To the car enthusiast, a car is not merely another method to get somewhere, but an investment and a hobby. The most important thing is to protect that investment; hence, paint protection film (PPF) has gained the status of the standard in the care of the surface of a vehicle. However, with the boom of the market in Car Protection Film, so does the spread of mediocre products that are untested. So, how to test the quality of PPF?
This is because the quality of the PPF coating applied on cars is frequently not noticeable at first glance, but instead concealed in the material used, the manufacturing process, and the high-end top coats. You need to do more than marketing bluff to really protect your car. Here in this blog, I will provide you with scientific methodology and industry-standard tools to empower you with the knowledge of what it takes to consider high-quality paint protection film (PPF).
What Is a Quality Paint Protection Film (PPF)?
Before getting into the technicalities of testing, it is important to know the basic properties that a high-quality paint protection film for car possesses. An elite PPF of a car should perform well on several levels:
- Thickness and Durability: The physical capability to prevent hits from stones, chips, and road debris. A multi-layered construction, normally Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).
- Transparency and Non-Fading: Excellent optical transparency that does not dull the original paint of the car, which endures over time during UV degradation.
- Self-Healing: A multi-layer structure that heals light scratches and swirls when subjected to heat.
- Puncture and Impact Resistance: The physical strength to absorb hits and stones.
How to Test the Quality of PPF
Here are different questions and their answers on how you can testify to the quality of the PPF as follows:
1.) Why Does the Thickness of Film in PPF Matter?
The thickness of the protective layer or film of paint is directly proportional to its impact-absorbing and abrasion resistance properties. The thicker the film, the greater the amount of material to absorb the kinetic energy of a flying stone. Not only should it, however, be adjustable enough that it can be properly installed. A micron (or a mil) can be used as the standard unit of measurement: 1000th of an inch, PPF Thickness Meter. This instrument is necessary to perform an objective quality check.
- Operation and Inspection Principle: The technician will place a probe of the digital PPF Thickness Meter on the film that has been installed on a metallic panel (such as the body of a car). Immediate reading is given on the display.
- Reference: Thickness may fluctuate slightly among panels depending on the brand, but the range of Car Paint Protection Film of high quality is between 8 mil (203 µm ) and 12 mil (304 µm ), with minimal coating thickness.
- Good standard PPF: This test confirms the assertions of the manufacturer. When the reading of the meter is greatly less than the thickness claimed on the advertisement, then it is a clear indication of a low-grade or a fake product.
2.) How Do You Check the Puncture of PPF for Car?
The main aim of Car Protection Film is to avoid any damage caused by sharp objects and gravel. There is very little protection for a film, which is easily punctured. The tensile strength and molecular structure of the TPU material are where the Instrument: PPF Puncture Test Tool comes into the picture. The Instrument: PPF Puncture Test Tool is created to mimic a real-life situation, in which the sharp and concentrated force is exerted on the film.
- Mechanism: The instrument usually grips a sample of the PPF to be stretched taut with the help of a fixture. A standard probe (e.g., a needle or sharp stylus) is then pushed into the film under a measured amount of force, which is then controlled and measured in Newtons or Pounds of force required to penetrate the film.
- The Benchmark: The result is measured in terms of the force in Newtons or Pounds of force required to break through the film. The higher the worth of the force, the higher the puncture resistance. Find films that exhibit serious defiance and display the integrity of the TPU base layer.
- Experience: This test separates the presence of what is really high-grade TPU from cheaper, more brittle materials such as PVC (which is commonly used in cheap films). High-quality films are able to sustain high pressure without disintegrating, which demonstrates that they can resist sharp objects lying on the road.
3.) What is the Worst Way to Test the Impact Resistance of PPF?
Whereas puncture resistance evaluation is a test of a sharp force, impact resistance evaluation is the test of the ability of the film to absorb and diffuse the kinetic energy of blunt objects, such as pebbles and stone chips, striking the vehicle at highway velocity. This is arguably the most critical role of any PPF car coating.
- The Instrument PPF Impact Tester (sometimes known as a Stone Chip Tester) is a special tool that closely approximates the effect of road debris.
