Watching paint dry

A sensor that can measure the thickness of paint before it has dried could help car manufacturers reduce waste when producing components crucial to car safety, according to its manufacturer, German instrumentation specialist

.

Using a combination of electrical phenomena and laser measurement, the system can also measure the thickness of the rubber layer on the composite materials used to make tyres.

The sensor was originally developed for a Belgian company,

, which makes plastic components, such as dashboards and seating, for cars. The manufacture of many of these components includes a paint-spraying process, where the outer skin is made by spraying polyurethane paint from a spray nozzle mounted on a robot arm, into a heated nickel-coated mould.

The thickness of the paint skin is obviously crucial to the quality of the part — tight control of materials is central to all manufacturing processes. But for the section of the dashboard that covers the airbag, known as the cladding, the thickness is even more important. Too thick, and the airbag will be slowed down when it is deployed during a crash, which could be catastrophic for the car's driver and passengers.