2022 Ford Ranger Paint Issue - Carbonized Gray

[AdamHarris]

I would say that the acrylic urethane paint most body shops still use is more durable than the water borne paint the factory uses. Plus the base clear systems in use today allow the paint to be feathered into the surounding panel(s) then cleared over making it impossible to see where the repaint was done.

I is practically impossible for any body shop to 100% completely and totally reproduce what the factory can do. Even the "crappiest" of factories. In the factory, the bare metal panels are dipped in a corrosion preventing coating and finished in dust/contaminate free facilities without the panels ever having been exposed to the outside environment. Is it always perfect? no but robots don' t have bad days and never have girlfriends break up with them etc.

I never made the switch to water borne paints. Even most of the shops that did switch, only switched the base to water borne (water borne clears are a very new thing) and many are switching back to full solvent based systems.

When I say "factory is better" I'm speaking purely from a long-term durability standpoint. When you see a 2002 Tahoe, or whatever, that has a door and fender pealing but the rest of the trucks finish is largely ok, most likely this Tahoe had that door and fender repainted when it was new for whatever reason.

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[D Fresh]

Shops ARE held to the same EPA standards, however they deal with all sorts of paint finishes from the past to try and match, that the use of older types of formulas was needed. Most shops use water based paints as well, but prefer the old stuff which is still somewhat manufactured. Depends on the shop and workload. We used modern paints, but also used stuff that was probably no longer made, but still good enough to use in certain situations.

Color matching and applying paints is still an art!! Some people had an eye for it, and some people just didn't have it. I myself never painted...but I could tell by the finished product which of the 6 painters painted the piece. Blending pieces to match surrounding panels is an art in itself. My OCD was useful in spotting good work, or not so

I've known a few QC people that are just like that.

Thanks for the insight.

Michigan Assembly (where the Ranger and Bronco are painted) is a solvent born paint shop, the only Ford water born plants are KTP and DTP. As for the thought that hand spraying on an assembly line is anywhere near as good as robotically applied paint, is way way of the mark!

I thought all new vehicles were water based. I was unaware solvent based paints are still used by manufacturers here.

Your answer might be tbe same, but you've got the question twisted.

Is handpainted by a skilled professional better than robot painted on an assembly line?

 

[Marpater]

Is handpainted by a skilled professional better than robot painted on an assembly line?

Hand painting by skilled professional would only happen in a body shop and yes it would look better but always takes a heck of a long time to do, the assembly line painters while most were efficient and some were even good, were never as good as a robot for consistency of film thickness across all surfaces.
First off back in the day of manual sprayers in an assembly line booth the production thru put was only about 2/3's of what the line put through with robotically applied painting stations. On average each booth (Prime, Basecoat and Clearcoat) would have at least 8-10 spray stations with (2) sprayers per station to yield a through put of roughly 25 unit per hour.
Just image for a minute, hot summer day, the booth would be 90*F - 95*F and more that 60% humidity, the sprayer would see a new unit every 2 minutes, you have (2) sprayers per station, who spray paint at each other all day, especially the guys on the hood and roof.
Now with that vision in mind ask yourself what system would provide a better paint job, robots or people......?

 

[mailbox4449]

Agree, robots for mass produced is the way to go. Like Mark mentioned, it takes a physical toll to constantly and consistently paint that many parts by hand. People would be run down quickly. Modern day paint robotics are damn good for the masses. As long as the material is prepared correctly, a robot can do a good job.

When the average person looks at a paint surface, they usually see the clear coat surface texture. In my experience, the more "orange peel" the better. That peel tells you you have a decent amount of clear/protection above the paint color. While some prefer the smooth as "glass" clear, I prefer the orange peel. When I see a smooth/glassy spot among the orange peel, that tells me it was either sanded/buffed too much in that spot. Again, the average person wouldn't notice it.

And as far as hand vs robot for painting? A "seasoned" painter will always do better than a robot. The human element is what makes the difference in quality work IMHO. And the best paint jobs I have ever seen were done on vehicles that were completely repainted (original color or not) by hand.

Why do you think those hot rods or concourse auto shows have smokin hot looking cars. Most if not all were totally repainted...by hand. That's the only way, again my opinion, for a supreme paint job.

