Under the hood (UTH) badges or emblems are branding components applied to the interior surfaces of an automobile, such as the engine cover, that help brands maintain consistency and stand out. When designing badging intended for the inside of an automobile’s hood, it is crucial to understand the harsh environment that part will face. The protective coatings, inks, and adhesives applied to the badging must withstand the atmosphere to maintain various design elements such as color, brilliance, luster and gloss over time.
How Are UTH Badges Protected?
Common conditions under the hood include submersion in gasoline, heavy impact from flying debris, and exposure to extreme temperatures. To withstand this environment, superior performing coatings and inks can prevent your part from yellowing, blistering, or cracking. At Boyd, our in-house chemists work with our customers to develop custom priority coatings and inks that will withstand extreme environments, while still maintaining your part’s intended visual properties such as color and gloss, textures, and hardness.
In regard to selecting an adhesive, it is necessary to apply a solution that will maintain its bond to your substrate over the life cycle of your product. Boyd’s in-house engineers and chemists partner to recommend an adhesive system that is suitable for your specific application. Whether the application is open or closed cell, or has a high or low surface energy level, we can recommend an adhesive system that will allow your design to adhere to the corresponding substrate. This means that the bond will meet all required performance specifications regardless of how challenging the substrate is to bond to or the external conditions.
Boyd has extensive process innovation and material science experience, allowing our team to develop custom solutions that can withstand even the toughest UTH environments. To learn more about our automotive solutions, reach out to our experts.
