SURFACES | TECHNOLOGY
In-mould technologies bring surfaces to life
Not only must plastic parts look good, but increasingly they must be interactive. New processes are being developed for demanding surfaces and components, reports Mark Holmes
The production of plastic parts with high-quality surfaces has seen a lot of development in recent years, driven primarily by the high demands of the automotive industry. Applications now range from the series production of in-mould laminated parts and components with high-gloss surfaces to surfaces with specific structures. The focus is not only on how the parts look and feel, but also on the targeted integration of functionalities. The con- struction of surface design systems requires a good knowledge of application technology on the part of those involved. For example, together with system partners,
Arburg says that it supports customers in the development of individual production and turnkey solutions for manufacturing plastic parts with a variety of surface requirements. Services and applications range from process engineering and
www.injectionworld.com
mould design – involving topics such as film fixation, injection points and mould cavity numbers, and the implementation of mould structures or multi-component technology – to machines and automation, cleanroom concepts, process control and data provision. Processes can be roughly divided into three
groups. These include film technologies, such as in-mould decoration (IMD), in-mould labelling (IML) and film insert moulding (FIM). In addition, there is the production of high-gloss surfaces using vario- thermal mould temperature control if required, while there is also the moulding of surface structures. All of these processes are primarily mould-based and can easily be used in large-scale series production with adapted injection moulding systems. For functional surfaces and decoration, film technology is used in car interiors, mobile electron-
Main image: An electrical Allrounder 470 E Golden Electric uses dynamic mould temperature control to produce high-gloss PC/ABS light panels for
vehicle interiors
October 2021 | INJECTION WORLD 13
IMAGE: ARBURG
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
