US 2002/0054961 A1 · Dry paint transfer-laminate body panels having deep draw high DOI automotive paint coat

Abstract

An automotive quality paint coat is laminated to the exterior surface of a molded plastic car body member or panel. In one embodiment, the paint coat includes an exterior clear coat above a color coat. During processing, the clear coat and color coat are each coated on a temporary flexible casting sheet and dried. A high gloss surface is transferred to the clear coat from the casting sheet. The paint coat is then transferred from the casting sheet to a thin, semi-flexible thermoformable plastic backing sheet by dry paint transfer-laminating techniques. The resulting laminate is thermoformed into a complex three-dimensional shape of the car body member or panel. The preformed laminate is then bonded to an underlying plastic substrate material, by injection-cladding techniques, for example, to form the finished article. The paint coat has sufficient elongation to retain exterior automotive appearance and durability properties during thermoforming without deglossing. The backing sheet absorbs defects in the substrate material so the paint coat retains its appearance and durability properties during the injection-cladding step. The finished article comprises a high gloss, defect-free paint coat on the exterior of a molded plastic car body member or panel. Solution-form polyvinylidene fluoride/acrylic paint systems have remarkably high combined gloss and distinctiveness-of-image levels, together with durability properties required for exterior automotive use.

Claims80

Dependent claims

A process for applying a paint coat, suitable for exterior automotive use, to a plastic exterior body panel of a motor vehicle, characterized by the steps of:

applying a clear coat (45) of a synthetic resinous material in thin film form onto a surface of a flexible casting sheet (42), and drying the clear coat on the casting sheet, the surface of the sheet having a specular reflectance for transferring to the surface of the dried clear coat a gloss level sufficient for exterior automotive use;
forming a color coat (46) of a pigmented synthetic resinous material which is dried and adhered to the clear coat;
transferring the dried clear coat and color coat to a semirigid backing sheet (72) of a synthetic resinous material to form a composite paint coat (44) bonded to a face of the backing sheet, in which the clear coat forms the exterior surface of the transferred paint coat and the color coat is bonded between the clear coat and the face of the backing sheet, and in which the exterior surface of the clear coat substantially retains the gloss transferred to it from its casting sheet;
thermoforming the backing sheet and the composite paint coat thereon to form a three-dimensionally shaped preformed laminate (116);
and
placing the preformed laminate in a mold and molding a synthetic resinous substrate material (118) to the preformed laminate to form an exterior vehicle body panel (130) with a finished exterior automotive paint coat;
the clear coat comprising a material that substantially retains said gloss level during the thermoforming step;
the backing sheet having sufficient thickness and sufficient elongation to absorb defects present in the substrate material to retain an essentially defect-free gloss on the clear coat surface following adherence of the laminate to the substrate material;
the finished composite paint coat providing sufficient appearance and durability properties for use as an exterior automotive paint coat.

6 more elements

A process for applying a paint coat, suitable for exterior automotive use, to a plastic exterior body panel of a motor vehicle, the process comprising the steps of:

applying a clear coat of a solution of vinylidene fluoride and acrylic resin in thin film form onto a surface of a flexible casting sheet, and drying the clear coat on the casting sheet, the surface of the sheet having a specular reflectance for transferring to the surface of the dried clear coat a gloss level sufficient for exterior automotive use;
casting a color coat of a pigmented solution of vinylidene fluoride and acrylic resin in thin-film form and drying the color coat;
transferring the dried clear coat and color coat to a semirigid backing sheet of a synthetic resinous material to form a composite paint coat bonded to a face of the backing sheet, in which the clear coat forms the exterior surface of the transferred paint coat and the color coat is bonded between the clear coat and the face of the backing sheet, and in which the exterior surface of the clear coat substantially retains the gloss transferred to it from the casting sheet;
thermoforming the backing sheet and the composite paint coat thereon to form a three-dimensionally shaped preformed laminate;
and
adhering the preformed laminate to a synthetic resinous substrate material to form an exterior vehicle body panel;
the clear coat substantially retaining said gloss level during the thermoforming step;
the backing sheet having sufficient thickness and sufficient elongation to absorb defects present in the substrate material to retain an essentially defect-free gloss on the clear coat surface following adherence of the laminate to the substrate material;
the composite paint coat providinG sufficient appearance and durability properties for use as an exterior automotive paint coat.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Dry paint transfer-laminate body panels having deep draw high DOI automotive paint coat

Life of this patent

Dry paint transfer-laminate body panels having deep draw high DOI automotive paint coat

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims80