The Use of Urethane In-Mold Coatings to Satisfy the Economic and Performance Needs of Window Encapsulation, Now and Tomorrow

The growing acceptance and use of encapsulated windows by domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers has led to increased desire for improvements in economics, production capabilities, and performance of these products. In-mold coatings have been shown to provide positive responses in each of these areas and, in particular, two-component urethane in-mold coatings offer great advantages in paint performance.

This paper discusses the use of two-component urethane in-mold coatings for encapsulated windows with comparisons of the major technologies available in the areas of application, economics, and environmental concerns. Results of long-term exterior and accelerated exposure evaluations are presented to demonstrate the quality of finish which can be achieved with these coating systems.