Rain-X

Last updated
Rain-X
Product typeAutomotive aftermarket in glass care; other car care: car washes, waxes, bug and tar removers, and headlight restoration kits.
OwnerITW Global Brands, division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
Introduced1972 (1972)
Previous ownersPennzoil-Quaker State Company dba SOPUS Products
Tagline"Outsmart the elements"
Website rainx.com

Rain-X is a synthetic hydrophobic surface-applied product that causes water to bead up and run off surfaces, most commonly used on glass automobile surfaces. The brand has since been extended to a range of automotive and surface care products, including wiper blades.

Contents

Products

The Rain-X brand includes seven categories of products: wiper blades, glass and windshield treatments, plastic cleaners, windshield washer fluid, car washes, car wax, and bug and tar washes. [1]

Rain-X Online Protectant was introduced to commercial carwashes in 2005. [2] It is a water-based compound that is applied to the entire car's surface, working much like consumer grade Rain-X products.

Competing products include Pittsburgh Glass Works' (formerly of PPG) Aquapel. Rain X wiper blades have the highest market share in North America.

Uses

Effect of Rain-X original on a glass surface What a little Rain-X can do for you (3908431451).jpg
Effect of Rain-X original on a glass surface

Due to its general water-repellent properties, the original Rain-X formulation is used in a wide variety of consumer, commercial and industrial settings. The primary use of Rain-X is for automotive applications. Commercially sold "Original Glass Treatment" is the original and most well known Rain-X branded product. It is a hydrophobic silicone polymer [3] that forces water to bead and roll off of the car, often without needing wipers. It is sold in bottles of 3.5 or 7 US fluid ounces (100 or 210 ml), or as wipes or towelettes.

The original coating has also had use in military and other government settings. The Australian military examined the effect of application of Rain-X and similar products to submarine antennas to improve signal transmission, although other coatings had longer lifespans when submerged in salt water. [4]

It is also occasionally used in laboratory settings to silanise a surface. [5] [6] [7]

Ski and snowboard enthusiasts use Rain-X as "wax" to effectively overcome sticky wet snow common in spring conditions. While skiing or riding on mountains with hard snow pack, the heat of the sun changes snow conditions starting on the lower slopes. Skis may suddenly slow down, throwing one off-balance, because of a change in surface tension, a sort of "sandpaper effect." Rain-X is applied to the ski or board base, or to the bottoms of ski boots to reduce, or eliminate snow "wedges" that interfere with proper mounting into ski bindings. [8]

Chemistry

Rain-X's primary active ingredient are polysiloxanes, the primary one being hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane. [9] The polysiloxanes have functional groups that bind to the hydroxyl group of the glass surface. [10] Rain-X submitted safety documents which state that the solvent used is a mix of acetone and water, but the exact ratio is a trade secret.[ citation needed ]

History and ownership

Rain-X was introduced in 1972 by Howard G. Ohlhausen of the Unelko Corporation. [11] The product was originally registered as a trademark in 1972 by Unelko, and was sold to Quaker State in 1997. [12] [13]

Between 1997 and 2011, Rain-X was marketed by SOPUS Products, a subsidiary of Pennzoil-Quaker State, [14] [15] itself a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. On 1 March 2011, Illinois Tool Works acquired SOPUS's car care business. [16] [17] [18]

In the UK, prior to 2010, Rain-X branded products were distributed by the SOPUS subsidiary Auto Expressions. On 9 June 2010, Kraco Enterprises acquired the company. [19] [20]

Industrial Rain-X products were produced by Ecolab and used in carwashes and other industrial applications. [21] [2] Ecolab sold its vehicle care business to Zep, Inc. on 1 December 2012. [22] The sale also included the Armor All Professional, Black Magic, Blue Coral, Niagara National, Washtronics, and Zep Enviroedge brands. [22]

Rain-X (retail products) was purchased by Illinois Tool Works, from Shell Oil Company, on 3/1/2011. Today, Rain-X is part of ITW Global Brands division. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silicone</span> Family of polymers of the repeating form [R2Si–O–SiR2]

In organosilicon and polymer chemistry, a silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer composed of repeating units of siloxane. They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cooking utensils, thermal insulation, and electrical insulation. Some common forms include silicone oil, grease, rubber, resin, and caulk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuselage</span> Main body of an aircraft

