Measure the Quality of Automotive coatings with the best match to the visual perception

Rhopoint TAMS™ - the ultimate quality control tool for instrumental analysis of surfaces appearance, roughness and waviness in the automotive painting process, from raw-material, E-Coat to C-Coat.

A beautiful smooth finish is a key aim when painting a vehicle- the quality of this finish is determined by the surface roughness & waviness of the raw material to be painted and the effectiveness of each subsequent coating process as well as any polishing or sanding operations.

The Rhopoint TAMS™ can measure and map surfaces at all stages of paint processes from raw material to final topcoat. This innovative device has many of the advantages of the high-resolution analytical tools combined with the portability and accessibility of a handheld device.
 

The ultimate quality control instrument that handles:

This innovative device is the result of years of development collaboration between Rhopoint, Volkswagen AG and AUDI AG. Not only does it model human perception of final surface appearance quality, but at the same time can be used to judge topographic information from surfaces ranging from totally matt to high gloss.

Unlike systems that are currently in use, the Rhopoint TAMS™ is able to capture surface data for mid gloss and high gloss surfaces and therefore all surfaces throughout the automotive coating manufacturing process - steel and aluminum, E-Coat as well as filler, base coat and topcoat.

To evaluate the suitability of raw materials, to optimize individual processes and to build a complete picture of how the quality of the final product is influenced at each paint stage, analytical data is needed to understand how each paint process fills, smooths and masks the underlying roughness from the base material such as steel and aluminum.

The image-acquiring Rhopoint TAMS™ utilizes Phase Measurement Deflectometry (PMD) as one of its measurement technologies and provides ISO 16610 compliant high-resolution 3D altitude maps of raw materials and all surfaces in the painting process in less than five seconds.

Measurements are taken according to DIN EN ISO 4287 (like optical Ra), or DIN EN ISO 25178 for areal topographic information (like Sa).

^{Analyzing two band filtered surfaces with the included Optimap Reader Software.}

Everything under control - in all intermediate steps

The intermediate production step of E-coating is a high-tech process that has a huge impact on the final quality and thus requires as much control as any other production step.

Controlling the E-coat with Rhopoint TAMS^TM and its advanced quality parameters, e.g. ISO GPS texture analysis compliant topographic roughness indices, gives you complete documentary overview of your paint process. This will result not only in better final quality but also in lower unit costs.

But not only can relevant topographic indices be analyzed. If you want to keep it simple, Rhopoint TAMS™ enables easy documentation and reporting by using Rhopoint Quality indices to judge overall quality of an E-coat.

Clear coat measurement - judge the perceived Quality as your customer does

For maximum visual impact, an automotive paint finish must instantly produce an appealing visual sensation for the customer. Improved correlation to visual perception and its easily communicated parameters gives the Rhopoint TAMS™ a major advantage over methods that are currently in use.

Clear coat measurements are made by the Rhopoint TAMS™ by measuring a 2D area of the surface from a fixed measurement position. In addition to providing major surface parameters such as Contrast, Sharpness, Waviness and Dominant Structure Size, customer visual preferences are shown by “Quality” and “Harmony” indices. The Quality indices express the overall quality level of the surface, whereas the Harmony value indicates how well adjunct parts will are be perceived as harmonious in quality.