Sleek and Sustainable Jaguar F-Pace Contrast Roof Produced with AERO’s Game Changing Sustainable Material Technology

A film coating technology developed by AERO Sustainable Material Technology is fast gaining interest in the automotive arena and is said to outperform traditional paint in every aspect. AERO is a single-stage durable film technology that includes adhesive primer, color, and self-cleaning clear coat.

The company developed the technology for aerospace applications initially, it was then optimized in motorsports, and is now deployed in OEM applications. The alternative paint technology has been used on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Mazda Soul Red motorsport, and the Jaguar Land Rover Defender, which was awarded the 20221 World Car Design of the year. AERO worked with Jaguar to meet its ambition to offer a satin-matte exterior finish as well as an option of a contrast roof for the new Defender.

The customizable AERO four-layer structure typically consists of a clear adhesive, a color layer, a gel-free cast polyurethane, and AERO Clear 250 HT, an environmentally sustainable ultra-durable clear top coat specially designed using patented and patent-pending HammerThane urethane. The film is stretched over the part via dual-vacuum forming. Company sources confirm that they have had no issues such as wrinkling with complex geometries, in their use in IndyCars, for example. Moreover, the technology can be used with all thermoplastics and in many cases, primer may not be required.

AERO maintains that their sustainable technology is competitive with paint, but there are additional savings created by increased throughput, reduction in infrastructure/utility usage, and reduced environmental impact. Plus, there is little or no capital expenditures compared to traditional paint lines, so the overall lifecycle cost is likely to be far less. 

More recently, AERO Sustainable Material Technology is enhancing the offer for customers, dealerships and OEMs offering dealership-level contrast roof options with its unique film coating. The application was requested by a customer of Germain Jaguar Land Rover (Columbus, Ohio), who wanted to further distinguish the appearance of their Jaguar F-Pace. Contrast roofs are not currently offered by the factory due to the manufacturing constraints of traditional paint lines. But AERO’s unique film-based system, which can be stretched and easily applied at room temperature, makes it possible for a sleek and efficient contrast roof to be installed.

Alongside its ease of application and customizability, AERO says, its technology offers incredible sustainability credentials. It produces zero CO2, it has zero VOCs, PVC and solvents and requires zero water during application and manufacture.

Said Austin Germain, general manager at Germain Jaguar Land Rover, “AERO made it possible for us to provide additional value to our customer, which is good for our dealership and for Jaguar. Our customer selected a gloss black roof, which provided a unique contrast against the factory white finish of their Jaguar. The ability to customize without compromising on quality or sustainability is the pinnacle of luxury, which for us—a luxury automotive dealer—is a massive competitive differentiator.”

AERO Sustainable Material Technology is also revolutionizing contrast roof capabilities in traditional assembly line processes. Paint lines are large, resource-intensive and ultimately create massive throughput lag. Said AERO CEO Jim McGuire, “Painting a car, masking, bagging, painting again for contrast roof, then de-masking, de-bagging, and then clear coating is a zero-profit game for luxury brands who use traditional paint. With AERO, that capability is drastically reduced, without any environmental impact. The ease of application of AERO means that luxury OEMs can even push this capability to the dealer and increase their posture as aspirational brands.”

The company now sees itself as a game changer in the automotive, marine, motorsports, wind energy, and architectural industries,  where enhancements in durability, aesthetic value, and environmental sustainability are all competitive differentiators. The technology reportedly offers no design limitations, with the ability to color match any color, incorporating gloss, matte and metallic finishes, and a depth of color that is said to be unrivaled by traditional paint products. AERO also has the ability to embed electronics for advanced civilian and military wireless applications, allowing for unlimited flexibility while maintaining a single adhesive produce for installation purposes.