Porsche adopts new production process using patches, not caps; Taycan EV first

Porsche AG has developed a new production process at its headquarters in Zuffenhausen in collaboration with Tesa SE. Thanks to this process, the holes in the car body, which are necessary for the prevention of corrosion, can now be sealed much more effectively; these holes are necessary so that all body cavities are accessible in the paint shop. The innovative solution uses sealing patches instead of plastic caps.

The all-electric Porsche Taycan is the first car in the world to use this new process. A robot places more than 100 sealing patches automatically, quickly and reliably, sealing holes in the car body and maximizing Porsche production efficiency.

The robot automatically places more than 100 sealing patches on the car body.

Porsche Innovation Management ensured the adoption of the sealing patches and, by July 2020, more than two-thirds of the approximately 150 plugs in the Taycan paint shop had been eliminated. The factory’s paint shop in Leipzig will also make the switch by summer 2021.

It is important not to confuse our adhesive solution with the Tesa tape, which everyone knows from its office supplies. Once the special Tesa sealing patches have been applied, they can only be detached again with great effort. They provide a durable solution that can also withstand the stresses caused by vehicle movement and outlast the life of the vehicle.

—Dirk Paffe, Innovation Implementation Manager as Paint Shop Process Planning Manager

Above all, this innovative solution significantly relieves the employees. Adopting Tesa patches eliminated an arduous process step where up to 3,600 plugs per shift had to be pushed into the holes. This process also involved working at height.

Additionally, the new patches provide logistical advantages and reduce complexity, as one patch size can be used to cover all four types of holes. Additionally, with a thickness of just one millimeter, the patches barely protrude, while the plugs extend up to six millimeters outward from the body. The patches are reliably positioned by a special robot.