Auto Windshield Replacement: The Must Know Facts About Resin

Mar 26
09:07

2012

Danny Puetz

Danny Puetz

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In the US, the windshields replacement industry is big business. According to the US NWRA, the industry is worth a whooping $2 billion. With this in mind, it is important to strive to understand some of the replacement and repair resins that are being sold in the market. In the event that your windshield is damaged, you should undertake replacement or repairs as soon as possible as auto windshield replacement and repair is all about the safety of the vehicle owner as well as other road users. While doing this, it is important to know...

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In the US,Auto Windshield Replacement: The Must Know Facts About Resin Articles the windshields replacement industry is big business. According to the US NWRA, the industry is worth a whooping $2 billion. With this in mind, it is important to strive to understand some of the replacement and repair resins that are being sold in the market. In the event that your windshield is damaged, you should undertake replacement or repairs as soon as possible as auto windshield replacement and repair is all about the safety of the vehicle owner as well as other road users. While doing this, it is important to know that resins used in windshield replacement have all along been made of hazardous chemicals. Some of the chemicals that are used in the manufacture of windshield repair resins include acrylic acid and methacrylic esters. These chemical compounds are known to cause eye and skin irritation when they come into contact with the body. In extreme cases where a person is exposed to these chemicals for a long period of time, the consequences could be far much dire as it could potentially result in cancer and cases of birth defects, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The search for ways to eliminate these harmful health effects led to the development of crystalline windshield repair resins which contain human friendly chemicals. Additionally, these resins do not contain any corrosive acids. Crystalline resins have exceedingly high clarity and strength standards. These standards are laid out by the NWRA. There are several types of crystalline windshield tints in the market. Each of these tints has a specific use. They include:

• Amber tint- used to reduce instances of light refraction especially in breaks involving crushed or cracked glass like is the case in star and combination breaks.

• Blue tint- used at the top fringe of the windshield that is characteristically blue in color. It is also used to repair bull's-eyes and combination breaks.

• Gray tint- this tint is used to camouflage excess reflectivity in star breaks.

• Green tint- some windshields have green top fringes. This type of tint is used in such windshields as well as in bull's-eyes and combination breaks.

The standard that governs windshield repair was formulated by the ANSI. Windshield replacement and repair quality is usually determined by the type of resin used. In turn, the choice of the resin is determined by the extent of the damage and the temperature at which the repair will be carried out.
Apart from tint, viscosity is the next important factor that determines the type of crystalline resin to use.

• Any professional glass company out there will recommend resins with a very low viscosity value as ideal for cold weather conditions. These are also ideal if you require a high sense of optical clarity because of their high hiding and wetting action properties.

• Resins with medium viscosity values are best used in hot weather conditions. They are also ideal for large combination breaks due to their superior elasticity and adhesion properties.

• High viscosity value resins are used in conditions characterized by excessive moisture. Their enhanced elasticity and adhesion properties enable them to withstand prolonged contraction and expansion.