How it works
A woodgrain door that acts like a white door
Heat Shield has been scientifically developed for woodgrain doors and is designed to reflect up to 80% of the suns harmful rays therefore acting as a white door would do, resulting in far less heat absorption. This is made possible as certain colours that absorb heat are removed at the point of manufacture often referred to as ‘pigmentation selection’
Standard foils are too thin
Existing woodgrain foils are usually far too thin, so continual expansion and contraction soon affects the appearance and performance. For years, foil manufacturers have been shaving pennies off their product and these extremely thin foils aren’t fit for purpose.
Door panel manufacturers, including GAP, have for years tried many different ways and ideas to help minimise the problems with heat absorption such as :
- Specially formulated rubberised glue that allows movement which helps against delamination.
- Double ply reinforcing as standard directly behind woodgrain skin.
- Pin hole air vents in every mould to allow hot air to escape.
Whilst some of the above have helped, none have provided a real credible solution.
Heat Shield has been designed for high impact strength and high levels of UV weathering resistance, and is excellent for shallow or deep draw vacuum forming. With a higher Vicat softening point of the virgin PVC substrate together with much lower heat absorption, Heat Shield outperforms any other on the market.
Vicat softening point
Heat Shield woodgrain panels absorb heat to a maximum of 70ºC where as old fashioned Hot Stamps can very often reach a huge 100ºC. The Vicat softening point of Heat Shield panels is 82ºC (the point at what the heat causes movement and softening of the substrate) which gives Heat Shield a 12 ºC safety barrier.
Car technology is the driver for new woodgrain
The woodgrain technology was first used by German car manufacturer BMW in its convertibles. Woodgrain veneers and leather seats became extremely hot when the roof was down and drivers and passengers burnt themselves on the over-heated surfaces. The new technology was developed to withstand extreme heat and UV radiation and exhibits a significant reduction in heat absorption compared with current hot stamp foils and conventional PVC based foils.
(Source: BMW)
Tests show how much door surfaces can heat up. A comparison between the new woodgrain technology and traditional foils, show the surface temperature of the new technology to be significantly lower than standard materials after exposure to direct sunlight.
"At last we can provide a product which will enable you to go out and proactively sell woodgrain doors that match window profiles without worrying about the products performance"
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