decoration | Metallization
The Oerlikon ePD technology has been adopted by German decoration specialist Nanogate, which is to install an Inubia I6 system as part of an investment of more than €5m in production scale decorating plant within its GfO (Gesellschaft für Oberflächentechnik) business unit headquartered at Schwäbisch Gmünd. Founded in 2006, Nanogate Group has considerable
Above: Oerlikon-Balz- ers’ INUBIA fully integrated automatic PVD metallization system
than €0.01. The company, which produces around 48m closures a year, achieved a payback on the investment in its two PST lines in around six months. Aside from the cost savings, Hill says the PST
technology also has the ability to metallize beneath the part, allowing coating of lips on closures, for instance, and it can be used with masking in the chamber to allow selective metallization of components. Liechtenstein-based Oerlikon Balzers has also
developed an automated PVD system for metallizing plastics, based on its ePD (embedded physical deposi- tion) technology. The company’s Inubia system com- bines CO2 part cleaning with magnetron PVD sputtering and UV cured primer and top coat application to provide a fully integrated high volume solution for decorating 2D and 3D plastic parts on a continuous basis. The technology was originally developed in 2006 by Hartec, which was acquired by Oerlikon Balzers in 2010. Plastic parts are manually or automatically loaded onto spindle carriers at one end of the equipment and fully deco- rated components unloaded at the other. The company says the system supports multiple integration options for processes such as moulding or assembly. “The technology of plastic metallization has attracted
Right: Metal- lized relectors in production at Nanogate in Germany
the attention of designers and important industrial sectors for many years now. High-quality components with glossy, metallic surfaces, such as those used for interior and exterior equipment on automobiles or in consumer electronics presently represent a strong trend and increase the value of the end product,” says Bernd Fischer, Head of Oerlikon Balzers. Aside from the environmental benefits over plating,
the company says that its ePD technology also meets the high-level functional and decorative demands of industry and consumers. It can be used to give parts either a high-gloss or matt metallic appearance, as well as a variety of metallic colours and additional decorative features such as light or radio transparency. Other claimed benefits are said to include short cycle durations and economical production costs.
32 INJECTION WORLD | June 2015
www.injectionworld.com
expertise in visual and functional surface modification. The company applies UV protective, scratch resistant, de-misting and anti-static coatings to metal and plastics components using a variety of techniques, including spray and flow coating and inkjet printing. It also has moulding capacity within the group in its Plastic Design division at Bad Salzuflen. Group sales for 2014 amounted to close to €70m. The equipment is to go into production in the first half of 2016 and is expected to handle a volume of around 3m components a year. (GFO only decorates parts but Nanogate’s Plastic Design moulding unit will enable it to offer an integrated supply option). “Components with high-quality metallic design and multifunctional properties are design elements that are in strong demand in many industries. For example, Nanogate is seeing great interest in glossy plastic metallization of the highest optical quality, which allows new applications, designs and manufacturing process- es,” says Nanogate CEO Ralf Zastrau. “We are expand- ing our range of products in the strategic growth area of advanced metals with the new technology platform for multifunctional metallisation of plastics and also with additional surface systems that we have adapted.” Despite the availability of automated in-line
systems, for many plastic parts producers the first step into metallized finishing is likely to be through the services of an external specialist finisher. UK-based AP Metalising, which has been providing a bespoke metallizing service for more than 35 years, has recently invested around £100,000 in updating its capabilities to cater for an expected increase in demand for metal finishes for plastics. “We work with a lot of companies in the lighting and
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