Paint Film Technology May Make Painting Plastic Parts Obsolete

Jan. 1, 2020

TECH TIP
Paint Film Technology May Make Painting Plastic Parts Obsolete

Paint films are used by a number of automakers. The 2007 Pontiac Solstice (above) incorporates interior paint films for satin effects. The 2007 Cadillac STS (below) utilizes paint film on its stainless steel B and C pillars.
Photos: Soliant LLC

LANCASTER, SC (Aug. 20, 2007) - According to Soliant LLC, the long-held process for producing plastic parts for automobiles that required painting was to first produce the part via thermoforming or molding and then paint it. But a partnership between Durakon and Soliant is changing this model through a process of thermoforming with Soliant's patented paint films, producing better quality parts at a fraction of the cost of traditional painting on plastic, according to the two companies. The companies say that the process, available as a licensable technology, is ideal for manufacturing high-volume plastic thermoformed parts that require a Class A finish, a requirement of any OEM supplier. "A part with paint film is more beautiful than a painted part - the Depth of Image (DOI) is impeccable," states Len Damico, vice president of OEM Sales at Durakon. "It looks like wet glass - it's that good! If you hold a painted part next to a part with Soliant Fluorex paint film, you'll see how much more beautiful it is. It doesn't have the 'orange peel' frequently seen with paint."

Thermoplastic, interior/exterior bright paint film is a laminate product that is to replace chrome plating on various automotive plastic trim parts.
Photo: Soliant LLC

While thermoforming as a process of producing plastic automotive parts is a practice that several companies across the specialty-equipment industry practice, Soliant is the only paint film and chrome film supplier that offers a full-color palette for both interior and exterior applications. Soliant's Fluorex paint film enables thermoformers, and other plastic processors - injection molders, insert injection molders, extruders and compression molders - to provide automotive parts with Class A finishes to OEMs without having to incur the cost of a paint line, which could cost millions of dollars.

Soliant's process is also used to produce chrome-like finishes that chrome-like electroplating cannot accomplish. One truck accessory supplier that employs this technology, Stampede Products, recently launched its line of chrome side wind deflectors with Soliant Fluorex bright film for the automotive specialty-equipment industry.

Fluorex paint films are available in a wide range of color palettes. Photo: Soliant LLC

Deborah Holdampf, vice president of Sales and Marketing at Stampede Products, credits Soliant's film for enabling her company to develop the side wind deflectors and market more products in the industry. Chrome is in style again, and Stampede's chrome product sales are growing substantially.

However, not everything can be chrome-plated. Certain parts are either impossible to chrome plate or impractical. "Soliant's Fluorex bright film, which mimics real chrome, enables us to provide additional products to match chrome ones," explains HoldampfSoliant currently offers 140 colors under the Fluorex brand name for automotive vehicle interior and exterior applications. The company will match any color and create new ones to help customers differentiate their offerings. More than 1,400 different colors have been produced or matched to date. .

(Sources: Soliant LLC)