surface area of the articles.
Usually depending on the surface area of the article to get film
density in the range of 250-270 mg and process time is 2 hrs. The
plating rate is initially very high and then it slow down. The level of
tank is maintained by water. When the density of solution is less than
specified usually about 2 kgs of Chromic acid is added to increase the
density by 1 Be. The thickness of plating is measure by electrometer
or micrometer electric gauge.

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF CHROME PLATING BATH:

(1) Hexavalent Chrome estimation:

Chemicals:
1. 0.1 N Ferrous Ammonium Sulfate.
2. 0.1 N Potassium Permanganate.
3. 50 % Sulfuric acid.

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Procedure:
1. Filter the solution by using Watt man filter paper no.4.
2. Take 10 ml of filtered solution in the 250 ml of volumetric flask.
3. Dilute it to 250 ml with water.
4. Add 2-3 drops of H2SO4.

Back Titration –
Take 5 ml of dilute solution and add to it 2 ml Ferrous Ammonium
sulfate. Titrate against 0.1 N Potassium Permanganate. The end point is
green to pink. The reading record as “X”.

Blank Titration –
Carry out the blank titration for 0.1 N Ferrous Ammonium Sulfate
and record the reading as “Y”.

Calculation:
Hexavalent chrome = ( Y-X ) x 16.67 gms/lit.

(2) Sulfate content estimation:

Chemicals:
1. HCl.
2. Acetic acid.
3. Ethanol.
4. 10 % BaCl2.
Procedure:
1. Take 10 ml of filtered solution.
2. Add to it 10 ml HCl, 15 ml acetic acid, 20 ml ethanol, 200 ml
water.

69
 3. Boil it for 20-30 mins.
4. Add 50-100 ml water and 30 ml BaCl2 .
5. Boil it again.
6. Cover the beaker and keep it for over night.
7. Then filter the ppt and wash with water.
8. Wt of ash x 42 =------- gms/lit.

Phosphating:
Manganese phosphate coating is carried out because it gives heavy
coating i.e.1000-2000 mg/ sq.ft and coarse, lubricating quality.
Manganese phosphating is done at elevated temp.( 80-100 oC).

Pointage of phosphating solution:

Chemicals:
1. 0.1 N NaOH.
2. Phenolphthalein indicator.

Procedure:
1. Take 10 ml of phosphating solution by pipette in a clean and dry
conical flask.
2. Dilute it with approximately 100 ml of water.
3. Add 2-3 drops of Phenolphthalein indicator.
4. Titrate the content of flask against 0.1 N NaOH solution which is
already filled in the burette up to “0” mark.
5. End point is colorless to pink.
6. Note down the burette reading and calculate the pointage of
phosphate solution.

Manganese Phosphate coating:

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 These are usually heavy i.e. 1000-2000 mg/sq.fit and coarse.
Because these coatings are used for their lubricating qualities and often
incorporate a supplementary oil film.

Pretreatments:

1. Decreasing-
First the object is cleaned with TCE solvent to remove heavy dust,
dirt, oil. Then it is subjected to Hot Degreasing solution i.e. dip in caustic
soda and process time is about 15 min.
2. Water rinse-
Hot water rinse is given after the degreasing to remove the traces
of Caustic.
3. De-rusting-
De-rusting chemical Rustodine or Pyrodine 20315 is used to
remove rust. Process time is 10 min.

4. Water rinse-
Cold water rinse is given to remove traces of acid.
5.Phosphating-
Manganese phosphating is done at elevated temp. ( 80-90 oC) the
chemical used is Phosphosol, which is basically a complex coating of
Iron-Manganese phosphate.

EFFLUENT TREATMENT FOR CHROME PLATING PROCESS:

1. For process collect the effluent in collection tank and after that
take it in treatment tank.
2. Check the Hexavalent Chromium content in effluent along with
pH value.

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 3. Then add H2SO4 to reduce pH value 2-3 and to make the process
faster and to reduce the toxicity of effluent.
4. Add Sodium bi-sulfate and air agitation is carried out vigorously.
5. Then add the Caustic soda to make the pH 7.0 and take it into
settling tank.
6. Then the toxic material is converted to less toxic sludge and it is
then well disposed.

► Effluent Treatment Plant

Effluent Treatment plant in TATA MOTORS is number one plant

in Maharashtra. There is formation of waste / impure water or effluent in
each factory. Water some time contains toxic material also. This water is
not permit table to drain in the river or in lake. But toxiness of water is
reduced to specific extend and if it is made pure as described by the
“Board of pollution control”, Maharashtra.
So to make water pure various treatments are done, the treatments
are also called as, “Effluent Treatments”.
There is special treatment to reduce cyanide content in water. As
per Board of pollution control, drain water should contain less than 2 mg
of cyanide content in liter of water. Also there are other treatments to
remove foreign particles, oil traces etc. & at the last stage, water
becomes pure.
In TATA MOTORS purification of water is checked by draining
the water in TATA MOTORS Lake. If water do not contains cyanide
content then there is no death of any fish due to the water.

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Type of Effluent:

1. Industrial.
2. Domestic

For the purification following 3 chemical dosing is carried out:

1. Lime.
2. PAC (Poly Aluminum Chloride).
3. Alum.
The main ETP tank having capacity of 400 meter cube. The
effluent is pumped and passed through fine screen of 5 microns to
separate foreign matters.
In that filtered water effluent above 3 chemicals are added
then it is passed through baffle channel to increase the reaction
with chemical, it is in the form of zig- zag. After that, the PE (Poly
Electrolyte) is added to the effluent. So there is formation of
positive and negative particles and thus the impurities present is
separated by using primary and secondary clarifiers.
Then it is passed through the Bio-Tower where in the tank
micro-organisms, algae’s are grown which helps to increase the
chemical oxygen demand. Then it is passed through the
exchangers and drain in to the lakes.