But for the average person out there, an Earl Scheib, or rattle can will do

Heck, people even now "wrap" their nice paint finishes with flat plastic sheets While I get thats the trend, might as well just scuff the entire vehicle with some sand paper and call it a day

EDIT: FWIW, I am by no means an auto body expert. I'm just giving my opinion based on my work and life experiences. My first "real" job was working for a family friend in a body shop right out of high school. I had NO knowledge of basic mechanics or auto cleaning whatsoever!! The owner took his time to mentor me and taught me the proper way to perform oil changes, change spark plugs, distributors, check fluids, clean cars, drive stick shift, pinstripe, earn an honest day's pay, be proud of my work, etc. Almost 40 years later I still try and learn what I can and perform to the best of my ability. I learned to buff that year on old junky cars in the owners used car lot, and eventually ended up doing detail work on high end black Mercedes before I left for college. Over the years I have adapted to newer detailing techniques as vehicles have changed as well. I actually got my last autobody shop job as a fluke. Owner was impressed with how detailed my vehicle was (bringing in for accident work), that he gave me the job on the spot. Then when he learned I knew how to buff...the rest wa history. OK, I'm done now reliving my youth....where the hell did the time go

 

[Jbroke]

looks like a total loss, would part it out while prices are still high.

 

[D Fresh]

Hand painting by skilled professional would only happen in a body shop, the assembly line painters while most were efficient and some were even good, were never as good as a robot for consistency of film thickness across all surfaces.
First off back in the day of manual sprayers in an assembly line booth the production thru put was only about 2/3's of what the line put through with robotically applied painting stations. On average each booth (Prime, Basecoat and Clearcoat) would have at least 8-10 spray stations with (2) sprayers per station to yield a through put of roughly 25 unit per hour.
Just image for a minute, hot summer day, the booth would be 90*F - 95*F and more that 60% humidity, the sprayer would see a new unit every 2 minutes, you have (2) sprayers per station, who spray paint at each other all day, especially the guys on the hood and roof.
Now with that vision in mind ask yourself what system would provide a better paint job, robots or people......?

Of course it would be in a bodyshop. That's the question.

You're the only person talking about hand painting on an assembly line.

 

[AdamHarris]

A robot is a "monochromatic applicator" meaning they paint an entire panel/vehicle one color. At that they are programed to be masters; paint film thickness: perfect. metallic all laying in the same direction: perfect. Even level of orange peal in the clearcoat across the panel: perfect.

It takes a human to perform literally every/any other aspect of the paint process. stripes/graphics, surface prep, blending, color matching (women are much better than men at this part), you name it.

 

[RedDakooter05]

Ya'll should see the robotic handy work on my F150, the whole body has a porous appearance.

 

[Marpater]

Of course it would be in a bodyshop. That's the question.

You're the only person talking about hand painting on an assembly line.

I only mention assembly line painters as a point of view, you can untie your panties now.

 

[Marpater]

Ya'll should see the robotic handy work on my F150, the whole body has a porous appearance.

99.9% of the time its not the robot, its the material being fed to the robot and the lack of attentiveness of the operator who is supposed to see variations in the application. My F150 was rather sunkist as well (oranges that is).

 

[RedDakooter05]

99.9% of the time its not the robot, its the material being fed to the robot and the lack of attentiveness of the operator who is supposed to see variations in the application.

Yeah It doesn't bother me. Just never knew paint could cure in such a fashion.

 

[JDowns]

I thought this thread would be about the metallic being off in areas. There are clear areas that catch your eye on my truck where the return path overlap was mid panel resulting in darker splotches. Not enough that really concerns me, but in the right light at the right angle it's clear as day. When I first got the truck I would do a double take thinking I missed cleaning an area.

 

[D Fresh]

I only mention assembly line painters as a point of view, you can untie your panties now.

Just making sure you were following along.

 

[AdamHarris]

The 2008 to 2014 era F 150s had some mad orange peal for some reason! Their tailgates look like Rhino line sometimes.

 

[Marpater]

The 2008 to 2014 era F 150s had some mad orange peal for some reason! Their tailgates look like Rhino line sometimes.

I see you are from TN, and you title the "Blue Oval City" huge project of which I am involved with, doing some consulting on the environmental equipment of the paint shop there.

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