- Process: A sample of the paint protection film is in the tester.
- The Standard: With a quality film, there will be little to no damage (no cracking, no chipping or no penetration) observed on the film surface even when exposed to high velocity hits. The TPU will creep and immediately rebound, leaving the paint beneath undamaged.
- Trustworthiness: Reliable manufacturers do intense impact testing and report findings, frequently referencing a standard, such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or an individual automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) test. The demand to view this data proves the safeguarding ability of the film.
4.) What Measures Can We Metrically Determine The Flexibility and Conformability of PPF?
The PPF car coating should be of high quality, which means that it should be flexible and elastic. This is essential for two reasons:
- Installation: It enables the film to stretch and properly fill the complicated shapes, corners and lines of a modern car without bubbles or the film peeling back.
- Self-Healing: The elasticity is critical to the self-healing effect of the PPF, which is capable of returning to its original form upon the application of heat.
Stretching Instrument PPF
The elongation of the film at break is measured by the PPF Stretching Instrument (which is usually a Tensile Tester) and the tensile strength of the film.
How it Works & What to Look For:
- Procedure: A piece of the PPF of the car is caught between two grips. One of the grips is moved off the other at a constant rate until the film tears open. The percentage of elongation before failure (stretch ratio) and force are recorded by the machine.
- The Benchmark: High-grade TPU Car Protection Film will generally have a high elongation rate, which at times is over 300% to 400% in length, i.e., it can be stretched several times its initial length before it breaks. This is flexible to provide durability and ease of installation.
- Expertise: Films based on poor-quality PVC or poor-quality TPU will snap once the stretch rate is quite low, and thus are hard to fit and tend to crack early on the car. It is an essential test for testing the quality of PPF structurally.
5. What is the Testing of Hydrophobicity and the Quality of Top-Coat of How Do We Test PPF?
Although protection is important, aesthetics and maintenance are also significant. An excellent PPF coating for car should have a powerful, long-wearing top-coat (which is frequently ceramic-infused) affording extreme hydrophobicity (water-resistance), and the capability to withstand discolouration by bird droppings, acidic rain and various road muck.
PPF Water Sprinkler Display
Although a scientific standard is a dedicated contact angle meter, a PPF Water Sprinkler Display is a commonly found application in showrooms and detailing departments to visually and convincingly illustrate the behaviour of the film in relation to being hydrophobic.
How it Works & What to Look For:
- Procedure: Drip by drip, water is dropped onto a panel covered with the paint protection film at all times. The show enables the clients to see the effect of beading like rainwater droplets in a regulated manner.
- The Benchmark: Water on high-quality, ceramic-infused, Car Paint Protection Film must create tight, high-angle beads (preferably more than 110 °). When a lot of water is added, it is supposed to run away at a high rate, sweeping away the dirt and grime in the process. It is this self-cleaning effect that makes a PPF car coating so attractive.
- Action/Benefit: Superior hydrophobicity means a direct proportionality between reduced effort and expense in keeping your vehicle, resistance to staining permanently and enhanced longevity of your car. When water disperses and adheres to the surface, the topcoat is feeble or nonexistent.
6. Do the Test Practical Non-Instrumental Ways of Testing the Film Exist?
Though instrumental testing is conclusive, some basic, practical tests that are done by an expert detailer or by an astute consumer can be used to judge more on the quality of the film. This is one more dimension of Experience and Trustworthiness to the overall evaluation.
The Texture Test and Visual Clarity Test
Procedure: Examine the film on a dark-coloured panel under direct and bright light.
What to Look For:
- Clarity: The film must be almost transparent. Bad films can be obscure or hazy to some extent and eliminate the gloss of the paint.
- Orange Peel: The lack of the orange peel, which is a dimpled and pitted surface that looks like an orange. The best films are glossed with a glassy smooth surface that makes the paint glossy.
The Chemical Resistance Test
- Procedure Warning: This must only be done by qualified workers on a small and insignificant piece or sample of the test. Put some drops of a typical contaminant (such as isopropyl alcohol or a gentle solvent) on the film.
