New PUR skin spraying system provides high surface quality at short cycle times

04-Jul-09

KraussMaffei's polyurethane (PUR) skin spraying system will be used by Italian PUR processor Ruberti producing PUR skins. According to the maker, the versatile process delivers very high surface quality even for parts with complex geometries while offering short cycle times and significantly lowering mould costs. Ruberti specializes in production of PUR cladding and trim elements used in a very wide range of products, from commercial vehicles and sports equipment to air conditioning systems, medical and other equipment. In all these applications, the parts must meet exacting mechanical specifications. The company says combining skin spraying with in-mould painting (IMP) results in a one-step process capable of producing quality parts with high-gloss paint surfaces. IMP is far cheaper than a post-mould paint process. Mould costs are also significantly lower because the material is spayed into an open mould, so that only one mould half is needed and no sophisticated and expensive locking system is required. KraussMaffei's MK 2.0-2K-S-L mixing head delivers the polyurethane without admixture of air, using a spray nozzle developed especially for this process. Important advantages of this spraying method are the uniformity of the spray layer and minimal overspray. The mixing head is fitted with a lance to spray accurately even into awkward and inaccessible areas. This makes it possible to produce spray skins with complicated, three-dimensional geometries.