The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage, which in turn is used as a floating hull. The fuselage also serves to position the control and stabilization surfaces in specific relationships to lifting surfaces, which is required for aircraft stability and maneuverability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windshield</span> Front window of vehicle

The windshield or windscreen of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, a type of treated glass, which consists of, typically, two curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and bonded into the window frame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windscreen wiper</span> Device on vehicle

A windscreen wiper or windshield wiper is a device used to remove rain, snow, ice, washer fluid, water, or other debris from a vehicle's front window. Almost all motor vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses, train locomotives, and watercraft with a cabin—and some aircraft—are equipped with one or more such wipers, which are usually a legal requirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rain sensor</span> Device to detect water from rain

A rain sensor or rain switch is a switching device activated by rainfall. There are two main applications for rain sensors. The first is a water conservation device connected to an automatic irrigation system that causes the system to shut down in the event of rainfall. The second is a device used to protect the interior of an automobile from rain and to support the automatic mode of windscreen wipers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ski wax</span> Material for use on snow runners

Ski wax is a material applied to the bottom of snow runners, including skis, snowboards, and toboggans, to improve their coefficient of friction performance under varying snow conditions. The two main types of wax used on skis are glide waxes and grip waxes. They address kinetic friction—to be minimized with a glide wax—and static friction—to be achieved with a grip wax. Both types of wax are designed to be matched with the varying properties of snow, including crystal type and size, and moisture content of the snow surface, which vary with temperature and the temperature history of the snow. Glide wax is selected to minimize sliding friction for both alpine and cross-country skiing. Grip wax provides on-snow traction for cross-country skiers, as they stride forward using classic technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowcat</span> Enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed for over-snow travel

A snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck-sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to travel over snow. Major manufacturers are PistenBully (Germany), Prinoth (Italy), and Tucker.

Bullsone is an automotive products company headquartered in Seoul, Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Tool Works</span> American company

Illinois Tool Works Inc. or ITW is an American Fortune 200 company that produces engineered fasteners and components, equipment and consumable systems, and specialty products. It was founded in 1912 by Byron L. Smith and has built its growth on a "small-wins strategy" based on decentralization, simplicity, customer-focused innovation, and acquisitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windshield washer fluid</span> Fluid for cleaning windshields on automobiles

Windshield washer fluid is a fluid for motor vehicles that is used in cleaning the windshield with the windshield wiper while the vehicle is being driven.

Self-cleaning glass is a specific type of glass with a surface that keeps itself free of dirt and grime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trico</span>

Trico is an American company that specializes in windshield wipers. Trico, then known as Tri-Continental Corporation, invented the windshield wiper blade in 1917. Its original Trico Plant No. 1 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Trico is today one of the leading manufacturers of windshield wiping systems, windshield wiper blades and refills globally, with wiper plants on five continents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water-repellent glass</span>

Water-repellent glass (WRG) is a transparent coating film fabricated onto glass, enabling the glass to exhibit hydrophobicity and durability. WRGs are often manufactured out of materials including derivatives from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), polydimethylsilicone (PDMS), and fluorocarbons. In order to prepare WRGs, sol-gel processes involving dual-layer enrichments of large size glasses are commonly implemented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autoglym</span> British manufacturer

Autoglym is a British manufacturer of a range of car care and valeting products, which are sold in over 45 countries.

Aquapel is a rain repellent glass treatment created by PPG Industries. It is a competitor to the more widely known Rain-X product, but unlike Rain-X, is not a silicone-based compound. Aquapel Glass Treatment consists of fluorinated compounds called fluoroalkylsilanes which create a chemical bond with glass surfaces, causing water to bead up and roll off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraco Enterprises</span> American private company

Kraco Enterprises, LLC, is an American private company. It primarily manufactures fabricated rubber products for a wide variety of purposes and applications. While they mainly produce floormats, they have also been a supplier for the automotive industry producing tire walls and even audio equipment including car speakers, stereos, and CB radios. Kraco was founded in 1954 in Compton, California. Their first product was "Snap-on" white walls to create temporary white-walled tires. They moved into making rubber, vinyl and soon thereafter, carpet floormats as the business expanded.

