The true story of PPF...

Farrier · November 9, 2016

Hello everyone,

After all, what is the origin of PPF? Some say it was invented for military purposes during the Vietnam War, others say it was during the Gulf War... :dunno

I would really like to know the true story.

Greetings,

Farrier

WearTheFoxHat · November 9, 2016

It was invented during the war of 1812 by Canadians to repel time traveling Americans not happy that Trump was elected.

PoopcornPoppers · November 9, 2016

It was invented during the war of 1812 by Canadians to repel time traveling Americans not happy that Trump was elected.

:spit

I thought it was ww2 to protect the planes

TintDude · November 10, 2016

Helicopter blades.

DynamicATL · November 10, 2016

Wikipedia...

As with many other consumer products, paint protection films were first developed and used by the military. During the Vietnam War, helicopter rotor blades and other sensitive parts of military transports were often damaged by flying shrapnel and debris. In order to help protect these moving parts the US military asked 3M to come up with a solution that was both inconspicuous and low-weight.

The advantage of replaceable film over the replacement and repair of damaged rotor blades was immediately clear and its adoption was uncharacteristically quick for the US military. As a result, there are still people in the industry who refer to PPF as "helicopter tape" although this term is becoming less and less common as automotive applications have taken precedence.

Paint protection films use by the military has continued to the present day and 3M now makes a wide variety of aerospace and military films.^[2] With time, however, the automobile industry began to take note of the protective benefits of PPF and it was soon being employed by race car drivers despite the difficulty of working with the original films. According to Kathy Lam, marketing manager for the automotive division of 3M “The first films were thicker and less compliant, [because] their purpose was to help keep helicopter blades from eroding in the harsh, sandy environments to which they were exposed. Because the blades were flatter and less complex than auto-motive surfaces, they didn’t demand a highly flexible, conformable film.”

Farrier · November 10, 2016

Wikipedia...

As with many other consumer products, paint protection films were first developed and used by the military. During the Vietnam War, helicopter rotor blades and other sensitive parts of military transports were often damaged by flying shrapnel and debris. In order to help protect these moving parts the US military asked 3M to come up with a solution that was both inconspicuous and low-weight.

The advantage of replaceable film over the replacement and repair of damaged rotor blades was immediately clear and its adoption was uncharacteristically quick for the US military. As a result, there are still people in the industry who refer to PPF as "helicopter tape" although this term is becoming less and less common as automotive applications have taken precedence.

Paint protection films use by the military has continued to the present day and 3M now makes a wide variety of aerospace and military films.^[2] With time, however, the automobile industry began to take note of the protective benefits of PPF and it was soon being employed by race car drivers despite the difficulty of working with the original films. According to Kathy Lam, marketing manager for the automotive division of 3M “The first films were thicker and less compliant, [because] their purpose was to help keep helicopter blades from eroding in the harsh, sandy environments to which they were exposed. Because the blades were flatter and less complex than auto-motive surfaces, they didn’t demand a highly flexible, conformable film.”

That's what tells 3M ... Ventureshield says it was in the Gulf War! 3M was who invented then?

PPFdistributing · November 10, 2016

Design for the Gulf War which was early 90's.

DynamicATL · November 10, 2016

Here is part of the "History of PPF"...

While clear bras are now prized by many automobile enthusiasts, the technology was originally conceived for a very different purpose. The film was developed by 3M for military use during the Vietnam War, where helicopter rotor blades frequently suffered damage from flying dust and debris, even on the most routine missions. This caused malfunctions and required costly overhauls of the blades.

By installing protective film over the blades, the U.S. military was able to save large amounts of time and money. The film would suffer damage instead of the blade, and the films could be replaced much more cheaply and easily than the rotor blades.

Because of their origin, these films have sometimes been referred to as “helicopter tape,” though with changes in their use, this term is becoming obsolete.

Here is another...

Paint protection film has been around since the Vietnam War. In the 1960’s, when helicopter rotor blades incurred damage from shrapnel and debris, the US Military relied on 3M to develop a material that would be able to protect the blades during battle. They found it much easier and cheaper to apply the film than to replace expensive helicopter parts. Once referred to as “helicopter tape,” paint protection film proved to be an invention that would be useful in more ways than one.

Todd @ Interwest · November 10, 2016

PPF was developed in the 60's during the Vietnam War as stated above. Interwest started to distribute 3M PPF to a small amount of local installers in Colorado back around 1985. At that time most of the product was 2", 4", 6", & 12". Around the early to mid 90's is when it started to get more popular in areas such as Colorado, Minnesota, & Utah.

Thank you,

Todd Bergman

Interwest Distribution

303-777-4455

www.interwestdc.com

todd@interwestdc.com