Patent ID: 7195796

Claim:
A process for making a composite work article suitable for fabricating rigid sheet metal components, comprising: A) providing a steel sheet having opposed substantially planar first and second surfaces extending between opposite lateral edges; B) pre-treating the first surface of the sheet to enhance reception and retention of a multi-layer polymeric coating on the pre-treated first surface; C) transporting the sheet having the pre-treated first surface in-line at approximately ambient temperature; D) melt extruding the multi-layer polymeric coating on the pre-treated first surface presented at the approximately ambient temperature to deposit an overlaying coating portion of substantially uniform thickness across the pre-treated first surface, and to deposit edge thickened overhang portions beyond the opposite lateral edges, the overhang portions having a thickness exceeding the substantially uniform thickness of the overlaying coating portion, the multi-layer polymeric coating comprising a tie polymeric layer contacting the pre-treated first surface, and a finish-surface polymeric layer; E) solidifying the extruded multi-layer polymer coating, including the overhang portions; F) trimming the solidified overhang portions beyond each of the lateral edges to leave the overlaying coating portion of substantially uniform thickness across the pre-treated first surface; and G) subjecting the extruded multi-layer polymeric coating to a finish-treatment, comprising heating the extruded multi-layer polymeric coating at least to a melt temperature thereof, then cooling the multi-layer polymeric coating through a glass-transition temperature thereof at a sufficiently rapid rate to establish amorphous non-directional characteristics in the multi-layer polymeric coating.