Surface Quality and Florida Exposure Studies of “RIM” and “RRIM” Materials for Exterior Automotive Applications

Surface appearance and long-term durability of coated materials used for exterior automotive applications are key features of their acceptance by the industry. This paper presents data describing the performance of RIM and RRIM urethane elastomers as it relates to both of these important areas.

Surface quality of steel, glass and molded SMC were compared with filled and unfilled RIM polymers using an instrument capable of measuring surface profile. Long-term durability was measured by observing the performance of panels of RIM and RRIM materials coated with currently acceptable primers and topcoats on exposure for two years in South Florida.

Analysis of the data shows that RIM and RRIM materials can be prepared with a surface quality better than that of steel. The data also confirm that coatings applied to these substrates perform very well on long-term exposure in Florida.