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Plastic Pointers - Issue 24

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Plastic Pointers newsletter is a printed newsletter that is sent to thousands of customers. Some things are "lost" in the translation to HTML web format. To see the Plastic Pointers as it was originally printed, you need to view the Adobe Acrobat version by clicking here.

Bumper & Cladding Coat Now Available in Convenient Aerosol Cans

Bumper and Cladding Coat Aerosol How would you like to turn a problem into a profit-making opportunity? See if you recognize this situation… you just replaced the textured front bumper on a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. The front bumper is brand-new, shiny molded plastic. The back bumper and side cladding are so faded and tiger-striped that they look like they survived a nuclear blast.

The customer sees the vehicle and says, “Hey! The plastic doesn’t match the front bumper!” You can respond in one of two ways:

”Well, insurance doesn't cover that. You’ll just have to live with it.
“Well, your insurance won’t cover it, but I can paint the back bumper and side cladding to match the front for an extra $150 and make your Jeep look like new again!”

Duh! Door #2 is the way both create a happy customer and put more profit in your pocket!

But what paint system matches the colors of these textured bumpers and sticks to this “problem plastic?” Our time-tested and proven Bumper & Cladding Coat paint, of course!

Bumper & Cladding Coat now offers 46 different shades of gray to match virtually any textured plastic bumper, trim, or cladding on the market. With our new 3508 Bright Red and 3509 Bright Yellow toners, we can now match the Windstar desert tan and the Honda Element blue cladding. The new toners, sold in quarts and gallons, are available separately, and will be included with the 3592 quart toner packages effective January 1st.

The most exciting new development for the Bumper & Cladding Coat line is that it’s now available in the convenience of an aerosol can! That’s right—now you can get all 46 colors factory-packed and ready to spray!

Everyone loves the convenience of aerosols; just shake and shoot. The fan spray nozzle is perfect for laying down an even coat of the Bumper & Cladding Coat, and its satin-flat appearance lends itself well to aerosol application. Just clean the plastic with the 1000 Super Clean plastic cleaner, mask off with 18” paper, then shake and shoot! Those faded bumpers will look brand new in no time!

The new aerosol package is great for do-it-yourselfers, mobile techs, and body shops. One can of aerosol contains enough paint to refinish about two bumpers for the ultimate in charge-to-the-job convenience. Larger vehicles, like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevy Avalanche may require 2 or 3 aerosol cans to gain complete coverage. Bumper & Cladding Coat aerosols go on sale November 1 for $19.95 per can.

New Microtex Texture Material

Have you ever wanted to repair a broken or scratched piece of textured plastic but decided against it because the process of putting the texture back on was so difficult? There is probably not a body shop in existence that hasn’t run across that situation. Many times the bumper is otherwise fine, but the appearance is damaged enough so the part cannot be reused... until now! Urethane Supply Company has come up with a way to solve this problem with a new texturing material called Microtex.

Traditional texture paints are high VOC, solvent-based paints that require a lot of practice to get the look you want.

Microtex is a water-based, cross-linkable texturing paint that simulates the fine pebble texture commonly found on many automotive plastic parts. Unlike solvent-based texture paints, Microtex’s texture comes from micro-particles suspended in a high quality primer type paint. Because Microtex’s texture relies on the size of the micro-particles, the textured appearance is easily repeatable by painters of various skill levels and varying techniques.

You may wonder why we used a water-based paint rather than a solvent-based one; the reasons are simple and two-fold. Because the primary ingredient in Microtex is water, the VOCs are well below the allowable limits for all cities and states. Another benefit of a water-based paint is the fact it can be easily crosslinked to provide solvent and moisture resistance. Water-based paints are also compatible over and under all topcoat systems, which eliminates the chance of compatibility issues if you are applying it over a painted surface or are would like to use a special topcoat.

The best way to get satisfactory results when refinishing a textured part is to retexture the entire piece as though it were a part that had no texture to begin with. This eliminates the transition zone between the factory texture, which may have unusual patterns, and the sprayed on texture. It’s important to remember, regardless of the product or technique, it is impossible to perfectly match molded-in texture patterns for spot repair.

