THE DOMETIC CORPORATION ENGINEERING Materials,

STANDARDS Processes &

Procedures

SUBJECT: PERFORMANCE OF PLASTIC AND Standard No. 10-4

COATED PRODUCTS IN OUTDOOR Revision 10 Page 1 Of 7
APPLICATIONS Rev. Date 10/2/07 (ECN 6325)
Original Issue 11/14/96

I. Purpose

A. To define the specifications required for plastic and coated parts used in outdoor applications.

B. To define the tests required to verify plastic material and/or coatings.

II. Definitions:

A. Coated Parts
1. Parts which have a decorative or protective finish that could commonly be referred to as "paint"
are considered coated products.
2. Items EXCLUDED from this standard are parts which are regulated by approval agencies such
as U.L.; i.e., compressors, capacitors, motors, etc.

B. Outdoor Applications
1. A part is considered an Outdoor Part if it is not sheltered or protected from the natural elements
(sun, rain, etc.), either in its stored position or in its operational position.
2. Examples of Outdoor Parts (this is not a complete list):
a. Awnings - Main Arm, Adjustable Arm, Rafter, Top Casting, Foot, Bracket, Roller Tube,
Plastic Cover, etc.
b. Other - Base Pan, vents.

III. Coating Thickness

A. Unless specified on the part print, the coating thickness is as noted below (maximum for repaints
with functional review of fit with current mating parts is 150 percent of the specified maximum
thickness).

Process Thickness

Powder Coat 1 - 3 mil

Wet Coat .8 - 1.5 mil
THE DOMETIC CORPORATION ENGINEERING Materials,
STANDARDS Processes &
Procedures

SUBJECT: PERFORMANCE OF PLASTIC AND Standard No. 10-4

COATED PRODUCTS IN OUTDOOR Revision 10 Page 2 Of 7
APPLICATIONS Rev. Date 10/2/07 (ECN 6325)
Original Issue 11/14/96

IV. Performance Requirements for Coated Metallic Parts

A. Parts which fall under the realm of this standard, regardless of metallic substrate material (zinc,
aluminum, steel, etc.), must meet the performance requirements described in Table 1 and be
verified on a periodic basis.

B. ISIR approval requires confirming data as well as finished product samples and five 3” x 6” Q-
panels as described in Table 1.

V. Performance Requirements for Coated Plastic Parts

A. Parts which fall under the realm of this standard, regardless of plastic substrate material (ABS,
nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.), must meet the performance requirements described in
Table 1 and be verified on a periodic basis.

B. ISIR submittal requires confirming data as well as finished product samples and five 3”x 6” Q-
panels as described in Table 1.

VI. Performance Requirements for Plastic Parts with Molded In Color

A. Parts which fall under the realm of this standard, such as ABS, nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene,
etc., must meet the performance requirements described in Table 1 and be verified on a periodic
basis.

B. ISIR submittal requires confirming data as well as finished product samples and five 3”x 6” Q-
panels as described in Table 1.

VII. References

Table I Performance requirements.

Table II Definition of Non-Conformances for Coated Material.

 Table 1 - PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS Table I
Eng. Std 10-4
Page 3 Of 7

Coate Coated Plastic Test Standard Parameters Specification

d Plastic
Metal
A A Salt Spray ASTM B117 1000 hours No corrosion.
No blistering or erratic discoloration.
No creep more than 1/16” from scribe.
A A A UV/Weathering ASTM G155 500 hours Must remain within color specification.
Fade and Color Change 102 minutes UV @ irradiance of 0.55W/m2 @ Must retain at least 80% of its gloss.
340nm with daylight filter @ 63oC BPT and
then 18 minutes of identical UV plus spray
Q Q Q UV/Weathering ASTM G154 1000 hours No crazing, cracking or embrittlement.
Performance & durability of plastic 4 hour UV @ irradiance of 0.68W/m2 @ 340nm Must remain within color specification.
and/or substrate interface & coating @ 60oC and then 4 hours condensation @ 50oC Must retain at least 80% of its gloss.
A A Pencil Hardness ASTM D3363 2H minimum.
A A Adhesion ASTM D3359 Cross-hatch Classification of 5B or better.
A A Humidity ASTM D2247 1000 hours No blistering.
Must remain within color specification.
Must retain at least 80% of its gloss.
Q Q Direct Impact ASTM D2794 100 in. lbs @ 2 mils Gardner
Q Q Reverse Impact ASTM D2794 100 in. lbs @ 2 mils Gardner
Q Flexibility ASTM D522 1/8” Cylindrical Mandrel Pass
Q Flexibility ASTM D522 1/4” Cylindrical Mandrel Pass

A = Actual Part

Q = Q Panel
Coated Metal Q Panels are of the same material, thickness and processing as actual parts and are coated to the specified thickness.
Coated Plastic Q Panels are of the same material, thickness and processing as actual parts and are coated to the specified thickness. While ASTM D3359 states that the
adhesion test is for assessing the adhesion of coatings on metallic substrates, Dometic believes it is also a reasonable test to simulate coating performance under
actual service conditions.
Plastic Q Panels are of the same material, thickness and processing as actual parts
 DEFINITION OF NON-CONFORMANCES Table II
FOR COATED PARTS Eng. Std 10-4

I. REJECTABLE DEFECTS

A rejectable defect is a defect severe enough to cause a rejection by:

a. Exceeding any one of the allowable number of defects per part.

b. Exceeding the maximum size of any of the defects.

