Automotive badges stay bright for longer

Danielson has released details of the latest developments in its range of customised automotive badges.

Danielson has released details of the latest developments in its range of customised automotive badges.

The latest badges are produced using a specially developed process that guarantees perfect, inclusion-free surfaces and exceptional resistance to salt corrosion and UV yellowing, while enabling each badge to be shaped to fit plastic moulded surfaces or custom designed holders and base plates.

The latest developments have come in direct response to market demand for badges that hold their original high design quality for the lifetime of each vehicle, even when subjected to harsh operating and weather conditions.

This is particularly relevant for badges used in wheel centres, which are exposed to moisture, salt and UV light over prolonged periods, and are also more subject to extreme temperatures than badges located elsewhere on bonnets, wings or dashboards.

The process introduced by Danielson, Metabrite, gives a jewellery quality appearance, with extremely high definition and excellent levels of colour saturation and clarity.

Perhaps as importantly, the Metabrite process has been developed to overcome the problems inherent with other techniques; in particular, the tendency of lacquers to absorb water, causing discolouration and ink lifting or cracking, and of surface and ink layers to suffer from imperfections and inclusions created during production processes.

The aluminium base material used in the Metabrite badges is treated with a specially formulated clear primer before printing.

This primer chemically seals the aluminium and eliminates any oil or other residues that may remain from the production of the base metal.

Specially formulated inks, selected for their outstanding performance in aggressive environments, are then used to build up each graphic or logo.

Finally, a cured acrylic lacquer is applied over the logo or badge design, giving a perfectly smooth surface and preventing any yellowing or discolouration that would otherwise be caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight.

The lacquer is applied by a specially developed process that creates a surface free of foreign bodies and inclusions, which can often result when conventional spraying techniques are used.

Each badge can also be embossed, resulting in high quality three-dimensional design effects that are favoured by some automotive manufacturers, and shaped to fit moulded surfaces, such as airbags or dashboard panels.

All badges are manufactured according to TS16949 quality standard procedures.

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