Operational Readiness Levels for Terahertz Automotive Paint Inspection

The demanding requirements placed on industrial test equipment means that for terahertz sensing to be adopted in quality control sectors, the technology must not only be capable of providing the qualitative and/or quantitative information of interest, but to do so in a robust and reliable manner. Here, we report on some of the developments implemented to bridge this gap for terahertz sensing to be deployed into one such industrial production setting: coating thickness inspection in the automotive paint shop. This has allowed terahertz to provide feedback on paint film thicknesses, and thereby allow for greater control of the paint process. Application Readiness, as defined by key manufacturers, their distributors and integrators, has been achieved.