A short overview to summarize different scratch effects in automotive coating

When an automotive OEM looks for coatings with high-value perceived surfaces, many different test methods are used to describe the visibility of a scratch. A short overview to summarize different scratch effects follows:

• Scratch− a type of friction-induced damage in which a sharp object cuts the surface of a polymeric material.
• Abrasion− a phenomenon caused by the mechanical action of rubbing, scraping or erosion.
• Mar− friction-induced damage in which the material surface is compressed, causing a marking that changes the appearance or gloss.
• Writing effect− a soft scratching (writing) with a dull object (like a fingernail) on the coating surface. The load used for the writing is lower than the scratch, abrasion and mar.

The above are only examples of a few noticeable effects that constitute the different scratch effects. All ideal polymeric materials should cope well with all types of induced damage mentioned above.