Whether a premium car or a high-performance racing bike – the passion for high-quality vehicles often goes hand in hand with the desire to protect them from damage and preserve their value over time. For those who care about a flawless paint finish, protection from chips, scratches, and fading is a must. This is where paint protection films – known as PPF – come into play. These specialized films are applied either partially or across the entire surface of the vehicle. In their transparent version, PPFs are completely invisible. Now, with the introduction of colored variants, ORAFOL is setting new standards.
High-Tech in Layers
Invisible Protection for Every Vehicle
ORAFOL Paint Protection Films (PPF) shield sensitive vehicle paint and high-end surfaces from stone chips, scratches, and UV radiation. Behind this product lies the specialized expertise of our subsidiary, ORAFOL Americas Advanced TPU Films, along with ambitious interdisciplinary development work at our headquarters in Oranienburg. The product portfolio of paint protection films is a clear demonstration of how ORAFOL embodies high technology and premium quality.
ORAGUARD® PPF2815GF+ PAINT PROTECTION FILM IN WHITE
It All Begins with Technological Excellence from the USA
ORAFOL’s entry into the paint protection film market is the result of a strategic acquisition and years of cross-disciplinary development work.
The foundation of all PPFs is a thermoplastic polyurethane film (TPU base film). ORAFOL Americas Advanced TPU Films (formerly Nupro LLC), located in South Deerfield, USA, specializes in these films, which are produced using the extrusion process. In this process, plastic granulate is fed into an extruder, melted, and then pushed through a die, creating a uniform, transparent film. ORAFOL Americas employs a highly advanced method that prevents dust from causing contamination or inclusions during extrusion. The resulting films are optically flawless. This was one of the main reasons why ORAFOL traditionally sourced TPU base films from Nupro as precursors for other solutions.
EXTRUSION PLANT AT ORAFOL IN MASSACHUSETTS
In 2021, Dr. Holger Loclair, Chairman & CEO of ORAFOL, made the decision to acquire the company and its expertise in order to expand the PPF sector long-term and strengthen ORAFOL’s independence. “At that time, production in South Deerfield was relatively small. Nupro focused not on quantity but on technological excellence,” explains Joseph Baarmann, a process engineer who supported the integration of Nupro into the ORAFOL family on site in the US. “My task was to understand the technology and expand production capacity in a way that maintained quality while allowing TPU films to be produced at industrial scale.” Together with the Nupro team, he further developed the production lines. Critical to this success was Nupro’s existing cleanroom concept and the intensive quality control conducted by the local team. “The TPU base film forms the foundation of our ORAGUARD Paint Protection Films. Even the smallest inclusions in the extruded TPU film could later lead to problems in the premium product. The extrusion process and its outcome set the quality benchmark for the entire PPF portfolio.”
Premium Quality – Layer by Layer
The TPU and the base film extruded from it offer essential properties: the material is UV-resistant, transparent, and – above all – stretchable. This flexibility is key for absorbing impact from stones. “This allows the film to absorb shock energy,” says Baarmann. “If it were too rigid, any mechanical impact would just puncture the film and damage the paint.” At the same time, the film still needs to be hard enough to resist long-term deformation or tearing from environmental exposure. And it must remain stable to support further coatings and treatments.
“My task was to further expand our production capacities in a way that would enable us to manufacture TPU films on an industrial scale while maintaining the same high quality.”
Joseph Baarmann,
Process Engineer
This is where the development work at ORAFOL’s headquarters in Oranienburg really kicks in. Each additional layer adds new functionality to the film. The challenge is to ensure that no layer interferes with the performance of another – neither during manufacturing nor in the final product. This required close collaboration across divisions. “Almost every ORAFOL division produces self-adhesive films with a specific technical focus. But with paint protection films, we’re now working on a product that brings together know-how from three distinct divisions,” explains Dr. Felix Limberg, Head of Development for Adhesive Tape Systems, who led the cross-divisional team.
“The TPU base film from the Advanced TPU Films Division in the US is coated in several steps with adhesive and a topcoat,” he says. This produces different surface properties, such as lotus effect, high gloss, or varying levels of matte finish. The choice of adhesive ensures that the PPF is easy to install, adheres securely over time, and can be removed without residue if needed. This expertise lies within the Adhesive Tape Systems Division, Dr. Limberg explains.
Colored Paint Protection Films: Expertise from Massachusetts Meets Know-How from Oranienburg
Things get even more interesting with colored PPF. The Graphic Solutions Division specializes in the formulation and production of color layers. “They are absolute experts when it comes to films that combine color fidelity with protective functions.” However, combining these with the other PPF layers required precise coordination. “In essence, we reimagined a film that adheres, protects, and provides color from the ground up,” says Limberg.
The key to success in developing and manufacturing colored paint protection films at ORAFOL lies in the close cooperation of three divisions: Advanced TPU Films in South Deerfield, USA, as well as Graphic Solutions and Adhesive Tape Systems at the headquarters in Oranienburg. A central element is the expertise of the Engineering & Technology department. This plays an especially important role in the final layer of the finished product: the topcoat. It protects the entire film from mechanical and environmental damage and features self-healing properties – small scratches smooth out with heat. “The challenge was that the topcoat is applied at the very end of the production process. If a mistake occurs at that point, it can ruin the entire product. ORAFOL prevents this with perfectly synchronized production processes,” says Dr. Limberg, proud of the team’s achievement.
The strategic acquisition of Nupro LLC and the close cooperation between divisions in the US and Germany enable ORAFOL to offer customers a high-tech product of premium quality with its Paint Protection Films. Bringing together knowledge, exchanging expertise, and creating market-shaping solutions collaboratively – that is a driving force behind ORAFOL’s success.
Structure and Function of Paint Protection Films
Layer 1: Carrier Film — Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) Film
Properties:
- Mechanical protection: absorbs impacts (e.g. stone chips), prevents scratches
- High transparency, optically clear, virtually invisible on vehicle paintwork, even when applied in partial sections
- Elasticity to conform to any vehicle geometry without wrinkles or tearing
- UV-resistant, no yellowing even over several years
- Homogeneity, free from particles or inclusions
- Dimensional stability, maintaining processability even after further coatings
Layer 2: Adhesive Layer, Liner
Properties:
- Allows wet application onto vehicles
- Ensures adhesion to the vehicle surface
- Can be removed without leaving any residue on the vehicle paintwork
Layer 3: Color Layer
Properties:
- Brilliant color and depth
- UV-resistant and durable
- Elasticity
Layer 4: Topcoat
Properties:
-
Scratch- and impact-resistant
- UV-resistant, protects against yellowing
-
Self-healing under heat
- Elasticity
Layer 5: Gloss Layer
- Applied depending on the desired level of gloss or matte finish
