First Clear Coat Moulding system to go into operation in Japan

17-Nov-08

KraussMaffei, a leading provider of plastics processing machinery have recently supplied the metering machine, mixing heads, robot, moulds and tooling for the first Clear Coat Moulding (CCM) system to go into operation in Japan. CCM applies a highly uniform, scratchproof, transparent coating to walnut or other wood veneers used as decor elements in luxury class vehicles. A very thin layer of glass-clear PUR is flow-moulded over the parts in the mould taking only one work cycle to complete compared to the conventional varnishing. The mould is so designed that, once the parts are placed in the cavity and the mould closed, a gap equal to the desired coating thickness remains which is then, filled with polyurethane in the high-pressure CCM process. The precision temperature control and consistently stable processing of KraussMaffei systems makes certain that the optical quality of the finished parts meets the most exacting standards. The CCM production system includes mould carrier and mould. The mixing head is mounted on a centrally positioned robot, so that it can be docked alternately on to the moulds and the CCM material discharged into the cavities. The relatively short pauses between shots mean there are no problems with hardened material and the mixing head delivers a high yield of finished parts. CCM has become accepted technology since its launch in 2001, especially with European automotive component suppliers. The new system in Japan and a number of request for quotations from Asian companies indicate that the process is well on the way to becoming more widely used in Asia too.