Why Sensors Are Best for Automotive Trim Testing and More

If you’re in the automotive industry, you understand how important color is in the manufacturing process. There are a variety of parts and surfaces that are either painted or produced with colors that, when combined, create the look and feel that was intended for the vehicle’s design. From exterior surface paint to the color of interior trim, ensuring that these elements are the proper color is essential for a positive customer experience and maintaining your organization’s brand image. This is why automotive trim testing and other component testing are so essential to success — and why it’s important to have the right system in place to do it.

There are countless parts that require color testing in the automotive industry, ranging from fasteners and seals to panels and trim. These components range in size and use throughout the interior and exterior of a vehicle. And while guaranteeing correct color through automotive component testing is essential to producing a high-quality product, it’s also essential for the manufacturing process itself.

Without an automated solution in place, verification of color would require either a manual process (which adds extensive time and cost as well as inaccuracy to the process) or an extremely expensive and inflexible machine vision system (which in addition to its cost would require extensive implementation and configuration time). Sensors are the most ideal solution for automotive trim testing because:

  • They are far more cost-effective than other automated solutions
  • They eliminate the need and hassle of manual verification
  • They operate at extremely high speeds without losing accuracy
  • They can be easily implemented in an existing production line
  • They can be more rapidly configured and adjusted as needed
  • They work with a variety of different automotive components

Two Examples of How Color Sensors Drive Automotive Manufacturing Forward

Automotive Trim Testing

When a major tier 1 automotive supplier needed to guarantee the color of interior components in a more automated fashion, they turned to EMX Industries for a solution. Using the ColorMax sensor, we overcame the challenge of variations due in part to surface texture. Samples were assigned a color recognition channel with individual settings, allowing the company to more rapidly and accurately error-proof color inspection during automotive trim testing.

Read the full application note here.

Automotive Component Testing

A well-known automotive supplier needed to guarantee color correctness for a variety of small parts. Complete accuracy was needed to error-proof manufacturing and eliminate the virtually impossible process of manual verification. Using a specific spot size, the ColorMax sensor from EMX Industries was able to support the small size of the parts while rejecting the influence of ambient light. The result was more accurate color matching at a fraction of the time and cost of manual automotive component testing techniques.

Read the full application note here.

Why ColorMax is Uniquely Suited for Color-Based Automotive Component Testing

The ColorMax line of industrial color sensors is one of the most flexible, accurate, and integrable industrial automation tools for the automotive industry. Combining advanced color sensor technology with innovative hardware and software, our ColorMax sensors are a complete solution for making manufacturing and other production processes more accurate and efficient.

With rapid 20 kHz switching capability, the ColorMax 1000 can process thousands of parts per minute — likely more than can be fed by existing equipment! A variety of models are available with varying spot sizes for different-sized parts, color channels for more flexible readings, and operating ranges for seamless integration into your unique production line.

HEX color-based ColorMax sensors allow for a wide range of recognizable colors, so if you have ultra-specific color requirements, this solution will work perfectly for your needs. We also offer RGB-based models that support production lines where active in-line monitoring of the sample’s color values is required.

Experience the ColorMax Difference Firsthand — at No Charge

At EMX Industries, Inc., we’re so confident in our ColorMax line of sensors for automotive trim testing that we offer complimentary sample evaluations for any part. Simply fill out a form, ship your samples in, and one of our engineers will test your samples using the ColorMax sensor. A detailed, written report will be provided to you showing how the sensor performed.

Get your free sample analysis here and put the ColorMax sensor to work for your automotive testing needs.