The Maubeuge plant has been building the Renault Kangoo range since 1997. This year will mark a major change with the arrival of the iconic all-electric passenger car, Renault 4 E-Tech electric.
At the same time, the site will debut a major innovation on the production line: the Jetprint Paint system for two-tone paintwork. (See video below.)
This new, ultra-modern technology saves energy and emits less carbon, but its development and implementation posed a real challenge.
Experts Katell Lavisse, head of the paint trade department, Renault Group, and Frédéric Rairoux, paint sector consultant, Renault 4 project, tell us more.
For the production of Renault 4 E-Tech electric, the Maubeuge production site (Ampere ElectriCity) is inaugurating the Jetprint Paint process, a new technology for two-tone paint application.
The process relies on a dedicated booth that is fully integrated with the production line.
Working to the highest standards of quality, two robots complete the two-tone paintwork of the roof and bonnet in just six minutes.
Previously, a two-tone finish required hours of preliminary preparations as part of a process that involved sending the car back to the paint shop for a second time.
Katell Lavisse, head of the paint trade department, Renault Group, says: “This year, the Maubeuge plant is set to start building Renault 4 E-Tech electric, an iconic Renault brand vehicle.
“This allowed us to deploy a revolutionary innovation in the paint shop with Jetprint Paint, a process enabling a two-tone finish.”
The challenge of a totally new painting process
In the new Jetprint Paint booth at the Ampere site in Maubeuge, the roof and bonnet of Renault 4 E-Tech electric receive a two-tone paint finish, with a perfect line between the two colours.
This premium finish is a great source of great pride for Lavisse. She played a key role in the on-site deployment of this innovative paint technology.
Lavisse says: “With this innovation, Renault 4 E-Tech electric can be personalised in a unique way, with or without the canvas roof, further underlining its exclusive status.”
Implementing this innovation was a real challenge for Lavisse and for all the members of the Maubeuge paint team, including Rairoux, paint sector consultant for the R4 project.
Everything about the process was new, from both a technical and a material perspective.
Frédéric Rairoux, paint sector consultant, Renault 4 project, says: “Jetprint Paint requires different technology and a different type of paint. So we developed a specific paint booth and organised training for employees.”
From an organisational standpoint, integrating this innovation into the production process is a first for the Renault Group, and also a world first for a full-line manufacturer.
The team faced a two-fold challenge in deploying this new process, while also starting production of the first all-electric passenger car at the Maubeuge plant.
“The timing was ambitious to say the least!” remembers Lavisse, before adding, “Everything had to be fully operational well before the launch of Renault 4 E-Tech electric.”
A technology with numerous benefits
Traditionally, a two-tone finish is obtained by sending vehicles back to the paint shop on the main production line for a second time.
Lavisse continues: “Specifically, car bodies were painted in the main colour selected by the customer and then dried in an oven.
“We then had to protect the body with tarpaulins and masking tape, a process involving many hours of manual labour, before sending the car back to the main paint shop for a second coat of paint, but this time only on the two-tone areas.”
This method was complex, time-consuming and energy-intensive, with the car having to be dried twice in the ovens. It also required a significant quantity of consumables and generated considerable waste.
“Jetprint Paint changes everything!” says Rairoux with a smile. The two-tone process is now integrated with the production line. This means that manual masking, tarpaulins and protective plastic are no longer necessary.
“We have a higher level of productivity and considerably less waste,” continues Rairoux. Another advantage of Jetprint Paint is that the technology is 100% efficient, completely eliminating paint waste.
As the final oven drying stage is no longer necessary, the process saves 1.7 GWh of electricity per year.
“That’s equivalent to the annual consumption of 350 households and 331 tonnes of non-emitted CO2,” says Rairoux with enthusiasm.
An innovation inspired by printing industry
Inaugurated on Renault 4 E-Tech electric, Jetprint Paint uses a technology known as paint printing. “This innovation delivers extremely high levels of precision, making it ideal for two-tone paintwork” continues Rairoux.
A jet of paint of between 1 and 50 mm in width is directed by the force of pressure and gravity onto the body of the car.
“Two robots paint the roof and bonnet of Renault 4 E-Tech electric in just six minutes,” says Rairoux.
For comparison, paint jets body are between 30 and 45 cm wide when painting the entire body. Using atomisation technology, the paint takes the form of a mist sprayed onto the body using compressed air and high-voltage technology.
“Jetprint Paint is a real revolution in vehicle paint shops” explains Lavisse.
This new paint process has so many qualities that Lavisse is thinking big. “The future prospects for Jetprint Paint extend well beyond two-tone paintwork.”
This technology could be used to develop bespoke paintwork for business fleets and highly customised finishes for private customers. The range of possibilities is wide.
“Jetprint Paint contributes to more sustainable production. And the exceptional quality of finish gives it a bright future within the group,” says Lavisse.
