Nissan's self-healing Scratch Shield paint to be applied to mobile phones
A while back, Nissan scientists helped to develop a paint clearcoat called Scratch Shield that can self-repair light scratches overnight or over the course of a week.
Now the Japanese automaker is spreading the love, licensing the technology to Japan's largest wireless company, NTT DoCoMo. The clearcoat uses a special top layer of highly elastic resin that gives the coating a 'flexibility' that reportedly means that it can prevent or "heal" 80% of surface marks. The coating itself is also tougher, so it is less susceptible to marks in the first place. Official press release after the jump.
[Source: Nissan]
PRESS RELEASE:
NISSAN'S amazing "SCRATCH SHIELD" paint to be applied to mobile phones
- NTT DoCoMo to license "Scratch Shield" paint technology in Japan -
YOKOHAMA. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced it will license its breakthrough "Scratch Shield" paint to NTT DoCoMo, Inc. for mobile phone application in Japan. The self-healing paint, currently applied to certain Nissan and Infiniti vehicles worldwide, was developed in collaboration with University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc.
The Scratch Shield, a world first in paint technology, was commercially introduced in December, 2005. The Scratch Shield paint self-heals fine scratches and is capable of restoring the vehicles's paint surfaces overnight or up to a week's time in more severe cases. The Scratch Shield paint is also more scratch-resistant than conventional paint, therefore, contributing to a more durable and long-lasting paint coat.
This unique self-heal quality of the paint is ideal for mobile phone application, which is susceptible to scratches over daily use. NTT DoCoMo, Inc. will license the Scratch Shield for its mobile phones to be introduced in Japan, which will be a value-add feature for customers.
Nissan has been licensing its unique technologies for various non-automotive applications since 2004. Other technologies that have been licenced include the around-view monitor and far infrared image sensor. Nissan will continue to research and develop breakthrough tehcnologies that can benefit other industries, and promote these non-automotive applications globally.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Henreh 9:12AM (11/27/2009)
coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.
I want a bucket of this stuff.
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Ed 9:17AM (11/27/2009)
Though I can see this being an issue with minor car accident investigations that would only result in minor scratches.
Accused driver: "I didn't hit(scrape) your car. There's no scratchs on my car"
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Yaroukh 10:56AM (11/27/2009)
Whay would it matter then?
Mike 12:06PM (11/27/2009)
That would have to be an INCREDIBLY minor accident. Like tapping your bumper at 1 km/h.
Nissan's paint is primarily to "heal" swirl-mark type scratches--not the kind you get from fender benders or vandals.
I was impressed with the technology, but the first Infiniti models that they applied it to also had fairly noticeable orange peel. I wonder if that's a side effect of the technology.
carcomptoy 9:27AM (11/27/2009)
Hmm you'd think that after developing self-healing paint, Nissan could learn how to spell "Conventional"...
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Ray 9:44AM (11/27/2009)
Wow. Someone's cranky this morning.
Does Nissan have this on its cars now?
akboss302 9:48AM (11/27/2009)
Ha ha! Vin sounds like the Tom Cruise character from Tropic Thunder...so angry! I get it though...
Jakesnake1294 9:53AM (11/27/2009)
I'm going to take a guess that somebody, whose name may or may not start with "V", gets corrected on his spelling quite often.
Relax Vinhchenzo. Isn't that supposed to be spelled Vincenzo?
Ross 12:16PM (11/27/2009)
Good point, Vinchenzoe. Some people can be so anal about spelling. Thankfully you're not one of them.
Shiftright 2:10PM (11/27/2009)
So Vinhchenzo, you don't feel that correct use of the English language or any language in publications or official text is important? I guess when you can't even spell 'Vincenzo' it's to be expected. Feel free to continue to be ignorant while the rest of the world continues to evolve, moron.
Emmo213 9:59AM (11/27/2009)
Does this stuff actually work?
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Lester 10:09AM (11/27/2009)
Ray and Emmo, yes it works and yes it is currently available on all new Infiniti models. Otherwise, to my recent knowledge it is not on any USA Nissan models at the moment and I think for some of the Infiniti models it is an option, not a standard.
There is only one problem with the paint though, there is no way to have it genuinely repaired by any auto body repair facility. Nissan has not released the coating for public sale or licensed it to any major paint supplier like PPG or Dupont. So the only way to official repair a panel with it, is to completely remove the clear coat and apply a premium clear from that shops best brand (i.e. PPG Diamond Clear which is very hard and very scratch resistant).
If you do not remove the Nissan Scratch Shield and try to blend over it on the same panel, it will cause a haze under the area covered by the new clear coat. I learned this while at a PPG training class and there are a few case filings out there against Nissan and some body shops because of it.
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fmwso 2:03PM (11/27/2009)
Interesting, thanks for the info Lester. I knew that Nissan's current cars don't have but I didn't know Infiniti models have it.
mact 3:09PM (11/27/2009)
Have this + dent proof doors and I will never fear a crowded parking lot and tiny parking spaces every again!
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darex 5:59PM (11/27/2009)
should be standard in the industry for ALL car's bumpers.
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Gerald 9:32PM (11/27/2009)
I wish my NIssan had self-healing paint, because the last ice storm scratched it to hell and back.
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safado101 11:31PM (11/27/2009)
how come the GT-R has such crappy paint quality?
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kballs 1:02PM (11/28/2009)
Oh yeah the paint on my phone has such a huge problem with scratches... not.
There are only a handful of cars with this technology and they're already trying to apply it elsewhere where a problem doesn't really exist? WTF
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ken 1:35PM (11/28/2009)
tell that to my girlfriend who keeps her phone in her purse with her keys
iPhone4G 8:54AM (11/30/2009)
Clause in Russian - http://mini-portal.ru/news/volshebnaya_kraska_dlya_mobile_phones.html
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