PAINTING OF PLASTICS

Jaguar's policy for adopting plastic in place of steel for exterior body panel applications is driven by the requirements of the market place, coupled with the necessity to maintain fully acceptable paint appearance without compromising panel 'fit-ups'. Plastics can, under certain circumstances, be cheaper than steel for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), while offering simpler manufacturing processes, design flexibility and parts reduction. However, the technical and economic benefits, which have received much attention in the past by the OEMs and plastics suppliers are important, but alone are not sufficient to be considered as catalysts for change.