 | Next,
the frame is sent to the paint shop. Workers make sure the car body
is free of dents and dings before painting. First, the underbody is
painted, then the rest of the frame.
|
The paint process is innovative,
because the system allows the paint shop to paint about 6 different colors, in any order. Before this
procedure was developed, all cars in one color were produced together,
the nozzles had to be carefully cleaned with many kinds of chemicals
before a new color could be used. Now, the paint is water-based, so
that the spray nozzles can be cleaned quickly and efficiently. After
the car is painted, a clear sealer is applied to set the paint and
make it shiny and protect it against driving wear and tear.
|   After a
car leaves the paint shop, additional parts are assebled on the newly
painted frame: seats (seats arrive at the factory only an hour in
advance), wheels, engines, carpets, batteries and doors. The doors are
assembled and painted at a different manufacturing facility and arrive
each day to match up with the correct colored body. The paint must
match exactly, and it is very difficult to see any difference in the
color of the doors and the frame! | Let's continue to the assembly line... |
