Automotive Plastic Coating for Car Interiors
Automotive plastic coating for a durable, touchable interior
Plastics are being used more and more in the automotive industry to make vehicles safer and more efficient. The average vehicle today is 8% plastic parts by weight, and given that plastic can be up to 50% lighter than alternative materials this represents a high number of plastic parts. Coatings provide these plastic parts with decorative effects, protection, a soft touch, durability, easy-to-clean qualities, and more, depending on the needs of the substrate. Automotive plastic coating gives a vehicle interior its “feel”, affecting the character and quality of the drive experience, and so automotive companies invest in getting the perfect interior coating.
In this article we will look at the range of OEM automotive plastic coating and their benefits, as well as the manufacturers and companies that supply the industry in Australia.
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Automotive plastic coating comes with numerous benefits
Much of the general automotive coatings industry is based on paints for metal substrates, but many of the interior elements of a vehicle are either coated plastic or use a plastic coating. While the exterior of a car may sell based on a combination of looks and performance, the interior is sold on “feel”- comfort, noise level, aesthetic appeal, ergonomics, durability, and touch which all affect the comfort and choice of a potential purchaser. The benefits of automotive plastic coating go beyond feeling good, they are also:
- Environmentally friendly – By using plastic parts, automotive manufacturers are decreasing the overall weight of the vehicle. This increases the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, but also reduced consumption at manufacture. Plastic coatings are lightweight, low VOC, and low odour, adding to the eco-friendliness of using plastic as an alternative.
- Weather and temperature fluctuation resistant – Though automotive interiors may not be directly exposed to UV radiation, weathering resistance is still an important aspect of automotive plastic coatings (the Australian sun reaches also the interior surfaces). They need to prevent damage from all the hours of sunlight a car might face in its lifetime, as well as the thermal cycling damage from dealing with temperatures from mild winter to high summer heat.
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Finalising an automotive plastic coating system to make it feel nice and last long.
Abrasion resistant – Vehicle interiors need to be durable and scratch resistant, and automotive plastic coatings are used to provide these qualities to a substrate and keep them looking shop-new for as long as possible.
- Aesthetically varied – Naturally, looks are important. Plastic interior coatings need to match colours to their surroundings, heighten gloss and colour depth, as well as providing different aesthetic effects like matt, pearlescent, metallic, and high gloss.
- Chemical-proof – Sunscreen, bug spray, oils, cleaners, all of these substances come into contact with vehicle coatings everyday. Whether arm rests, mirrors, radio bezels, or steering wheels, without the proper coating chemical substances can cause plastic to stain, discolour, wear, or even bubble.
Automotive plastic coating specialists in Australia
If you are looking for automotive plastic coatings for interiors in Australia then you are in luck: Manufacturers like AkzoNobel and Axalta (DuPont) operate in the country, and for application needs there are local specialists across the country. For more information, or if you have a project that requires automotive plastic coating, get in touch! Our experts are here to help and, in cooperation with our coating partners, we can connect you with a coating solution. Simply take advantage of our 100% free quote service by clicking the “Request a quote” button on the bottom of this page.
Paints and application methods of automotive interior coatings
Not all the plastic elements of a car interior are made from the same plastic. The dashboard may be PVC, the door handle EPDM, while other parts may be another plastic type, and each substrate may have different requirements in terms of preparation or paint formulation. In response to this, there are different coatings and coating processes for different plastic substrates.
The most common coatings
A big part of interior coatings is formed by polyurethanes which come in 1K or 2K systems (though 2K is far more common), as well as water- and solvent-based varieties. Next to polyurethanes, acrylics are traditionally used. Paints are typically applied in layers, with some variation on a primer/basecoat/topcoat combination.
Application and curing processes
As with the paint varieties, there are different application methods too. Brush, dip, flow, spray, vacuum metallising, and in-mould formed coatings are just a few of the methods. In-mould coatings involve spraying the inside of a mould with the coating before filling it with plastic and forming the entire part as one piece – coating and all. Energy-curable coatings are another growth area, where UV radiation or visible light is used to cure a coating rather than thermal or evaporative curing. This removes the potential damage to a substrate from heat.
The soft-touch feel as a result
“Haptic” means related to the sense of touch and, while it may not be something you often think about, how something feels is an important factor in purchase-making. A plasticky-feeling door handle, a hard armrest – these influence the perception of quality in vehicle interiors. A key area in automotive plastic coatings is making vehicles feel as good as they look. These soft touch coatings are made of polyurethanes, and provide a surface that is soft, warm, smooth, and pleasant to the touch.
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