Using Microtex to Retexture Plastic

Begin the process as you would any repair to plastic, by cleaning the entire part using 1020 Scuff Magic Prep Soap followed by 1000 Super Clean Plastic Cleaner to remove any dirt and contaminants. Scuff-sand overall with 320 grit for optimum adhesion.
If you had to repair any areas on the bumper, sand the repair area with 320 grit sandpaper and apply 3020 Black Cat high-build primer-surfacer to the repair area. Sand smooth with 320 grit. It’s important to make sure the “fuzz” that’s characteristic of TPO repairs is buried and smoothed out before applying Microtex.
Because many textured plastics are olefin based, spray all areas to be retextured with 1050 Plastic Magic Adhesion Promoter and allow to dry.
Stir the 3801 Microtex paint to bring any settled material into solution. For the most durable repair, mix the included catalyst into the paint according to the directions on the can. This will make the Microtex resistant to solvents and water.
To make the repair seamless, retexture the entire panel. Spray Microtex in two to three wet coats to produce a smooth pebble texture. For a sandy looking texture use one or two light coats. For some heavily textured parts, it may be necessary to spray more coats of Microtex in order to cover up the original texture. Allow the paint to flash off between coats. For more than three coats, allow the paint to dry longer between coats to prevent cracking.
Once the Microtex is dry, it is important to lightly sand the texture with 600 to 800 grit sandpaper. This part of the process removes any loose particles that are not fully embedded in the paint and it also rounds the top of the texture bumps to give it a more OEM look.
Topcoat with Bumper & Cladding Coat for a factory-new appearance. Simply select the paint color you want and spray on the Bumper & Cladding Coat in two to three medium wet coats. The final result will look like a new panel with molded in texture and color.

TPO Fenders on X5

BMW X5 Fender A technological breakthrough is claimed for the automotive industry with a front fender for the new BMW X5 incorporating enough additional components to warrant the description of “the world’s first fully integrated fender module.”

The front fender itself is molded of Daplen™ EF341AE TPO resin by Borealis. The material was specifically tailored to meet BMW’s exacting specifications for the X5 regarding improved production cost, safety, high quality aesthetics and environmental performance. The resulting TPO fender is the most complex and highly integrated, class A body application to be seen in production to date. Daplen EF341AE is a high-end, 30% mineral filled TPO based on proprietary Borstar technology.

It is the first time that a fender consolidates such parts and functions as headlamp reinforcements and wheel housing, cleaning systems, airbag sensors, and cooling devices. With integrated functions, this step change in innovation provides a 50% lighter-weight alternative to traditional steel components.

The fender can deform up to 80mm on impact, reducing significantly the potential for major injury to a pedestrian in the event of a low-speed collision and allowing conformance to European pedestrian collision regulations.

Daplen was also selected for its dimensional stability, which prevents warpage caused by expansion and contraction. It also creates an optimal design blend with the rest of the steel exterior body of the new BMW X5. It provides the smooth, high quality Class A surface appearance required.

-Plastics Technology magazine, September 2007

GM Volt Has 100% Plastic Exterior Panels

GM Volt GM’s new concept car, the Volt, uses GE thermoplastics on nearly every exterior part, including the hood.

The Volt was created to run solely on battery power. It can be plugged into a standard outlet at home and run for up to 40 miles. It can carry an on-board gasoline or diesel engine to recharge the batteries. To make the car light, GM teamed with GE and shaved 60 pounds from the car using plastic.

The biggest breakthrough was the use of an injection-molded thermoplastic hood. GE married two sheets of its Xenoy iQ PC/PBT with woven glass in a very low-compression molding process that could make it possible for thermoplastics to compete against thermoset composites on these large, horizontal body parts. The hood can be molded within a three-minute cycle, on par with SMC compression molding processes.

The car also features Lexan polycarbonate side windows and sunroof, Noryl GTX (nylon-blend) front fenders, and Xenoy energy absorbers under the bumper fascia.

As the “all-plastic” car makes its eventual commercial debut, you can rest assured that Urethane Supply Company will let you know how to repair the collision-damaged panels.

Nylon-Aluminum Hybrid

Nylon-Aluminum Hybrid At the K2007 plastics show in October, Lanxess Corp. showed off the first automotive front end made of a plastic/aluminum hybrid structure. Until now, steel has been the metal component in hybrid front ends. The nylon/aluminum hybrid for the Audi TT is 15% lighter than the steel alternative.

The structure consists of Lanxess’ 30% glass-filled Durethan BKV 30 nylon 6 molded around three sheets of aluminum. Besides lowering fuel consumption, the aluminum hybrid improves the vehicle’s driving characteristics because of less weight in front of the front axle. Lanxess foresees other potential applications for the aluminum hybrid in roof frames and instrument panel reinforcements.

As with all hybrid components, the design freedom offered by plastics enables many functions to be integrated into the front end of the new Audi TT. Examples include the mounting points for the headlights, hood latch, and elements of the cooling circuit, screw bosses to fix the bumper holders, cable guides, and a deeper bottom flange for under-ride protection in the event of a collision with a pedestrian.

Through computer simulation, the part was designed to improve the car’s NVH characteristics and overall stiffness.

-British Plastics & Rubber magazine, May 2007

Products featured in this issue