When the car wipers are not clean, cleaning and replacing the wipers (wiper blade assembly) is often the first choice of solution, which is also the best way for car owners to operate. Here are some suggestions from NOVOFLOW on how to choose a wiper:
1. Determine the size of the car wiper;
Regarding the size of the wiper, that is, the length of the wiper, NOVOFLOW recommends that buyers measure the length of the wiper before choosing the wiper, and then check the table above to see how much it is, or remember the conversion method: 1 inch = 25 mm. For example, the size of the wiper at the main driver’s position of some models is 26 inches, and the wiper at the co-pilot position is shorter, with a size of 22 inches. There are also some vehicles with the same size of wipers for the main driver and co-pilot.
2. Determine the type of wiper blade frame, such as bone wipers or boneless wipers;
After determining the size, you need to determine whether to choose bone wipers or boneless wipers.
Bone wipers
Bone wipers are usually composed of buckles, wiper blade frames, steel strips and rubber strips. The clip connects the wiper to the wiper arm, and there are many types.
The main frame of the blade frame of the bone wiper is made of metal (usually iron, with anti-rust electroplating on the surface), and the metal frame is used to transmit the pressure from the wiper arm to the rubber strip that is in direct contact with the glass. The steel strip provides overall flexibility, allowing the rubber strip to fit the glass better.
Boneless wipers
The biggest structural change of boneless wipers is the blade frame. Most common boneless wipers remove the metal frame and use a mixed plastic frame made of plastic (rubber wrapped outside the plastic). Through the slope design of the windward side of the mixed plastic frame, the downward pressure generated by the airflow is used to press the entire wiper on the glass, solving the problem of insufficient pressure without a metal frame. Therefore, the mixed plastic frame is also called a deflector.
Under normal circumstances, if the overall consideration is from multiple dimensions such as fit, uniform force, and rust resistance, the market is more likely to agree that boneless wipers have greater structural advantages. But this does not mean that bone wipers are useless. The stable structure brought by the metal frame is accompanied by stable swinging. This is very necessary for passenger cars, trucks and buses that use large-size wipers. And almost all rear windshield wipers will also use bone wipers, which are more efficient and more stable.
In fact, no matter what type of scraper frame structure is, the scraper frame that can make the rubber strip fit perfectly on the glass and work smoothly is an excellent scraper frame. In most cases, it is recommended that manufacturers choose the original model or the same model of scraper frame. The main reason is that these scraper frames are tested by the wiper pressure sensor. It can be said that the entire wiper component, including the wiper arm spring, scraper frame and rubber strip, is adjusted to a balance point through the test.
3. Determine the type of rubber strip, such as rubber strip or silicone strip;
When the scraper frame reasonably presses the wiper on the glass, the responsibility of determining whether it can be wiped clean falls entirely on the rubber strip. There are currently two types of rubber strips on the market: traditional rubber strips and silicone strips that have emerged in recent years.
Rubber strips
The base material of rubber strips is rubber. Generally, rubber strips are made of three types of rubber: NR natural rubber, CR chloroprene rubber and EPDM terpolymer. The difference lies in the different additives mixed into the natural rubber.
The process of manufacturing rubber strips
The first step is to pour the natural rubber into the mixing tank for cracking, and add additives (such as carbon powder, etc.) to make the natural rubber more wear-resistant.
The second step is to heat and melt the mixed natural rubber, and fuse it with artificial rubber through an extruder.
The third step is to extrude the mixed rubber into a continuous rubber belt through a mold.
The fourth step is to cool the rubber belt and use a special cutting device to cut it into two rubber strips with sharp edges.
The fifth step is to vulcanize it to increase the hardness of the rubber belt.
Finally, the surface of the rubber strip is subjected to special treatment in one of the following three categories:
Chlorination treatment:
The chlorination treatment of rubber generally uses a phenylacetic acid treatment agent and an auxiliary agent for chlorination treatment. Low cost, but short life and easy to produce noise. Its hardness is generally 62±1℃, the friction coefficient (u) is 0.6, and the brushing durability is 150,000 times.
Graphite treatment:
The graphite-treated rubber strip is accompanied by graphite lubricant, which lubricates the rubber strip and the glass, mainly to reduce the friction coefficient of the rubber strip. Its hardness is generally 62±1°℃, the friction coefficient (u) is 0.4, and the brushing durability is 180,000 times.
Teflon treatment:
By applying Teflon coating (PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene) on the surface of the rubber strip. Teflon coating has the characteristics of high and low temperature resistance, anti-sticking, wear resistance, lubrication, noise reduction, corrosion resistance, and UV resistance. Wipers sprayed with polytetrafluoroethylene coating can smoothly pass over the glass surface, fit the glass tightly, and reduce noise. And protect the rubber strip from aging and cracking easily due to wind and sun, and extend the life of the wiper. Its hardness is generally 60±1°℃, the friction coefficient (u) is 0.2, and the brushing durability is 250,000 times.
We should note that the special treatment is for the surface of the rubber strip, not the inside of the rubber. The most common treatment method at present is to apply graphite, the main purpose of which is to reduce the friction resistance on the surface of the strip.
Silicone Strip
Silicone wipers are a type of product that has just emerged in recent years. The base material of its strips is silicone. Compared with rubber, silicone is superior to traditional rubber strips in terms of durability and lubricity. In addition, silicone wipers can be coated to form a strong water-repellent coating, allowing rain to slide off quickly and improve driving vision. However, the current quality silicone wipers do not have much advantage in price, which directly reflects the high cost-effectiveness of rubber wipers.
How to choose the strip?
If you are going to replace the entire wiper together, after you have decided on the type of scraper frame, just determine whether the base material of the strip is rubber or silicone. If you only replace the strip, you must pay attention to the matching of the strip and the scraper frame, such as the style of the strip base and the size of the base.
4. Determine the adapter form on the scraper frame, you can remove the original wiper for comparison.
At present, the interface shapes of the adapters of car models on the market seem to be of many types, but in fact, choosing the adapter is very simple. Since there are not many choices of wiper supports at the top of the wiper arm of the fixed car model, it is not difficult to choose for general models.
The core principles of selecting wipers:
The adapter fits the wiper arm perfectly; the scraper frame can make the rubber strip fit perfectly on the glass and work smoothly; the rubber strip can work for a long time, scrape cleanly, and reduce noise;
NOVOFLOW focuses on various car wiper solutions. We have a full range of wipers to choose from, high quality, excellent wiping performance, and long service life. Currently, it can cover 99% of the wiper models on the market, suitable for passenger cars, SUVs, trucks, buses, ships, etc. There are also winter snow brushes specially developed for winter, which can withstand the severe cold weather of -50℃.
0 Comments