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New Coating Systems Shine In The Automotive Industry
The automotive industry depends upon its engineers and designers to produce automobile models that attract the eye. Thanks to new and better coating systems, the automotive industry can now deliver better and more varied colors that last far longer than older coating technologies, ensuring a longer life and better appearance for many years to come.
Several new systems include LUMIFLON®’s fluoropolymer resins. Developed in 1982 by Asahi Glass, LUMIFLON® is the first solvent-soluble fluoropolymer for coatings that can be cured either at room temperature or at elevated temperatures. Because of the strength of LUMIFLON®’s Carbon-Fluorine (C-F) bonds and its unique chemical structure, these resins can substantially improve the weatherability and corrosion resistance of a coating, effectively extending the life of a coating for years. Reduced corrosion is due to the fluoropolymer’s durability and physical properties, which exclude water, oxygen, salt, exhaust gases and even acid rain.
LUMIFLON® resins have outperformed even the best acrylic urethane coatings on steel, aluminum, magnesium and plastics like ABS, polyurethane, FRP, PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene and polycarbonate, enabling car manufacturers and after-market manufacturers to create and maintain the appearance of a new car and its components for years. LUMIFLON®-based topcoats have been shown to yield as over five times the lifespan of acrylic urethane coatings typically used in the automotive industry. LUMIFLON® resins can also be blended with traditional resins like acrylics to significantly increase their performance.
In addition to its superior durability, LUMIFLON® also offers manufacturers the ability to formulate high gloss, brightly colored paint systems. LUMIFLON® resins can also be manufactured in low gloss finishes. Its compatibility with a range of pigments and colors means that the automotive engineer can choose coatings with an almost infinite variety of combinations of color and gloss.
With its inherent characteristics, LUMIFLON® is perfectly suited for exterior coating systems that can be used on automobile bodies, doors, door handles, bumper fascia, wheel emblems, lettering and logos, tail light lenses and aluminum wheels. LUMIFLON® can be used in any area where outstanding weather and chemical resistance are required, even on dashboards and upholstery. Japanese car manufacturers have long known the value of LUMIFLON®, and other manufacturers worldwide are discovering how much it can help them produce the best results with their models.
LUMIFLON® retains its high-gloss shine even under the most brutal conditions. In the EMMAQUA accelerated weathering test, LUMIFLON® retained 80% of its initial gloss after being exposed to radiation of 2.5 million Langleys, which is the equivalent of 25 years of sunlight exposure. It also provided outstanding gloss retention in South Florida exposure testing of over 10 years, making it the perfect coating additive for the manufacturer of new vehicles and effectively extending their life on America’s highways by decades.
| Florida exposure test on LF-200 |
| Radiant exposure: | N/A |
| Test Method: | ASTM G |
| Type of test: | DIRECT 30 , DEG SOUTH , OPEN BACK |
| Location: | Exposed in Miami , Florida |
| EMMAQUA weathering test |
LUMIFLON® resins consist of fluorinated ethylene units alternating with vinyl ether segments in their molecular structure. The fluorine-containing portion of the LUMIFLON® resin protects the molecule from degradation by UV radiation, thus increasing its weatherability and adding substantially to the life of the coating. In addition the fluorinated part of the resin also protects against corrosion due to water, oxygen, chloride and exhaust gases when applied to steel, iron, aluminum and other metals, creating a highly durable finish that outlasts the competition.
LUMIFLON® Automotive Coating Grades:
| Grade | LF-200 | LF-200F | LF-910LM | LF-552 | LF-916F |
| Features | Moderate Molecular Weight | Solid resin for low VOC/HAPS- free coatings | Low Molecular Weight | Moderate Molecular Weight for coil coatings | Solid resin for low VOC/HAPS- free coatings |
| Resin Properties | |||||
| Tg (°C/°F) | 35/95 | 35/95 | 37/99 | 20/68 | 34/93 |
| OH Value (mg KOH/g of polymer) | 52 | 45 | 100 | 52 | 100 |
| Solids, Wt. % | 60 | >99 | 66 | 40 | >99 |
| Specific Gravity | 1.12 | - | 1.16 | - | 1.06 |
| Solvent | Xylene | None | Xylene | Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solvent/Cyclohexanone | None |
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