Determination and validation of an assay generic matrix for coating development in automotive plastic pieces.

Abstract

The use of automotive plastic parts has greatly increased, and thus the need to develop new coatings to give them protective and visual characteristics. The requirements for the paintings in the automotive industry are evidenced by a list of assays that analyze the structural properties of the product once applied on the plastic component. Note that each automotive group needs a different testing methodology and requirements, and thus validating a product is difficult for several brands. The main objective of this work, identify and validate an assay generic matrix for the development of coatings on automotive plastic components, will be addressed first by the bibliographic study of required assays from the chosen companies to analyse. From this first study, a primary assay matrix containing all existing assays, will be obtained. Using selection criteria, the primary assay matrix will be reduced to one containing the assays to be performed. Once finished the assays, using a system that allows the comparison of the results obtained, the methodology of each assay will be analysed in order to see which is the most severe and therefore the most suitable to form part of an assay generic matrix. That allows performing the validation of a new product for several automotive brands. From the analysis of 8 assays with different methodology, which are common in 12 AkzoNobel's usual automotive market brands, each of them evaluates a different characteristic of the coating. A discriminated result has been obtained in 7 cases, therefore a generic restrictive validation has been generated for the development of new products for several brands.