Use of the robust design methodology for identification of factors that contribute to the intensity of the “orange peel” aspect on painted bumper surfaces

Abstract Even with the considerable development of techniques for automotive paint in recent decades, the bumper is a car part that still has many problems related to the aspect of its painted surface. This study aimed to identify the clear coat application factors that affect on the intensity of orange peel appearance on painted bumpers surfaces and offer an optimum design of factors through the robust design methodology. In this research conducted in automated paint sector of a bumper company, the robust design helped in the identification of variability cause in a production process by applying an experiment and statistical techniques, in an agile and with little waste material way. The experiment tested various combinations of levels of the clear coat application factors (speed, flow, revolution per minute, operation voltage, atomizing air pressure) in the bumper samples. The intensity of the orange peel on coated surfaces samples was measured by a Wave Scan device that provides the wavelength reading as a function of two measures: Long Wave and Short Wave. The main results obtained by variance analysis of noise signal ratio showed that the factors that have significant effects on the value of the Short Wave response wavelength are: revolution per minute, operation voltage and the interactions flow*operation voltage and speed*operation voltage. The factors that significantly affected the response value of the Long Wave wavelength are: flow, atomizing air pressure, revolution per minute, operation voltage and the interaction speed*operation voltage. As a result of analysis of the noise signal mean, it is presented the factors optimum design: speed = 920 m / s; flow = 160 ml/min; atomizing air pressure = 180 bar; revolution per minute = 90 revolutions / minute; operation voltage = 180 kilovolts.