Superior sealing

It’s often the little things you don’t see and aren’t even aware of that can make a huge difference to how you enjoy a vehicle, how efficiently it operates and indeed the efficiency of producing it in the first instance. In its constant search to improve every element of a vehicle and vehicle manufacture, the Audi paint shop in Győr, Hungary is testing a new method of body sealing which will not only produce a better pre-paint seal, but reduce the amount of waste during production and the weight of the finished vehicle. 

Before a car is given its paint finish, a paste-like sealing material is applied to areas such as the weld seams. This improves vehicle acoustics, guards against corrosion and seals off the interior. The new method gives complete freedom in determining the thickness and width of material to be applied and this in turn makes it possible to apply the sealing material more quickly and with supreme precision.
Known as digital sealing, the new system uses a robot-guided applicator to deposits ultra-fine droplets of uniform quality to the body with outstanding accuracy. Beforehand, trained system operators program the optimal width and thickness of material to be applied and thanks to the precision involved, almost none of the sealing material goes to waste. 

As a result, because less material is used, the overall weight of the vehicle is reduced by several kilograms – and every kilogram saved improves vehicle dynamics and cuts carbon emissions. 

The new process also makes life better for those working on the cars, making it much easier to apply in hard-to-reach places that are subject to exacting quality requirements and need tight seals. In the past, these steps in the process have called for a lot of experience and meant demanding ergonomics, including working overhead on the vehicle underbody. 

The new, automated process also saves time and improves the visual appearance of the seals thanks to its consistent level of precision. A patent application has been filed, and the method is due to be rolled out at additional Audi sites.