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2k clearcoat is the progressive step that is keeping coatings for elastomeric fascia in pace with the current automobile design, performance, and durability demands. Initially, rigid 2k coatings were applied over plastic for low temperature cure. Over metal, 2k rigid clearcoat produced a dramatic improvement in appearance and durability. Flexibility is the key attribute that a 2k clearcoat engineered for use over fascias must posses. Utilizing the same basecoat and primer, 2k flexible clearcoats are being successfully applied to flexible fascia, generating excellent appearance and outstanding durability.

New specialty urethane foams have been developed for use in composite type air bag doors (doors which consist of a vinyl skin, a foamed urethane core, and a supporting substrate). These air bag door foams are characterized by: high strength and tear resistance (much greater than typical instrument panel (IP) foam), good low and high temperature physical properties (required for varied deployment conditions) excellent heat aged physical properties (required for long life in vehicle service), and low vinyl staining rivaling good IP foam. Detailed descriptions of the air bag door foam physical properties are presented along with recent developments.

Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) is used extensively in the automotive industry. Various methods have been used to improve paint adhesion properties. New adhesion promoter technologies offer significant improvements in solvent emissions and final product appearance. These adhesion promoters are designed to allow the use of various topcoat technologies. Waterborne basecoats offer the ultimate appearance with the lowest VOC.

Polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) have seen rapid growth in recent years as alternatives to their solvent-based analogs. They offer the advantages of enabling low VOC formulations while providing superior appearance and mechanical properties. Polyurethane-acrylic hybrids combine the advantages of a polyurethane dispersion with the benefits of an acrylic emulsion. This synergistic combination offers properties such as good hardness development and chemical resistance in addition to enhanced mechanical properties. In this paper, we discuss new PUD-acrylic hybrids that are NMP and solvent-free, have a pendulum hardness of 100 oscillations compared to a standard acrylic emulsion that has 80; and offer excellent scratch and chemical resistance equivalent to that of an acrylic system. In addition to these, the new polyurethane dispersions provide good haptic qualities and have excellent adhesion to plastic substrates such as ABS, PC and PVC.

A family of cross-linkable acrylic copolymer resins - which uniquely have a thermoplastic “B-stage” that enables thermoplastic prepregs and semi-finished goods to be produced - is providing the opportunity to manufacture durable automotive interior trim-panel substrates with comparable or higher performance at lower weight and fewer processing steps than common thermoplastic and thermoset composites long used in such applications. Owing to their special chemistry and very-low initial viscosity, the acrylic copolymers provide excellent wetout / impregnation of fibrous or particulate reinforcements, facilitating the production of composite parts with very-high fiber volume fractions (FVFs). Loading levels as high as 70-90% have already been achieved with natural fibers. In the presence of heat and pressure, the material cross-links to form durable copolymers with excellent thermo-mechanical properties.