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Automotive and transportation coatings

Every part of a vehicle, from dashboards to the exterior, requires a coating to ensure durability and appearance. That’s why Eastman provides high-quality materials for high-performance coatings that improve appearance and offer effective protection against damage from the elements.

Tractor trailer driving on road

Coatings for different surfaces

In automotive and transportation applications, different vehicle components need specific coatings. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have a wide range of materials at their disposal, including solvents, resin intermediates, adhesion promoters and cellulose esters. These materials empower OEMs to create coatings that cater to the unique requirements of diverse surfaces.

Whether it's for resilient metal components exposed to environmental conditions or nonmetal surfaces like vehicle interiors where aesthetics and flexibility are paramount, OEMs can develop coatings to meet a variety needs.

A technician carefully wipes the frame of a blue car

Benefits for automotive coatings

Eastman's portfolio for automotive coatings offers more than just surface enhancement and visual appeal. Our products provide coatings with:

  • Reduced drying time for quicker turnaround and less downtime
  • Enhanced hardness, increasing resistance to scratches and impacts
  • Protection against UV rays, moisture and other environmental factors
  • Better flow and leveling, resulting in a smooth and uniform finish
  • Enhanced adhesion to various substrates, including nonpolar materials like plastics
  • Low-VOC and non-HAP options for environmentally friendly coatings
A painter spray paints a car red in a shop

Performance

Paint is much more than just color. Eastman ensures the coating material has the correct rheological properties, flowing evenly to provide a uniform finish. By using Eastman cellulose esters, issues like sagging, pitting, picture framing, orange peeling, fish-eyeing, floating, flooding, crawling and telegraphing are significantly reduced. This helps OEMs and paint shops avoid common problems and achieve high-quality paint finishes.

Color consistency and match

Eastman cellulose esters have a unique combination of rheological properties and high Tg (glass transition temperature). This unique combination allows for improved color consistency and matching in pigmented paint systems, which is crucial for maintaining quality and cost control in demanding transportation, paint and OEM systems.

A machine primes a car body part
A blue SUV towing a travel trailer

Safety and regulatory

Eastman provides the automotive market with high-performance oxygenated solvents for both OEMs and refinished coatings. With a wide range of options, We help formulators match solvent performance with formulation components and regulatory requirements. The comprehensive product line includes non-HAP and low-VOC options, empowering formulators to create quality products.

Product types

Eastman's adhesion promoters enhance the adhesion of coatings to nonpolar substrates like polypropylene, polyethylene and thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) used in automotive parts. These substrates are resistant to coating solvents, making bonding difficult. Our adhesion promoters help coatings bond to the substrate, even in challenging environments like gasoline exposure, hot water spray and high humidity. We also offers a wide range of waterborne and solventborne adhesion promoters for plastics as well as PVB specialty resins for metal surface binding in the auto refinish market.

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Cellulose esters enhance coating adhesion to automotive substrates by promoting a strong bond between the coating and the surface. This reduces the risk of delamination or peeling, ensuring that the coating remains firmly attached to the substrate. It also enhances coating durability and resistance to abrasion, impact and wear.

The addition of cellulose esters improves flow, leveling and UV stability, providing protection against color fading. They also contribute to gloss, clarity and efficiency in application, including dry time, metal flake orientation and color development.

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Our resin intermediates serve as the foundation for superior resins, assisting formulators in achieving the desired balance of properties in transportation coatings.

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Eastman solvents are widely used in solventborne and waterborne automotive coatings, enabling formulators to meet aesthetic, performance and environmental requirements. With a range of options available, including low-VOC and non-HAP solvents, our solvents help formulators create quality coatings that exceed customer expectations.

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Applications

Aircraft coatings

Strengthen the aircraft's defense against UV rays, corrosion and heat for optimal protection and aesthetics.

Auto OEM

Stand out from the competition by prioritizing the use of premium coatings to customize, protect and enhance vehicles.

Auto plastics

Use coatings to enhance protection, elevate aesthetics, add functionality and streamline plastic maintenance.

Auto refinish

Breathe new life into vehicles with coatings that provide color matching, enhanced gloss, long-lasting durability and weather protection.

Automotive parts and accessories

Prioritize coatings to offer protection, simplify maintenance and resist corrosion.

Automotive interior

Prevent substances from penetrating and staining the fabric or leather, keeping the car interior looking new for longer.

Railcar and railway coatings

Improve railcar durability and longevity by enhancing resistance to environmental factors, corrosion and chemical damage.

Trucks, buses and RVs

Provide enhanced protection, appearance and functionality to all types of transportation.

Tour bus on the road during sunset

Transportation

 

 

Eastman is a trusted supplier to the automotive industry, offering more than just coatings. While solvents and polymers enable formulators to create quality coatings, glass interlayers and plasticizers are used throughout vehicles. Eastman offers a wide range of tools and solutions necessary to create high-quality products to meet your transportation needs.

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