Covestro Expands Paint Protection Film Capacity

Covestro will significantly expand its thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) paint protection film (PPF) capacity at the company’s sole PPF production site in Changhua, Taiwan. With a multi-million dollar investment, the expansion will be ready by 2023 with dedicated capacity for PPF and R&D facilities to meet increasingly high demand in the specialty automotive sector. The Changhua site also has just received ISCC Plus certification permitting the production of mass balance TPU.

Most vehicle brands offer PPF as an option on new cars. Many surface protection solutions are also available in the aftersales market, from TPU and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films to ceramic coatings.

Covestro is one of the largest international TPU suppliers of PPF. Using PPF in car coatings is the latest sustainable trend to replace the traditional PVC solution that has been employed for decades. PPF is more sustainable as it is recyclable. In addition, PPF offers better performance in terms of physical properties and chemical resistance, providing superior weathering resistance, greater transparency, and physical strength. Furthermore, PPF solutions can bear most of the impact from small rocks, dust, and chemical substances such as acid rain.

Desmopan 88395AU PPF grades provide more sustainable, high-performance surface protection to car parts via a multilayer PPF made from high-performance TPU, which strengthens car paint and reduces the necessity to frequently re-apply it, said Covestro. The solution also offers better long-term durability, lasting five to 10 years compared with the one- to two-year life cycle of traditional PVC coatings.