Toronto start-up trying to improve paint in automotive manufacturing
by CM Staff
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 correct.
TORONTO — Mazlite Inc.’s advanced spray monitoring platform combines sensors and analytics to deliver higher quality coatings — and works in real time to detect slight changes in the automotive spraying process. Mazlite is saying that for the first time, paint shops 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 co-founder.
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 experience of student researchers hired through Mitacs, a national organization 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 correct. The sensors also continually monitor paint materials to avoid defects due to changes in colour or poor finishes.
“Typically, the paint shop is an operational challenge,” said Cameron Dallas, Mazlite CTO and co-founder, explaining that employees are constantly adjusting knobs and trying to figure out why something went wrong. “Our technology takes a huge amount of the guesswork and stress out of the day-to-day operations of paint shop employees and allows them to focus on other tasks.”
By automating the process, Mazlite is also trying 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.
Mitacs’ internships are critical to keeping their company’s momentum going, according to Mazlite, by allowing them to hire the niche expertise they need to solve their most technical challenges. Mitacs intern Khalil Sidawi, a UofT Post Doc, for example, is currently applying his specialized knowledge of automotive paints.