Heated glass is a resistance heater created when a transparent, electrically conductive coating is applied to float glass and then subjected to an electric current. The electric current in the coating creates heat energy, which warms the glass until the glass radiates heat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhydrophobic coating</span> Water-repellant coating

A superhydrophobic coating is a thin surface layer that repels water. It is made from superhydrophobic materials, and typically cause an almost imperceptibly thin layer of air to form on top of a surface. Droplets hitting this kind of coating can fully rebound. Generally speaking, superhydrophobic coatings are made from composite materials where one component provides the roughness and the other provides low surface energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart inorganic polymer</span>

Smart inorganic polymers (SIPs) are hybrid or fully inorganic polymers with tunable (smart) properties such as stimuli responsive physical properties (shape, conductivity, rheology, bioactivity, self-repair, sensing etc.). While organic polymers are often petrol-based, the backbones of SIPs are made from elements other than carbon which can lessen the burden on scarce non-renewable resources and provide more sustainable alternatives. Common backbones utilized in SIPs include polysiloxanes, polyphosphates, and polyphosphazenes, to name a few.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zep (company)</span> American cleaning product manufacturer

Zep, Inc. is an Atlanta, Georgia-based cleaning products manufacturer. It specializes in cleaning and maintenance products for industrial, institutional, food and beverage, vehicle care, and retail customers. Zep’s product portfolio includes over 80 brands. As of 2019, Zep employs over 2,000 people.

References

  1. ↑ "Site Map". Rainx.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Ecolab Introduces New Rain-X® for Wheels for the Professional Car Wash Industry". Ecolab. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Whitten, Kenneth W.; Davis, Raymond E.; Peck, M. Larry; Stanley, George G. (2009). Chemistry. Cengage Learning. p. 459.
  4. ↑ Dimas, Jim; Scardino, Andrew J.; Lewis, John A. "Enhancement of Drain-Down Capabilities of Submarine Antennae". DSTO-TR-2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Pierce, Scott M.; Chan, Kwaichow B.; Zhu, Heping (2008). "Residual Patterns of Alkyl Polyoxyethylene Surfactant Droplets after Water Evaporation". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 56 (1): 213–9. Bibcode:2008JAFC...56..213P. doi:10.1021/jf072372y. PMID   18069796.
  6. ↑ Otobe, K. (2001). "Behavior of DNA fibers stretched by precise meniscus motion control". Nucleic Acids Research. 29 (22): 109e–109. doi:10.1093/nar/29.22.e109. PMC   92573 . PMID   11713329.
  7. ↑ Cong, Hailin; Hu, Xudong; Radosz, Maciej; Shen, Youqing (2007). "Brominated Poly(2,6-diphenyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) and Its Silica Nanocomposite Membranes for Gas Separation". Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 46 (8): 2567. doi:10.1021/ie061494x.
  8. ↑ James M Schaefer,"Sliding in Spring Snow," Snow Pro -- The Official Publication of the Professional Ski Instructors of America Educational Foundation, Albany, New York, forthcoming.
  9. ↑ "Rain X The Invisible Windshield Wiper". whatsinproducts.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  10. ↑ Timothy Michael Shea. "Durable hydrophobic surface coatings using silicone resins". US Patent 7344783 B, description 4.
  11. ↑ "Brand Overview". Justia Law website. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  12. ↑ "Our Company". Unelko.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2010.
  13. ↑ "Registration statement, Serial # 72416424, registration # 0960701". U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  14. ↑ SEC filings, 18 June 2007 - EX-4.7 of S-8 POS for Royal Dutch Shell plc
  15. ↑ "Quaker State United States". www.quakerstate.com.
  16. ↑ "Illinois Tool Works Acquires SOPUS Products' Car Care Business". News release. PRNewswire via COMTEX -- ITW website. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  17. ↑ "ITW Global Brands website" . Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  18. ↑ "Illinois Tool Works website" . Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  19. ↑ "Kraco Enterprises to Acquire Auto Expressions from Shell Oil Company". Motor Sports News Wire. 9 June 2010. Archived from the original on 21 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  20. ↑ "Home page". Rain-X UK.
  21. ↑ "Vehicle Care". Ecolab.com. 23 February 2009. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009.
  22. 1 2 "Zep Inc. Completes Acquisition of Ecolab's Vehicle Care Division". Zep, Inc. 3 December 2012. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  23. ↑ "Brand Overview". ITW Global Brands website. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2017.

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