Underbody Coating

1. One Pager Report about Under-Body Coating.

About Under-Body Coating:

                       underbody coating is a process that is placed uniformly car's underside. It provides long-term protection from corrosion to the car's underbody. It also protects parts like internal body panels, frame rails and other inner cavities that are not physically accessible but are prone to corrosion. It protects against impact damage from small stones, which would rapidly chip ordinary paint, allowing rust to begin.

                                                

Protects Against Rust & Corrosion:

                  The primary objective of getting underbody coating done is to prevent metal components that are exposed on the bottom side of the car to damage from corrosion. You can shut out the Adverse effects of corrosion on your car by simply applying a rubberised anti-rust coating all over the belly of your car.

Reduces NVH (Noise Vibrations Harshness) Levels:

                   Our country is filled with roads having uneven patches and potholes and while we manoeuvre our cars through such sections, the unpaved crumbs, and pebbles hit the car from underneath or get stuck in the wheel wells. The underbody coating’s consistency is so thick that the layer it creates absorbs all the unpleasant noises and vibrations and marginally improves the driving experience

Prevents Paint Chipping:

                   Running on the highway or while pacing through a city road, you will often encounter sharp gravel or any other unattended object hitting the belly of your car with high momentum. This scrapes and chips off the metal from down below. A thick layer of Underbody Coating definitely comes to aid and minimises the effects of such contacts on the body.

Prevents Sensor Elements Under Body:

                  Some of the electric sensors are placed under the vehicle engine. Underbody coating prevents the sensor from being damaged by the object hitting the car with high momentum.

Types of Coating: 

•  Rubberized Undercoating:

                  Rubberized vehicle undercoating is easy to apply and offers sound cushioning as well as protection from dust, moisture, and dings or dents. In addition to your undercarriage, rubberized undercoating is also safe to use on wheel wells and quarter panels, and dries to a soft rubbery finish that prevents further rust, damage, or moisture seeps. The coating can be painted over and, if necessary for bodywork, can be easily removed with an undercoating removal spray. Overall, the rubberized coating is generally the best option for protecting your vehicle's undercarriage, as it provides the simplest and best protective measures against rust and moisture.

                                         

• Polyurethane Undercoating:

                  The other option for undercoating your vehicle is to use a polyurethane-based sealant. This type of vehicle undercoating is a little bit quicker and easier to apply. Oftentimes, polyurethane undercoating will come in canisters ready to preload into an application gun. This type of sealant works by seeping into all cracks and seams, displacing salt and moisture and oozing around rusty areas to bond with and protect the unoxidized metal. It also sands quickly in case you'll need to perform bodywork and can be painted over. On the flipside, this type of car undercoating generally requires a little bit more surface prep work before applying -- sanding and applying an etching primer to bare metals before using are generally recommended.

• Wax or Paraffin-Based Undercoatings:

                   A paraffin-based undercoating will be the cheapest and quickest option available with which to protect the undercarriage of your vehicle. However, keep in mind that it will wear off quicker than other types of undercoating and will need to be stripped and reapplied at least once every year. Wax-based undercoatings never truly harden. During application, they drip or flow into seams and cracks to provide protective properties. They are usually available in a spray gun canister or in an aerosol can and offer at least a base protection in moderately humid climates.

• Asphalt-Based Undercoating:

                   For standard vehicles, any of the aforementioned types of undercoating will provide sufficient protection. For large trucks and heavy machinery, asphalt-based undercoating provides a bit of extra durability against rocks, chips, and moisture. Asphalt-based undercoating generally contains a little bit of rubberized that sets up firmly and also helps soften noise. Generally sold in five-gallon containers, this type of undercoating also needs more cure time than the other three, and is NOT paintable, making it best to use only for undercarriages.

Process of Under Body Coating:

•    Pretreatment
•    Electrodeposition
•    Primer
•    Top Coating.

     Pretreatment:

             The first step in preparing BIW for subsequent coating is the pre-treatment process. Pre-treatment consists of cleaning the body surface to remove remaining oils from the stamping process and welding residues through three primary liquid dip processes degreasing, conditioning and phosphating. The degreasing solution is composed of alkaline salts and surfactants and can include caustic soda, tri-sodium phosphate, and sodium carbonate. The surfactants are types of detergents for emulsifying oils and lubricants on the BIW.

                                                    

     Electrodeposition:

             The ED processes are modified as per the BIW material property. This ED coating provides rust and corrosion protection. The metal underbody and frames of automobiles are coated to prevent corrosion, whereas other areas like the roof are not rust-proofed. When not coated to prevent corrosion, the structural metals are primed before applying additional coatings. 

                                                   

    Primer:

             The Primer coating step is the process of a primer surface or simple primer. It can be water-borne, solvent-borne or powder. These primers are used to improve adhesion between the E-coat and topcoat, provide chipping protection, enhance paint appearance and also be environmentally compatible with emission regulations.

                                           

    Top-Coating:

             The final step in the body coating process is to apply the topcoat, which consists of two layers—the base coat and the clear coat. The basecoat contains the primary colouring pigment and the clear coat provides a protective coating against environmental effects, corrosion, and UV light degradation promoting unmatched colour retention and providing a smooth unblemished even finish.

                                          

Conclusions:

           Automotive coatings confront an almost limitless variety of environments & environmental assaults. Targeting customers, and expectations, together with maximizing efficiencies & meeting environmental regulations with new processes, has brought automotive coating to a next level not imagined. The appearance of the surface significantly affects a customer’s perception of product quality. Additionally, customer expectations for the attributes given by the appearance of coatings continue to increase as manufacturers compete to provide surfaces that offer enhanced surface characteristics.