ROMA – The color, together with the silhouette, is the first thing that strikes when observing a car. A fundamental first impact therefore that requires in-depth research to be able to hit the mark right from the first glance. For Lexus, for example, the goal is to produce a paint quality that is unique, creating colors with depth and sheen that not only catch the eye, but are also long-lasting. The Lunar Silver paintwork on the new LS flagship sedan has taken technology to new heights, achieved through years of dedicated research, development and advanced innovations. Just to give a practical example, the search for an ideal metallic yield gave its first important fruits in 2003 with the introduction of the Cosmo Silver shade, initially proposed on the LS flagship. It has been a significant evolution with the transition from a simple metallic finish to something capable of offering much greater brightness and the fluid look of pure aluminum. A result achieved with precise control of the size of the aluminum foils used in the paint to create an ultra-metallic look, giving an effect more similar to that of an aluminum foil or chrome. A similar performance was possible through the careful selection of “radiant” materials, applying an orientation control technology for a uniform arrangement of the aluminum foils and using a multilayer paint composition technique. All this with the addition of scrupulous control to achieve perfect quality, and the result was an unprecedented metallic finish. The next step developed by the Japanese house’s luxury brand specialists was the development of sonic painting technology. Building on the limitations of using a single primer coat, Lexus developed its multilayer build technique so that each layer played a different role in the quality and appearance of the final paint.
Thus were born the Sonic Titanium and Sonic Silver liveries, the first metallic Lexus paints to be obtained by the sonic process, and were initially introduced in the UK for the IS and GS sedan models from 2012. This technique was created by engineers in the Japanese brand through a five-year development program that allowed to obtain a layer of paint with a thickness of only 12 microns, bringing the aluminum foils that make up the paint to an even tighter and more uniform alignment. The technique, transferred to the multilayer finish, has given new brilliance and nuances to the bodywork of the cars, qualities that are then enhanced by the precision of the robotic painting process and the supervised manual polishing of famous skilled takumi craftsmen. It should also be noted that the sonic painting process, while requiring greater effort, once applied requires fewer passages in the fans for the drying phase, thus proving to be more efficient from an environmental point of view. In 2018, with the launch of the fifth generation of the LS, a new evolution in sonic painting technology arrives with the debut of Manganese Luster, a finish designed to convey the dense and solid feel of a metallic mass. The goal was achieved by using a thin layer of metallic paint to create a metallic accent in the body’s highlights, in combination with a dark gray layer that emphasized the tapered shape of the design. In detail, the sonic process was developed so that a 12-micron layer containing mica particles shrinks to a thickness of just four microns in the drying process, increasing the reflectivity level. We arrive at the Lunar Silver, introduced in 2020 on the new LS, for the realization of which Lexus’ ambition was to achieve “the ultimate metallic consistency”.
“To achieve this result, we have been very demanding in selecting the type of aluminum we use and how to orient it uniformly in the coating – explain the technicians – In particular, aluminum is deposited in the form of thin film vapor and is uniformly aligned in one. ultra-thin layer. This produces a strong metallic sheen with a mirror-like sheen and smoothness, with strong and deep shadow contrasts ”. In this latest evolution of the sonic technique, the paint film has contracted to an unprecedented thickness of just one or two microns. A film so thin and free of irregularities required great skill and a perfectly smooth underlying surface, performance achieved thanks to the close collaboration between the paint engineers and the production team of the lift house. Lexus has set up a dedicated internal laboratory where a team of about thirty members experiments with advanced, high-level painting technologies, looking for the best solutions based on countries and different markets. To achieve results of absolute excellence Lexus believes that close collaboration with specialized partners on all aspects of paint development, design and production is necessary, and has worked with Kansai Paint and Nippon Paint since the brand was founded. Finally, the latest example of the quest to achieve an even more exclusive finish comes from Lexus technical centers in the United States and Japan in collaboration with thin-film and pigment optical coatings manufacturer Viaivi Solutions who have worked together to produce Structural Blue. . The careful research has produced an extraordinary result: a multilayer pigment capable of replicating the iridescent blue of the Morpho butterfly, an effect created by the interference of light on the reticular structure of the butterfly’s wings. “While conventional paints reflect less than 50 percent of incoming light as a visible blue color – the engineers point out – the level with Structural Blue was almost 100 percent. Unsurprisingly, it required a highly specialized application process, no more than two cars could be painted in one working day. The color was reserved for a special version of the LC Coupé, the LC Structural Blue Edition ”. In short, if the eye is attracted in a more significant way by a particular livery, it means that behind the color there is certainly something more than a simple painting. (mr)
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