Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Industry Partners Create New Automotive Coating Effects

• Daimler AG will present the new development at SURCAR, the conference on automotive body finishing in Cannes
• Modification of the Xirallic® effect pigment surface submitted for a patent
• Successful collaboration between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Daimler AG, Fraunhofer IPA, and coating specialist PPG

Darmstadt, Germany, June 29, 2017 – Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today announced the outcome of a successful collaboration with Daimler AG, the coating specialist PPG Industries and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA). The joint efforts have yielded a special clear coat for generating new effect dimensions that Daimler AG is currently testing and will be presented for the first time at SURCAR 2017, the International Conference on Automotive Body Finishing in Cannes, France.

Crucial: the interface between the clear coat and the base coat
The Xirallic® effect pigment makes the difference in the product manufactured by PPG. The pigment surface is modified using innovative curing, a process developed by the Fraunhofer IPA and Daimler AG and jointly submitted for a patent. Thanks to customized additives in the clear coat, after the clear coat is applied to the body the particles specifically orient themselves toward the interface to the base coat.

This new development can significantly intensify the effect on existing OEM base coats, making it possible to create completely new color tones. By selectively combining a series base coat with a shiny, matte, or “stratifying” clear coat, different color effects can be realized for vehicles. 

A show car will exhibit this novel effect for the first time at SURCAR on June 29 and 30 in Cannes.