decoration | Metallization
Above left: A selection of parts metallized using inline technology from Impact Coatings Right: A typical inline system configuration
process does not generally result in a layer thickness comparable with plating technology. “We are working in the range of 100 to 200nm. You can make it thinner or thicker but it is in that range. For a plated surface, if you talk about the whole structure, you are talking about 25 to 30 microns,” he says. Unlike plating, metallization relies on a combination
Below: An inline PVD system from Impact Coatings in use at IV Microplast in Norway
of metal and lacquer to achieve the highest gloss and most durable results. Most applications require the use of a top coat lacquer and some also a base coat or primer. “The primer has a number of functions. You often get some minor surface defects in plastic parts. If you are plating you put on a base layer of nickel and copper which fills these defects and the primer has the same function in metallizing – it enables you to get a high gloss surface. It can also give you a harder surface and can give better adhesion,” he says. “Whether you need a base lacquer depends on the part and the part demands. One of the most used articles for PVD technology is headlamp reflectors, which are protected by the lens. For polycarbonate reflectors you do not need a lacquer at all,” Carlfjord says. “For a thermoset you get a rougher surface and
then you have to coat the surface.” Durability is determined by the lacquer used.
Carlfjord says that, in theory at least, the right combina- tion of metal and lacquer should be able to meet the demanding requirements of external automotive applications but the company has not actually devel- oped any such applications to date. This is, in part at least, is due to the small size of its current coating chambers. “We are building small vacuum chambers and if you look on the exterior of a car the metallized applications are bigger – they simply don’t fit the machines we have developed so far,” he explains. Compared to a batch PVD metallising system, the
upfront cost of inline PVD equipment is higher. But aside from the previously mentioned reduced risk of contamination, Carlfjord says the PlastiCoater inline solution also offers benefits in terms of production control and economics. “Batch machines are quite complicated and it takes some skill on the part of the operator to deal with them. A normal operator running an injection moulding machine can run our process. We do not need a high skill level,” he says. Scrap rates can also be reduced considerably,
Carlfjord claims, as any moulding defects are identified immediately with an inline system. “Many moulding defects are not easily visible until after metallization so you may have been producing scrap for hours or even two or three days with a batch production system. You can react much faster using our equipment,” he says. Impact Coatings has delivered more than 15
PlastiCoater systems to customers and has a further three machines in build at its plant at Linkoping in Sweden. “Of course, a company that has just been producing plastic parts for years will feel some uncertainty about taking on a surface treatment. But all of our customers so far have had no previous PVD experience. It is not rocket science,” says Carlfjord. Aside from Ehlebracht, Norwegian injection moulder
30 INJECTION WORLD | June 2015
www.injectionworld.com
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