Liquid painting of carbon fiber for the automotive industry

The liquid painting of carbon fiber components for the high-end automotive sector requires extremely high-quality standards. Beyond aesthetics, it is essential to ensure resistance to corrosion, weather conditions, and long-term durability.
To meet these requirements, Novation Tech, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of carbon fiber and composite components, chose to install a new liquid painting line designed and built by Linea Eco Air.

The goal of the project was to achieve full control over the painting process, enhance finish quality, and increase production efficiency, in line with the stringent demands of the premium automotive sector.

Carbon fiber in the automotive industry

In recent years, the automotive industry has increasingly adopted advanced materials such as carbon fiber and composites, valued for their mechanical properties, including light weight, tensile strength, and rigidity.
Reducing the overall vehicle weight enhances performance and energy efficiency, while also contributing to lower CO2 emissions.

However, painting carbon fiber presents a technical challenge: unlike traditional metals, composite materials require specific surface preparation processes to ensure optimal paint adhesion and long-term protection.

Aesthetic and quality requirements for high-end automotive components

For components intended for high-end vehicles, such as those manufactured by Novation Tech, the finish must be flawless and uniform, free from defects such as microbubbles or inclusions. For this reason, surface preparation includes cleaning, sanding, blasting, and the application of specific primers, essential steps to ensure the final coating quality.

Meeting these stringent standards led Novation Tech to partner with Linea Eco Air to develop a painting system capable of guaranteeing process repeatability, precision, and reliability.

Novation Tech: experience and innovation in composite processing

Founded in 1967 in Montebelluna (TV), Novation Tech began its operations in metal stamping and gradually evolved to specialize in the processing of special alloys, plastics, and composite materials.
In 2007, with the production of its first carbon fiber seat back for sports cars, the company embarked on a path of technological growth that has since established it as a European reference in the sector.

Today, Novation Tech employs over 1,400 employees across five manufacturing sites, with automotive as its core business, supported by aerospace and sports & leisure applications.

The production process of carbon fiber components

The production cycle of carbon fiber components is highly specialized, beginning with the development of the master model, followed by the preparation of pre-preg material kits and the manual lamination of fiber layers onto the mold.

At the core of the process is the autoclave, where components undergo a curing cycle lasting approximately four hours at 140°C and 6 bar, ensuring uniform temperature and pressure.
After demolding, each part is inspected, measured, machined, and, if required, bonded to plastic or metal parts.

Prior to final painting, the components undergo meticulous mechanical pretreatment, essential for achieving a surface suitable for coating.

The new liquid painting line by Linea Eco Air

The new painting line designed by Linea Eco Air is intended for the finishing of exterior automotive components, such as side skirts, hoods, and bumpers.
The painting cycle begins with a deionization phase to remove dust and residues from prior processes.

This is followed by manual primer application in a booth equipped with a suction wall, designed to ensure both operator safety and application quality. Components then move into a flash-off and heating area, maintained at 40°C for approximately 25 minutes.

The subsequent topcoat application phases are automated and integrated into a workflow that includes additional flash-off zones, a drying oven with holding times of 45–50 minutes, and a forced cooling area to facilitate unloading.

Process control and finish quality

The new line was implemented to ensure certainty over cycle times and output volume, which is why a step-by-step configuration was chosen.
This setup provides greater consistency and precision in painting application, thereby improving production performance and process control.

At the end of the cycle, components are inspected under dedicated light tunnels to verify coating uniformity and the absence of aesthetic defects. Parts that do not meet the customer-defined standards are reworked.

Industrial painting and sustainability

Sustainability is a core aspect of the project. The painting line was designed with solutions aimed at reducing energy consumption and environmental impact, while simultaneously improving process efficiency.

These initiatives are part of a broader commitment to more sustainable industrial production, in line with Novation Tech’s values.

Linea Eco Air: customized painting systems for the automotive industry

The project for Novation Tech provides a concrete example of Linea Eco Air’s approach to designing customized liquid painting systems for the automotive sector.
A system meticulously engineered to ensure aesthetic quality, process control, and production efficiency, addressing the demands of a market increasingly focused on high performance and sustainability.

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