Effluent testing:

Sr.no. Test Specification

1. Color Whitish
2. pH 5.5 to 9.0
3. Suspended solids <100 mg/lit
4. Total oil & grease <10 mg/lit
5. Total dissolved solids <2100 mg/lit
6. Chloride(Cl) <600 mg/lit
7. sulfate(SO4) <1000 mg/lit
8. Chromium(Cr +6) <0.1 mg/lit
9. Zinc(Zn) <2 mg/lit
10. Nickel(Ni) < 5mg/lit
11. Copper(Cu) < 3mg/lit
12. Ferrous(Fe) < 3mg/lit
13. Total metal content < 10mg/lit
14. Dissolved phosphate < 5mg/lit

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15. Dissolved CN < 0.2mg/lit

74
► SPRAY BOOTH

Definition:
“In spray painting operation, the device used to collect over
spray of paint is referred to as a paint spray booth”.
Types:
There are mainly two types of spray booth-
1. Dry filter spray booth.
2. Water wash spray booth.
Water wash spray booth is further classified as-
a. Side draught.
b. Down draught.

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In TATAMOTORS “Down draught” spray booths are used.

Functions of spray booth:

Following are the functions of spray booth-
1. Clean environment for painting.
2. Safe environment for operator.
3. Good lightening.
4. High paint transfers efficiency by controlled airflow.
5. Quality of work.

Construction and Working:

1. The fresh atmospheric air is firstly filtered through the Rollomatic
filter of 20 microns.
2. Then this air is further filtered through the primary filter of 10
microns.
3. Then this filtered air is passed through the Hot water circulation
system to maintain the temp. of booth in cold seasons.
4. The air is further passed through the Humidifier zone where the
water is sprinkled to maintain the humidity of booth.
5. This air is sucked by the exhaust blowers through the Dyna tubes.
In each zone 4 blowers are provided for uniform extraction.
6. This air is further filter through the Bag filters of 5 microns to
remove fine foreign matter.
7. Due to the down draught the over sprayed paint particles in the
water flowing below the floor. The water used is alkaline in nature
and the additives link Sodium Meta silicate & Phosphate are
added to maintain the pH. Due to paint particles gets coagulate and
precipitated which is very easy to remove.

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 Booth parameters:
1. Temperature : 26-28 oC.
2. Humidity : 60-80 %
3. Air velocity : 0.3-0.5 m/s.

Air velocity of booth in different zones:

Sr.no. Different zones Velocity (m/s)

1. Transfer zone 0.05
2. Manual spray zone 0.45
3. M/C spray stage-1 0.30
4. Flash off zone 0.20
5. M/C spray stage-2 0.45
6. Touch up zone 0.45
7. Air seal before IR 0.25
8. Manual spray zone 0.45
9. M/C spray stage-3 0.30
10. Touch up zone 0.41
11. Flash off zone 0.01

Diagram:

77
78
 PROJECT REPORT

►COMPARITIVE STUDY OF PAINT SUDGE HANDLING

PROCESSES:

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Paint sludge handling:

Paint sludge:
“During painting operation the over spray is formed which is captured
by the water under booth it is also known as ‘paint waste’ and finally it
becomes paint sludge”.

OLD METHOD OF SLUDGE HANDLING:

PRENCIPLE: Sinking or settling the sludge at the bottom without

flotation.

NATURE OF METHOD:
Physical as no chemical reaction between over sprayed paint particles and
additives added.

ADDITIVE (COAGULANT) USED: Bentonite powder.

FUNCTION:
The slurry absorbs water and swells in to large irregular shaped particles.
Sticky paint particles adhere to the slurry and, in turn, are covered by other
clay particles, resulting in a large sludge formation.
The mechanism of sludge separation is adsorption of paint particles on to
the slurry particles in the solution.

PROBLEM ASSOCIATED:
1. Large amount of sludge formation.
2. Good maintainace is required.
3. Dewatering of sludge is very difficult.
4. Flammability problem.

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5. Microorganism growth.
6. Disposal problem.
7. More tacky sludge.
8. Large amount of additive is required.
9. Pumping and filtration is very difficult.
10.Limited use on high solid paints.

NEW METHOD:
PRINCIPLE: This method is reciprocal of old method, as sludge tends to
float on the surface of water.
NATURE OF METHOD: It is chemical method of paint sludge removal
as sludge is separated by means of chemical reactions.
ADDITIVES (COAGULANTS):
1. Organic copolymers.
2. Metal salts like silicates, carbonates along with emulsifiers.
Nature of coagulant: Beige colored powder-having pH 9-10.

FUNCTIONS:
A) ORGANIC COPOLYMERS:
The organic copolymer has both the ends one is Hydrophilic & other is
Hydrophobic.
The Hydrophilic means water loving which attract towards water.
While Hydrophobic is water hating.
So it forms net like structure so that the paint particles get captured and
remains as the floatation mass.

B) SALTS OF METAL:
The metal salts react with the over spray paint particles to form catalyzed
crude and insoluble metal soap.

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 BENIFITES OF NEW PROCESS:
1. Small amount of sludge formation.
2. Less maintainace is required.
3. Dewatering of sludge is very easy.
4. Less flammability problem.
5. No Microorganism growth.
6. Easy to dispose.
7. Less tacky sludge.
8. Small amount of additive is required.
9. Pumping and filtration is very easy.
10. Can be used on high solid paints.

CONCLUSION:
By considering above two methods comparatively we can
conclude that “New method” having benefits over the “Old

82
method” of paint sludge handling. As the final formed sludge is
very easy to remove from the sump of water effluent.

83