Der Autolack hat, technisch betrachtet, hauptsächlich die Aufgabe, das Blech von Fahrzeugen vor Korrosion zu schützen. Zudem kommt der Lackierung genauso eine Funktionalität beim Automobildesign zu.
In the early days of the automobile, painting was a lengthy process in which a slow-drying liquid was applied to the body in several layers over several days/weeks.
With the start of mass production in the 1920s, the chemistry also had to become faster, and the direct-drying nitrocellulose paints subsequently revolutionized automotive painting worldwide in the mid-1920s. Although these dried quickly, they certainly required an elaborate high-gloss polish.
For this reason, the first alkyd resins were launched in the United States in 1929. These paints did away with the need for polishing and had long since offered good protection against chemical, mechanical and environmental influences.
