Do You Struggle With Labeling
Automotive Plastics?

Use of lower cost and more durable LSE polyolefin plastics is becoming more prevalent every year. Today, LSE polyolefin components that make up much of the floor console in new vehicles come from injection molded thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), part of the thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) family of polymers polymers under the trade names Santoprene™ (Exxon Mobil Chemical) and Trexprene™ (Mitsubishi Chemical). The rubber-like material has useful applications in wireless charging pads, seat belt sleeves, knobs, key pads, mats, seals, trays, liners, cup holder inserts, trim lips, overmolds, and parts where softness and conformity are needed. Likewise, different variations of polypropylene are used under the hood for reservoirs, fan shrouds, battery housing and more.

Labels used on these materials and in these environments must be able to endure all the normal exposures they encounter during normal life use of an automobile, around 15 years. The 3 characteristics of LSE polyolefin plastics makes that difficult and is the reason why other labeling methods to fail!

1.      They are low surface energy at 30-31 dyne/cm. Like Teflon®, nothing sticks to them.

2.      They have a high coefficient of thermal expansion/contraction with heat & cold, 18 times more than metals. Anything trying to stick has a moving target.

3.      They have a high VOC emission rate of outgassing. Bubbles further de-laminate labels attempting to adhere or bond.

Why Do Other Labeling Methods Fail?

Other labeling methods are constructed of adhesive-based substrates or a bonding layer printed with stock “off the shelf” inks and finished with a clear coat for protection and durability. Based on the nature of LSE polyolefin plastics, attempting to adhere or bond to these non-compatible materials for long-term use and exposure is impossible! Examples of these labeling constructions are seen below:

How Polyfuze labels benefit customers for the long-term:

1. When a label fails, the cost of losing Brand Image and Brand Identity is immeasurable. Polyfuze permanent labels maintain Brand Image and Brand Identity, leading to long-term Brand Awareness and revenue that a product brings during its life use!
2. When safety/warning labels fail, consumer safety and potential litigation become major risks. Polyfuze permanent labels mitigate those risks and eliminate the costs associated for the life of those products.
3. When a label fails, another must take its place. One Polyfuze permanent label eliminates the costs and needs of additional labels and labor for the life of the product.
4. Polyfuze labels are backed by the label industries only Lifetime Warranty.

To keep consumers safe while protecting OEM’s from litigious risk, automotive industrial designers and engineers sourcing permanent safety/warning labels should know with certainty that labels applied to their products will last the life use of the vehicle they’re in. With Polyfuze, they can!

Using heat, Polyfuze labels permanently meld to automotive products and components creating an unbreakable chain that cannot be removed by abuse, chemicals, UV or other environmental inputs until a vehicle’s end-of-life (ELV). The system has also proven to save time, reduce scrap and save money all backed by the Polyfuze Lifetime Guarantee, the only of its kind in the label industry.

View Our Limited Warranty Here

At a vehicle’s end-of-life (ELV), Polyfuze labels are 100% compatible with polyolefin thermoplastics meaning that the labeled polyolefin part or component can be fully recycled with no need for label removal or the waste it produces.