Industrial automotive films are a progressive and growing market of versatile adhesive products that can be used for countless industrial applications in a single automobile. The films have a range of applications and can be used for decoration, practical purposes, or as marking or protection films for your automotive’s windows.
These industrial films can, for example, act as cost-efficient and beautiful replacements for paint in door sashes, window frames, and body elements on the car. They can also reliably safeguard aluminum wheels from scratches during delivery, keep brake discs from corroding, and body paint from chipping due to rocks and debris kicked up on the road.
With such a diverse range of films available to manufacturers, it pays to know what to look for in quality industrial automotive films. Examine these four aspects when evaluating your options:
Versatility & Ease
The more versatile the film, the less you need to think about the makeup of the vehicle. Quality films can form strong and smooth bonds—without curling—on glass, ceramics, metals, composites, and plastics.
It’s even possible for double-sided films to be the adhesives that bond your parts together and speed up the manufacturing process. Used for this purpose, some industrial automotive films have been formulated especially to help mitigate vibrations, reduce buzz, and prevent rattles in doors and wheel wells.
Durability & Resistance
Critical to a quality film is its hardiness, especially when it’s being used in the high-impact, vulnerable areas of the vehicle. A strong film can meet or exceed OEM requirements for performance and weathering.
Look for options that subtly protect surfaces from rust, scratching, chipping, staining, and discoloration, all without making noticeable changes to the appearance of the surface. Also useful are films that can stand up to intense thermal conditions and stay applied, even when used under the hood (such as information or caution labels).
Aesthetics & Comfort
More and more car manufacturers are discovering that automotive films can give their vehicles a consistent finish anywhere on the vehicle without changing base part design or materials. Films can make trim attractive without the need for formed metal, chrome-plated plastic, or traditionally painted elements. When applied this way, the collateral benefit is that it facilitates the lightweight of modern vehicles by reducing reliance on stainless steel, mechanical fasteners, and other heavy metal automobile parts.
Consumer demand for a sunny, panoramic cabin continues to grow, but increases in glass can adversely affect passenger comfort. Fortunately, you can look for industrial automotive films that condition windows to let in light without heat, protect from harmful UV rays, and reduce glare.
Transparency & Profile
A range of thicknesses and levels of opacity can make window film better suited to some applications than others. For example, thick industrial automotive films can create striking emblems and powerful adhesive layers, while low-profile films can embellish or protect the body’s aesthetic contours without interrupting the smooth surface and sheen of the body paint.
Transparent, virtually invisible protective films can preserve the splendor of a flawless paint job for years with exceptional clarity and low maintenance. Some manufacturers have even begun using opaque films as vibrant and beautiful replacements for traditional body paint.
Talk to a Professional
A discerning eye for industrial automotive films will help you find an option with the ideal combination of traits for your needs, but a professional may be able to show you something you haven’t seen before or even ask R&D to custom-design a film that specifically meets your needs.
Ask questions within the four categories above when consulting with a supplier and you’ll have a greater chance at finding your perfect solution.
