Axalta Refinish invited trade journalists to the product launch of its fully automated Irus Mix paint mixing machine.

This latest high-tech paint solution developed by Axalta, represents a new milestone in a constantly evolving sector.

Jim Muse, Axalta Refinish Vice President of Global Sales, explained that the technology was developed to address the increase in vehicle colour variants and reduce the matching time spent by technicians and colourists during repairs.

“There are over 200,000 different colours of vehicles on roads today,” Muse explains. “The Irus Mix is capable of reproducing four million hues. I believe it has the potential to revolutionize the automotive refinishing industry.”

The Irus Mix is set to be released in North America in the second quarter of 2024 at a cost of approximately 30,000 U.S. dollars.

According to Muse, Axalta Refinish’s cutting-edge technology eliminates all subjectivity from the colour calibration process.

This is important because colour disparities are among the first thing customers notice when it comes to bodywork repairs.

Steps

To unlock the Irus Mix’s full potential, first scan the area to be repainted on the vehicle to input the colour.

One to three spectrophotometer readings will allow you to identify the precise shade.

This result is then processed through the paint manufacturer’s database which digitally calibrates the colour to be mixed.

This formula is then transmitted to the automated paint mixing machine, which measures the colours to be drawn from its supply bottles directly into the mixing cup, to obtain the required quantity and shade.

No paint handling is necessary and the machine notifies the operator when a base colour drops below a certain threshold.

Automatic measuring of formula ingredients reduces the risk of error, especially in complex cases, where over a dozen ingredients have to be measured with great precision in order to achieve the desired result.

Event organizers made known that the technology is already in use in Europe, where digital paint calibration and preparation technologies are more widespread in body shops.

Canadian technicians may require training to take full advantage of the technology.

The Irus Mix may constitute a particularly attractive solution for high-volume body shops who stand to gain the most in terms of time-saving and precision.