DECORATION | TECHNOLOGY


According to Merck, the fast reaction time also opens up a completely new application – the pigment can be used to permanently label films with laser light, without damaging the material in any way. The combination of PE film and infrared laser is unique, says the company.


In-mould decoration Bond-Laminates, the Lanxess thermoplastic composites subsidiary, has developed technology for hybrid moulding plus in-mould decoration (IMD). The new process enables fully automatic mass production, without any reworking, of extremely thin-walled yet exceptionally stiff lightweight components with high-quality surface decoration. These are based on the company’s Tepex continu- ous fibre reinforced semi-finished composites. “The technology has a wide range of applica-


tions, including housing parts for IT equipment such as smartphones, notebooks and tablets, components for consumer goods such as TVs, coffee machines, vacuum cleaners and electric shavers, and even sports equipment,” says Jochen Bauder, Managing Director of Bond-Laminates. The company says that hybrid moulding plus IMD technology is a one-shot process combining three steps in a single mould: forming the semi- finished composite; overmoulding the formed semi-finished product; and decorating it using IMD with the help of a dry-paint transferred from a foil carrier. Depending on the component, the part’s geometry and the paint system, cycle times can be as short as just 60-90s. Bond Laminates collabo- rated with Leonhard Kurz Stiftung and Engel to develop the technology. Engel is involved in another IMD technology, DecoJect, with Benecke-Kaliko and other partners, which produces decoration, graining and other effects on the moulded part. In the DecoJect process, a backing film is fed from a roll above the mould, heated using an infrared system mounted


www.injectionworld.com


on a robot arm, and then vacuum formed into place, during which it picks up decoration detail from the mould surface. Thermoplastic is then back-injection moulded to form the part. In a demonstration of DecoJect at K 2016, Engel produced a prototype car door upper panel in PP with various textures, including graining and a stitching effect. The demonstration also used Trexel’s MuCell physical foaming technology which, apart from reducing part weight, also enables lower injection pressures than more conventional moulding. Advanced injection moulding control ensures the mould is not over-packed, while a sophisticated servo-controlled Flexflow hot runner system from HRSflow managed filling. Proell has launched a number of new products


for coating and decorating plastics, as well as ink systems for film insert moulding (FIM) technology, and screen and pad printing inks. Norilux DC is a formable, abrasion resistant dual cure screen printing lacquer, which can be used as protective lacquer or hard coat on PC, PMMA, ABS and PP films. The company says that it is ideally suited for first surface coating/protection of products manufactured in IMD/FIM technology. The glossy version of the dual cure lacquer can be printed on textured film surfaces to produce abrasion resistant and transparent display windows. The matt version can be printed on uncured transparent hard coat films, such as Covestro’s Makrofol HF 278 or 312, to create matt and high gloss effects in one item. As well as the high glossy Norilux DC lacquer, various satin gloss, textured and matt grades (plus pig- mented and UV stabilised versions) are available. Tactile surface structures – for example, brush effects and 3D patterns – can be printed with the highly resistant lacquer. The lacquer can also be used for overprinting silicone-free UV, solvent and water-based screen printing inks as well. Noriphan XMR is a halogen-free two-component ink system for IMD/FIM technology. Proell says that it is formable, shows extremely high wash-out resistance and good cohesion in compounds. The


Left: Decorative brush effect, printed with Proell’s Norilux DC on a PC film. Second surface decoration was printed with the IMD/FIM ink system Noriphan HTR N


Below:


Speedometer panel deco- rated with Proell’s matt lacquer ATM WB 6


September 2017 | INJECTION WORLD 51


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  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62