Since writing her college thesis, Terry Warta has been at the forefront of developing high-tech paint film for automotive applications as technical manager at our PPG Advanced Surface Technologies (AST) joint venture with entrotech, Inc. These multi-layer films stick to a part’s surface to bring color, decorations and protection while reducing energy consumption by up to 70% and paint waste by 100% compared to liquid coatings.
Terry Warta: Achieving the previously unachievable with paint films
Paint Applied Differently
After receiving her engineering degree in applied chemistry, Terry joined German coatings company Wörwag as a product development specialist. Her undergraduate thesis on thermoformable clearcoats for films sparked interest at the company, which we later acquired in 2021.
Terry received two patents for two innovative film technologies – the thermoformable clearcoat layer and the transfer film. In addition, the Mercedes-Benz roof module and the ever-evolving technology behind it have earned a number of awards, including a 2007 Innovation Award, 2012 SPE Automotive Innovation Award and 2012 Gold Oberflächen Award.
“Normally, you make a part and paint it afterwards. Our breakthrough was producing a paint film that contained the colored basecoat and a protective clearcoat. This multi-layer film, which is formed around the part using heat, is like a skin. It’s a simple process to apply the film, eliminating long drying times between the application of a liquid basecoat and clearcoat.”
Terry and her colleagues, including basecoat and process expert Peter Färber, have continued to evolve paint film. In 2023, they became part of our newly formed PPG AST joint venture with entrotech, Inc. Through PPG AST, we’ll deliver both paint and clear film solutions for automotive and industrial customers. Terry’s and Peter’s teams are focused on automotive paint film with specific application methods to decorate a part, while their U.S. colleagues are developing color and clear film solutions with adhesive layers.
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Transfer film (first image); clear film with adhesive layers (second image)
Complex Paint Sandwich
The concept of a two-layer paint film seems simple, but it’s a complex “sandwich” that stretched the team’s knowledge into process technology.
"This was a new product for us, our clients and the industry. We had a lot to learn and master, from creating the film to designing the machine that would produce it. We were people coming from chemistry but ending up in process technology. It was exciting, challenging and not something you found in PPG or the coatings industry." – Peter Färber
We currently offer two types of paint film – transfer and decorative. Transfer paint film is specially designed for coating automotive plastic attachments. It has four layers – bottom protective film, basecoat (which has the bonding function), clearcoat and top protective film. The technician peels off the bottom protective layer before affixing the film to the part. After heat is used to fully activate adhesion, the outer protective layer is removed. What remains is a two-layer film.
Decorative film for automotive applications incorporates special effects and designs that often aren’t easily feasible using paint. These films have even more layers.
“With our paint process, you get a very, very smooth surface. It doesn’t have the waviness you see with a liquid coating, which sometimes can look like an orange peel. Because of the clearcoat layer, you easily can have a matte or high-gloss finish. The decorative film also opens the door to limitless graphics and designs without having to mask and spray a part numerous times.” – Terry Warta
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