Automotive coatings requirements
Today’s educated consumers demand more from their products; and when it comes to their automobiles, they have set the bar high for appearance and durability. Tetrashield protective resin systems help create coatings that enhance appearance, improve weatherability, and bolster scratch resistance—impressing critics and car owners in the showroom and well down the road.
But maintaining an immaculate appearance isn’t the only challenge for automotive coatings. Automotive OEMs also need to find new efficiencies in their systems. Up to 50% of the energy spent to build a car in assembly plants is consumed in the paint shop. Coatings leveraging Tetrashield technology can be formulated at higher solids levels, which results in a more efficient process. Simply put, with Tetrashield, OEMs can coat more cars faster with less paint.
Further, automotive OEMs are looking for ways to improve the sustainability of their vehicles and their processes. Lab tests show that coatings formulated with Tetrashield can reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) when compared to other coatings. Advantages like that should give any manufacturer’s sustainability message more mileage.
Tetrashield offers superior polyester resin performance by incorporating a unique monomer technology. The monomer structure(s) addresses historical shortcomings of polyesters by shielding the polyester linkages, offering:
- Distinctive resin solubility properties
- Compatibility with common formulation ingredients
- Improved hydrolysis resistance
- Hardness/rigidity properties, enabling more durable and flexible coatings