Axalta Supports German Student Racing Team’s World Solar Challenge Entry

BASEL, Switzerland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In an official ceremony on July 5, 2017, the SolarCar Team, made up of
students from Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Germany, unveiled
the design of their entry for the 2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge
– the thyssenkrupp blue.cruiser – which takes place in Australia from
October 8 to 15, 2017. The solar car was painted by Axalta Coating
Systems (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global supplier of liquid and powder
coatings, at its Cromax Training Centre in Bonn, Germany. The
thyssenkrupp blue.cruiser is the culmination of a 15-year research and
development process. This year, the Team comprises 58 students from
mechanical and electrical engineering, mechatronics, IT, sustainable
development, architecture, economics, humanities, e-mobility and many
other fields.

To keep the overall weight of the car down, the thyssenkrupp
blue.cruiser has a steel frame and a carbon fiber skin. Although the
carbon is very lightweight, it is very porous, which makes it a
challenge to paint it and keep the paint weight to a minimum. The
SolarCar Team supplied Axalta technicians with a sample of the car’s
carbon fiber a few weeks in advance of the painting. This allowed the
Axalta technical team to test different combinations of coating layers
to determine what would provide the best coverage and produce the most
lightweight finish.

The result was the application of a universal, high-quality two
component polyester putty to compensate for the slightly uneven
substrate and to ensure good adhesion. This was followed by an
acrylic-based variable two-component high solids filler for good
isolation before finishing with the waterborne basecoat and fast airdry
two-component high solids clearcoat. For the project, Axalta leveraged
its experience coating production cars made of carbon fiber for some of
the world’s leading automotive manufacturers.

“Axalta is passionate about supporting students and community
engagement, and this project is the ultimate combination of our product
technology, our extensive motorsports experience and our commitment to
sustainability, which was of particular importance to the Team as they
wanted to ensure sustainable materials were used. The clearcoat we used,
for example, dries extremely quickly at ambient temperatures, yet
delivers an ultra-smooth surface, perfect for reducing drag,” says Dirk
Sauer, Technical Service Manager for Axalta in Germany, who oversaw the
project.

Axalta’s support of the SolarCar Team reflects the convergence of the
company’s product technology, commitment to motorsports, university
relations program, and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Its
participation in university racing teams enables Axalta to help students
recognize not only the role of coatings in motorsports, but also the
applied technology, engineering, and innovation that go into the
company’s products.

The SolarCar Team hopes to win the prize for best design, an award the
university has secured for each of its six previous World Solar
Challenge entries.

For more information on Axalta, visit www.axalta.com.

About Axalta Coating Systems

Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and
providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable
solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish
applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings
are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the
materials we coat to last longer. With more than 150 years of experience
in the coatings industry, the over 13,000 people of Axalta continue to
find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries
better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and
technology. For more information visit axalta.com
and follow us @Axalta on Twitter
and on LinkedIn.

Contacts

DA Public Relations Ltd
Chantal Bachelier-Moore
D +44 207 692
4964
[email protected]