Axalta wins Excellence Award for Visionary Material

Highlights Axalta’s cutting-edge sensor-detection coating technology for autonomous vehicles

SHANGHAI – DEC. 1, 2020 – On November 26, at the 2020 China Automotive Supply Chain Summit and the fifth-annual Lingxuan Award Ceremony hosted by Auto Business Review, Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA) received the Excellence Award in the Visionary Material Category for its innovative coating technology for autonomous vehicle sensor detection.

In 2016, Auto Business Review introduced the Lingxuan Award and it has quickly become one of the most prestigious awards for the auto parts industry in China. The award recognizes the best automotive parts suppliers in the region and provides a forum for outstanding suppliers to communicate with their valued OEM customers.

“We're thrilled and honored to win this award, which recognizes Axalta's innovation in coating technology. Axalta has more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry and is dedicated to introducing innovative coating technologies reflecting the latest trends in the coating industry,” said Dr. Fucheng Yan, Transportation Coatings Product Director for Axalta Greater China.  “Our award-winning advanced sensor detection coatings technology is designed to interact with LiDAR and RADAR to support the future needs of autonomous vehicles to ‘see and be seen by’ other vehicles.”

LiDAR is widely recognized as an essential sensor in the architecture of self-driving. Autonomous vehicles typically rely on LiDAR and RADAR to give awareness to the external environment, especially other moving vehicles.

 “Taking coating as an example, several basecoats among the traditional coatings could not be recognized by LiDAR. ” added Dr. Yan, “By studying the detection technology and reflection intensity of LiDAR, Axalta developed a special pigment and coating formulation system that meets the requirements of LiDAR for external detection. This technology not only ensures self-driving units are able to detect other vehicles, allowing the laser light signals to be successfully transmitted and received through the coating, but also provides autonomous vehicles with a full-color panel of coatings available, enabling car designers to have the creative freedom to find exactly the right color for their design.”

Regarding radar, Axalta has developed coatings and modelling technology that enable the use of 77Ghz radar behind plastic parts around the perimeter of the vehicle. Optimizing the plastic thickness and paint formulations using Axalta’s radar modelling technology enables high brightness and chromatic colors without compromising radar transmission. 

“Axalta is truly deserving of this honor,” said Ke Jia, Chairman of the Lingxuan Award and Editor-in-Chief of Automotive Business Review. “Autonomous driving poses new challenges to the automotive coatings industry. In terms of introducing coatings technology that meets the demands of autonomous vehicle development, Axalta is making a breakthrough and promoting technological progress as an international leading player in the field."

The fifth-annual Lingxuan Award was divided into two categories: mass production and visionary material. An advisory committee comprised of renowned experts, scholars, institutions and R&D leaders of OEMs evaluated the submissions on things such as advancement, reliability, adaptability, service capability, brand influence and market share.

At present, the sensor-detection coating technology has been approved with technical certification from some international mainstream automobile manufacturers and has been included in their color promotion plans.

 

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