"By direct and fully automated linking of injection moulding, coating and final packaging with INSTANTCOAT® Plus we have reached the presently conceivable optimum in efficiency and product quality."

Dipl.-Ing. Michael Däbritz
Manager of VARIOPLAST^®

There is a reduction of:

• Material input
• Production scrap
• Personnel Costs
• Cycle Time
• Response time to problems
• Storage time of parts before coating

Critical aspects are improvement of part quality, process repeatability and flexibility:

• Regular coating layer thickness
• Improved surface appearance
• Improved coating adhesion (dirt-free parts)
• Part defects directly recognizable during process
• Shorter reaction time in case of malfunctions
• Process parameters repeatable and coordinated.

Production process

+

Mountingframe

2K-Injection Moulding + CO2 pre-cleaning + coating + dry + coating + dry

INSTANTCOAT^®: 75% reduction of the ecological grey footprint

Source:

Download

Mountingframe result sheet LCA assessment SKZ - Das Kunststoff-Zentrum

High-tech injection molding

2K-Injection Moulding + Sheet Metal Overmolding + Insert Overmolding + US-Welding + Pad Printing + polishing + Drill

„The INLINE-metallization process INSTANTCHROME^® by means of PVD, developed by VARIOPLAST^®, is a perfect fit for our strategy of INHOUSE-process chains and has replaced galvanic chrome plating in our company.“
Dipl.-Ing. Michael Däbritz
Manager of VARIOPLAST^®

• The process chain of INSTANTCHROME^®

  1. Injection Moulding
  2. Priming, UV-coating/drying
  3. Chrome plating (PVD-Coating)
  4. Topcoat (decorative protective coating) with solvent based and solvent free coatings, UV coating
  5. Automated packaging of the coated products

• Advantages of INSTANTCHROME^® versus galvanization process

  ● Fully automated process from injection moulding to ready-coated and packaged product
  ● Repeatable due to exactly adjustable parameters for coating and chrome plating
  ● Qualitative advantages due to constant process conditions
  ● Significantly lower scrap rate
  ● Direct part assessment during process
  ● No Hot Touch Effect
  ● Energy conservation
  ● Environmental compatibility (no hazardous waste)
  ● Cost savings

• Applications of INSTANTCHROME^®

  Decorative and functional coatings (matt and shiny)

• Significant Advantages compared to galvanically chrome-plated parts

  ● Selective coating for fiber optics/reflector
  ● Various coating materials and polymers applicable
  ● Even snap-on hinges, clip closures, film hinges possible
  ● Ultrasonic welding, day & night design lasering feasible

• Hochschule Karlsruhe – Bachelor Thesis at Varioplast

  Coating process of the PVC-Magnetron-Sputter process with optimization of the chrome coating by application of optimal design of experiments on the physical functionality of Magnetron Sputtering - optimal design and application of experiments (DoE) - Characteristics and Behaviour of Chrome during sputtering

• Fulfilled Objectives

  ● no visible cracking
  ● best adherence of chrome on plastics
  ● optimization of UV-protective coating in accordance with quality standards of automobile manufacturers
  ● coating with paint (Primer/Topcoat)

Black Panel Technology

2K-Injection Moulding + Variothermie + Pad Printing + PVD-Coating + coating + US-Welding + Laser cutting