(If a part has acceptable defects {size}, but many multiple defects in a viewing area, the part can be
rejected.)

The maximum allowable defects for each part will be determined by the visible area of the part. The
assigned classification is identified by the illustrations in section IV. All evaluations will be made in
an area illuminated by a minimum of 65 foot candles. Orientation of the part should be as viewed
under "showroom" conditions.

II. GUIDELINES FOR DETERMINING CLASSIFICATION AREAS

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR DETERMINING

CLASS CLASSIFICATION AREAS

"Visual Surface" Highly visible areas. Seen when walking around the unit or sitting under the
unit. The reflected light highlights the defects.

"Non-Visual Surface" Very low visibility areas. Areas which will be seen when servicing the unit
and/or areas which will be seen only when major repair is performed.

III. DEFINITIONS

Blisters Hollow bubbles or water droplets in a paint film; usually caused by expansion of air or
moisture trapped beneath the film. Blisters expose bare substrate (metal or plastic), as
opposed to bubbles which normally do not.

Bubbles The occurrence of air or solvent vapors as small bubbles or ruptures of paint film.
Bubbles do not normally expose bare substrate.

Craters or Relatively deep and abrupt depression in paint film not to bare substrate; normally .08"
Fisheyes to .24" in diameter.
 DEFINITION OF NON-CONFORMANCES Table II
FOR COATED PARTS Eng. Std 10-4

III. DEFINITIONS (CON'T)

Particles Foreign matter in the paint film, greater than a .010" in diameter, that is easily
and Dirt discernible.

Dust Foreign material in the paint film that is not readily distinguishable as individual
particles -- (fine) material.

Non-Visual Any amount of surface area that cannot be viewed from one position with the part in its
Surface normal vehicle orientation. Surface areas cannot be combined into one non-visual
surface if they must be viewed from two or more positions.

Non- Bare substrate exposed where the paint did not wet the surface for one reason or another.
Wetting

Lint Fuzzy or fine ravelings of a fabric that appear as a small hair or line under or in the
paint.

Texture An uneven or grainy appearance of the paint film which literally resembles the "skin of
an orange". Normally the paint will feel smooth to the touch and look smooth when
viewed from directly above the surface, but will appear to have small depressions when
viewed at any angle to the light. All painted parts could have varying amounts of
"texture".

Overspray Sprayed paint (usually only a fine mist) which misses the areas being painted, and falls
on the surrounding surface; usually causes a lowering of gloss and surface roughness
that can be felt with the fingertip.

Pinholes Small holes in the paint film which penetrate into the substrate; they may or may not
have raised edges.

Scuffs Scarring of painted surfaces caused by dropping the part, banging parts together, or by
improper buffing.

Solvent Extremely small holes in the paint film that do not penetrate to the substrate; caused by
Popping rapid solvent loss after the paint has "skinned-over", which leaves tiny bubbles or
disruptions in the paint film. Popping usually shows up as lower gloss under normal
viewing; the actual tiny holes require close examination to distinguish.

Streaks Bands of very light, subtle differences in gloss or color across the surface of a part. May
be caused by problems in washing, rinsing, or uneven distribution of pigment particles.
 DEFINITION OF NON-CONFORMANCES Table II
FOR COATED PARTS Eng. Std 10-4

III. DEFINITIONS (CON'T)

Visual Any amount of surface area that can be viewed from one position with the part in its
Surface normal vehicle orientation. Surface areas cannot be combined into one visual surface if
they must be viewed from two or more positions.

Gumballs Due to pressure sensitive adhesive found on the sanding disks. Small amounts of
adhesive would remain on the part if hard sanding wore a hole through the sandpaper.

Mound Excessive amount of powdered paint that may fall on the part from a source other than
the spray gun. Also, found on wet spray parts where blisters or bubbles have broken.

Out Gas, air, or vapor emitted from the part substrate that comes through the top coat even
Gassing after the base coat has cured. These residuals can take the form of blisters, pinholes,
bubbles, etc.
Scratch Any single striation or multiple striations over 0.125” long and 0.003” wide
 SECTION IV NON-CONFORMANCES ALLOWED PER SQUARE FOOT* Table II
Eng. Std 10-4
Page 7 of 7

TOP COAT REQUIREMENTS VISUAL SURFACE NON-VISUAL SURFACE

ALLOWABLE MAXIMUM
DEFECT NUMBER SIZE SIZE AND NUMBER

Projection Types: 1 .040" Not to exceed dimensional

-Dirt OR tolerances for form, fit,
-Dust 4 .020" and function
-Gumballs
-Lint

Indentation Types:

-Pitting
-Pin Holes (Small amount .010" Any allowed size
-Non Wetting on edges) and number
-Solvent Pops

-Top coat appearance Complete coverage Not important

-Over-Spray None allowed Not important

-Texture Uniform (A,B,C Panels)** Not important

-Runs and Sags None allowed Not important

-Blisters None allowed < .080" diameter

-Scuffs None allowed Not important

Grinder, Sander Marks, Not felt with fingernails Not important
and Light Scratches and not seen from distance of two feet

-Scratch Cannot penetrate paint and expose Cannot penetrate paint

Primer or base material and expose base material

*Part must meet performance requirements (examples: salt, adhesion, etc.)

**Refer to standard samples.