Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine - May/June 2023 - 5

NEWS
Toronto Startup Focused on Solving Automotive
Paint Challenges
The first thing you notice when you pick up a new car is the
gleaming paint job. And to the naked eye, it may seem perfect.
But the reality is, no two cars ever receive the exact same
colour or coating. In fact, the process is so intricate that the
defect rate is significant, with some estimates as high as 25
per cent. That means parts are often pulled off the line or
repainted, causing paint specialists to work in a constant
cycle of problem solving and making the paint shop one of
the highest polluters in the automotive supply chain due to
increased emissions and waste.
Now a Toronto-based start-up with a passion for cars
and automation is making great strides in solving the issue.
Mazlite Inc.'s unique technology-a spray monitoring
platform that combines sensors and analytics to deliver high
quality coatings-works in real time to detect slight changes
in the automotive spraying process. For the first time, paint
shops could have the visibility they need to prevent problems
before they occur on the production line.
" The whole colour matching and environmental aspect
to painting new cars is extremely complex and yet, it's taken
for granted, " said Amirreza Amighi, Mazlite CEO and cofounder.
Production
line colour challenges range from mismatched
hues when plastic and metal car parts are combined,
to defects in materials or dirty nozzles, and human or
robotic errors. Mazlite is tackling these issues by applying
a scientific lens, tapping into the cutting-edge expertise
of student researchers hired through Mitacs, a national
innovation organisation that helps solve business challenges
with research solutions from academic institutions.
Currently, quality control typically occurs after a paint job
is finished. Mazlite's intelligent, cloud-based sensors work
like an automated inspector, measuring spray patterns every
few minutes on the line to ensure the coating thickness is
Production line colour
challenges range from
mismatched hues when
plastic and metal car parts
are combined, to defects in
materials or dirty nozzles,
and human or robotic errors.
correct. The sensors also continually monitor paint materials
to avoid defects due to changes in colour or poor finishes.
Reportedly easy to integrate into existing production
lines, the sensors are constantly gathering information
and performing complex calculations in the background
to determine whether or not a spray is going to meet
specifications before being applied. The system provides
alerts to notify employees and pinpoint exactly what went
wrong when a problem does occur.
By automating the process, Mazlite is also helping to
solve the challenge of an aging paint shop workforce. Car
paint specialists accustomed to current, manually intensive
processes are retiring and it can be difficult to attract
newcomers to the field, explained Amighi.
" When they see our advanced technology, it excites
them, " he said. " We're helping the paint shop to be more
environmentally friendly, we're increasing quality, and by
adding smart sensors, we're making it possible to introduce
newer, cooler colour choices to consumers down the road, " he
added, explaining that the reason most cars are white, black
or red is that those are currently the easiest colours " to get
right " at the moment.
Mazlite is currently working with several OEMs and tier
one and tier two suppliers to the automotive industry to
advance its technology and plans to have its first full-scale
implementation under way by the end of next year.
May/June 2023
5
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine - May/June 2023

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