- What to Test: The proper coating of the PPF high-quality must have a dense and heavy, solvent-resistant top-coat that will not change physically but will reject the chemical. Poor motion pictures may at once puff up, haze, or rise under the influence of such chemicals.
7. The Scratch Test, also known as the Self-Healing Test
Procedure: Car sample. Lightly abrade a small piece of the ppf with a fingernail or soft plastic brush to produce small surface scratches. Next, pour a little warm or hot water (not boiling), or a heat gun on a low level, onto the scratched part.
What to Check: The scratch has to be visibly removed as the heat polymer molecules of the top layer revert to their usual, homogenous position. The length of healing and the fullness of restoration are important signifiers of superior paint protection film.
What is the Risk of Not Performing Quality Testing PPF?
There is a great deal of danger in picking up a film because it is the cheapest or the most attractive marketing mechanism, and not inquiring about how to test the Quality of PPF.
The effects of a low-quality, cheap Car Paint Protection Film may include:
- Yellowing: PVC-based films or low-quality TPU films do not contain enough UV inhibitors and will yellow, particularly on white or light-coloured cars and will be expensive to remove.
- Cracking and Peeling: The film is not elastic in the long run as it becomes brittle, therefore, making the film crack at the corners or seams and peel off early on (shown by the PPF Stretching Instrument).
- Permanent Staining: Any weak or absent topcoat makes the PPF coating porous and lets the contaminants (e.g., bird droppings and bug guts) etch through it or permanently stain the film chemically. It is the same film that was intended to protect your own car that has led to its destruction.
- Adhesive Failure: Low-quality adhesive may peel off the film or destroy the clear coat when removed.
The Detailing Mafia Standards for PPF Quality
The search for the final how to test the Quality of PPF car coating is a general-to-specific path. It is no longer content with just desiring a product but requires scientific evidence of how it works. Using such tools as the PPF Thickness Meter, PPF Puncture Test Tool, PPF Impact Tester, and PPF Stretching Instrument, we transfer the debate to fact.
We are of the opinion of radical transparency and expertise at The Detailing Mafia. We do not simply sell Car Protection Film, but justify it. It is because of our commitment to know about how to test the Quality of PPF that we choose films that have proven themselves as excellent in all the above performance measures.
Conclusion
Your car has a right to be under the protection that is scientifically proven to resist the wear and tear of the road, so after knowing about how to test the Quality of PPF, now there is a demand for a film that is proven to be thick, hard, puncture-proof, very elastic, and waterproof. Select the best PPF car coating brand and an installer like The Detailing Mafia who can offer that proof; someone who knows and can offer that equipment. So to know more about it, contact us at +91-80-100-44000.
Not only guard your paint, but strengthen it. Request your detailer to check the quality of the film with the following industry techniques. By doing this, when you select a professional who describes your services, you are buying serenity that your film covering your car is the finest safeguard against the weather.
FAQs
Do PPF films of low quality (PVC/poor quality TPU) start yellowing when subjected to UV?
Yes, it does happen, so prevent this by using high-grade, aliphatic TPU that has UV inhibitors.
Does the topcoat fade or have to be reapplied?
The topcoat is supposed to last the warranty (5-10 years). It is something that should not require a renewal.
How is puncture resistance demonstrated?
The PPF quantification of the number of Newtons/Pounds is needed to pierce the film with a PPF Puncture Test Tool. A higher percentage of elongation means better resistance to road debris.
Can I test my car in regard to orange peel?
Yes. Park in direct sunlight. Poor quality PPF has a visible orange peel texture, which dulls the paint. Premium films are virtually optically clear and have little or no texture.
How does PPF resist chemical stains?
The high-density topcoat provides protection. This is due to the fact that it is hydrophobic; in case of the presence of contaminants that are acidic (like bird droppings), the droplets will bead up instead of leaving an etch upon the film surface.
Premium vs. Cheap PPF Materials?
PPF can be of cheap, rigid PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), which yellows and is not self-healing. TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) is premium PPF, and is elastic, non-yellowing and has real self-healing properties.
To get one done on your car or enquire more:
Visit: www.thedetailingmafia.com
Call: +91-80-100-44000 OR +91-92-894-44440