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Paint Thickness
Most modern vehicle paint film systems thickness is approximately 6.0 Mil (0.006-inches) comprising a Primer coat of 2Mils, a Colour coat of 1-2Mils, and Clear coat 2-3Mils. Ultra violet protection (UV) migrates to the top of the clear coat to protect the paint system from the effects of (UV) radiation (photo synthesis (colour fading) oxidation)
Clear coat paint (polyurethane) provides the colour and base coats with protection, and usually has UVR protection added in the final coating; this tends to migrate towards the upper level of the clear coat (this is why it?s important to check how much of the paint surface you are removing with an abrasive polish)
The clear coat provides protection from environmental damage (industrial fallout, bird excrement, road dirt and debris and airborne bug debris) and provides the colour coat with gloss, but is easily scratched; once it is compromised repairs involve re-painting, as the base colour has no brilliance, shine or depth without it, start with the least abrasive product to accomplish desired results, and only if necessary move up to the next grade of abrasive
These numbers are offered as a guide only, as there are too many variables to provide any more than an approximation.
Removing more that 0.5 Mil (12.5? Microns) of clear coat will cause premature paint film failure as a point of reference a sheet of copy paper is 3.5Mil (88.9? Microns) a surface scratch that will `catch' your fingernail is approximately 0.04 Mil (1.01 ? Microns) deep will usually require wet sanding and refinishing.
Environmental Damage
The rate of environmental exposure that negatively effects (clear coat) paint varies widely with ambient conditions (UV radiation, Environmental Fall-out, paint protection used, etc) but an approximation of 0.005 Mils (0.12 ? Microns) per annum is about average; protective coatings polymer sealants, wax, etc), being renewable are meant to be sacrificial (it is subjected to oxidation, thereby by saving the clear coat)
Paint Removed by Polishing
Using a medium abrasive polish and a rotary polisher will remove approximately 0. 1 Mil (3? Microns) from the paint surface (typically 4 passes at 1500-1800 RPM) but there are many variables such as polish/compound and speed / pressure used that may affect the paint removed) There comes a point when you must judge wither removing a scratch will compromise the clear coat and if so you?ll have to ?live? with the imperfection. If you have reservations about the amount of paint surface removed or the amount of paint coating remaining the use of a paint thickness gauge (PTG) is arbitrary
The following are the maximum allowable clear coat reductions the major USA car manufacturers will allow to honour their paint warranty:
Chrysler ? 0.5 mils; Ford ? 0.3 mils; GM ? 0.5 mils.
Most modern vehicle paint film systems thickness is approximately 6.0 Mil (0.006-inches) comprising a Primer coat of 2Mils, a Colour coat of 1-2Mils, and Clear coat 2-3Mils. Ultra violet protection (UV) migrates to the top of the clear coat to protect the paint system from the effects of (UV) radiation (photo synthesis (colour fading) oxidation)
Clear coat paint (polyurethane) provides the colour and base coats with protection, and usually has UVR protection added in the final coating; this tends to migrate towards the upper level of the clear coat (this is why it?s important to check how much of the paint surface you are removing with an abrasive polish)
The clear coat provides protection from environmental damage (industrial fallout, bird excrement, road dirt and debris and airborne bug debris) and provides the colour coat with gloss, but is easily scratched; once it is compromised repairs involve re-painting, as the base colour has no brilliance, shine or depth without it, start with the least abrasive product to accomplish desired results, and only if necessary move up to the next grade of abrasive
These numbers are offered as a guide only, as there are too many variables to provide any more than an approximation.
Removing more that 0.5 Mil (12.5? Microns) of clear coat will cause premature paint film failure as a point of reference a sheet of copy paper is 3.5Mil (88.9? Microns) a surface scratch that will `catch' your fingernail is approximately 0.04 Mil (1.01 ? Microns) deep will usually require wet sanding and refinishing.
Environmental Damage
The rate of environmental exposure that negatively effects (clear coat) paint varies widely with ambient conditions (UV radiation, Environmental Fall-out, paint protection used, etc) but an approximation of 0.005 Mils (0.12 ? Microns) per annum is about average; protective coatings polymer sealants, wax, etc), being renewable are meant to be sacrificial (it is subjected to oxidation, thereby by saving the clear coat)
Paint Removed by Polishing
Using a medium abrasive polish and a rotary polisher will remove approximately 0. 1 Mil (3? Microns) from the paint surface (typically 4 passes at 1500-1800 RPM) but there are many variables such as polish/compound and speed / pressure used that may affect the paint removed) There comes a point when you must judge wither removing a scratch will compromise the clear coat and if so you?ll have to ?live? with the imperfection. If you have reservations about the amount of paint surface removed or the amount of paint coating remaining the use of a paint thickness gauge (PTG) is arbitrary
The following are the maximum allowable clear coat reductions the major USA car manufacturers will allow to honour their paint warranty:
Chrysler ? 0.5 mils; Ford ? 0.3 mils; GM ? 0.5 mils.
