We know that there are many choices in this industry. Most if not all seem to boast about unparalleled strength and colors that never fade. These companies realize the value of this industry and will do or say just about anything to get your business. The purpose of the following summary is to further educate you about your choices rather than to persuade you from overwritten sales pitches or marketing agendas.
We want you to choose what is truly superior according to your own research. Our goal is to supply you with enough facts, documentation, and reasoning to support our claims as the #1 Spray in Bedliner! We don’t want to just say we are the strongest, the most color stable, or the highest percentage of solid content. We challenge you to discover it for yourselves and realize the SUPER POTENTIAL. We are sure you have a list of important questions that will enable you to discern the truth and make the best choice for your business. Please keep in mind that the answers to these questions enable you to determine what kind of product you will be using. For example: A urethane cannot be UV stable and be an aromatic urethane. (See further information below for clarification)
The quality of our product and knowing that our claims are true will sell itself. We value your business and we want your business because you believe SuperLiner™ is truly a superior product!
Batch Mix Systems
Batch mix systems are those systems, which allow the A-side and B-side to be mixed together prior to application.
Batch mix systems are the most UV stable systems on the market. Most if not all batch mix systems contain some content of aliphatic urethane. Note: Aliphatic urethanes are UV stable. The catch is how much content is in fact aliphatic rather than the less stable aromatic urethane. Only SuperLiner offers a system with 100% aliphatic resin. A company cannot achieve more UV stability with a product that has less aliphatic content than their competitors. This is chemically not possible. You will also find this information in the MSDS sheets. The chemical make up is the very foundation of color stability. You must know this information in order to know if the product is in fact capable of holding its color better than others.
Batch mix systems are solvent systems. They cure over extended periods of time depending upon temperature of environment (30-40 minutes dry to the touch). They are not sensitive to atmospheric conditions or moisture and will not freeze during shipping to cold environments. It is important to know how much solvent is in the system you are considering. Each system contains different levels. Some systems boast a low price per gallon but are highest in solvents leaving you with the least amount of cured material. Do a comparison and determine if you are getting the most for your money. You can find the percentage of solvents in the Material Safety Data Sheets. It is important to obtain the percentage by volume, not weight.
When dealing with solvent systems there are two concerns. One, you must understand the Volatile Organic Content of the product by measurement of pounds per gallon. This is a federal standard by which hazardous products are measured in order to allow or prevent application in certain states. The rating must be 2.8 lb. or less. This will be listed in the MSDS sheets and also be confirmed by reviewing a copy of the label on the can of the product to see that they match. We have found that in some cases those numbers conflict. By federal law they should be the same. Secondly, you must know the flashpoint of the material. The flashpoint is the temperature at which the material could ignite. The higher the flashpoint the less dangerous the material. A lower flash point can mean exposing your employees to a higher risk of danger.
Finally, there is great weight placed upon the strength of batch mix systems in comparison to plural component systems. Independent laboratories have done tensile and tear strength tests on most products. Some companies use the results of a cast sample and not a sprayed sample giving a false report on their strength. It is a fact that cast or poured samples always have a greater tensile and tear strength than sprayed samples. This will almost double the strength in test results. You must have sprayed samples to know what the material will actually be like and feel like when you spray it.
Plural Component Systems
Plural component systems are systems which require the A-side (Resin) and B-side (Catalyst) to be kept separate until point of impact.
Plural component systems are 100% solid and contain no solvents in the material. A cure is achieved in approximately 7-14 seconds. This does not allow for mistakes due to the immediate cure. Plural systems are also sensitive to atmospheric conditions and will freeze or accumulate condensation inside the containers under variant weather conditions. This ruins the material and causes an extreme inconvenience. The application requires a climate controlled area. Plural systems use aromatic urethanes which are inherently not UV stable and will chalk and fade within 3 to 6 months.
These systems are well known and the name recognition is a plus. However, the initial start-up cost and maintenance costs make them the most expensive systems on the market. An expensive initial investment equals a long period of time before realizing a profit. In addition, training for plural systems are lengthy because of the complicated mixing ratios and calibration of the equipment. Most companies are very strict with volume requirements. Read the contract fine print giving them the right to revoke your franchise.