Film Laminate “Paints” Bumper Parts in the Mold

General Motors Truck Division has selected an insert-moldable dry-paint film to produce both high- and low-gloss finishes on thermoplastic bumper caps for its GMT 800 Series of trucks. The film laminate, AVLOY, made by Avery Dennison Industrial & Automotive Products Division, is OEM approved and specially formulated and designed for use with injection molded parts.

AVLOY is made by casting wet paint films, first a clear coat and then a base coat, onto a PET film carrier by reverse roll coating. A layer of thermoplastic adhesive is applied on top of the base coat. The cured paint-film layers are laminated to a thermoplastic backing sheet with heat and pressure, after which the original carrier web is stripped away. The dry paint-film laminate is supplied in roll form to the molder and is thermoformed and precision trimmed into the shape of the finished part. This preform is then inserted into the injection mold cavity causing a melt bond to form that results in the dry-film laminate becoming permanently integrated into the final part.

Compared to conventional spray paints, AVLOY paint-film has excellent DOI (Distinctness of Image) and superior adhesion and chip resistance, says Avery Dennison. The long and narrow (seven ft. by six-in. wide) Sierra model bumper caps are the largest automotive part to date to use AVLOY paint film technology.

Avery Dennison, Industrial & Automotive

Products Division 248/641-7500

(Circle 191)