Modern automobiles have myriad interior plastic parts, from in-dash pieces to gear shift trim to door trim and more. Moreover, each of these pieces has to be finished correctly to match the vehicle’s interior design. Molded-in color can be difficult task, as this process can lead to visible parting lines and uneven gloss levels. A better solution is to have plastic parts painted. This circumvents those problems associated with molded-in plastic colors, and ensures the best finish, color continuity and durability. For this reason plastic painting techniques offer benefits for automotive components.
For Tier 1 automotive plastic part manufacturers, the choice to use painted plastic techniques offers some significant benefits. However, not all painting service providers are created equal. There are some issues associated with these techniques, such as over-spray. Paint over-spray can be as high as 65% in some inefficient paint shops. This issue can be overcome with the use of robotic painting accompanied with analog fluid delivery systems. Plastic painting techniques offer benefits for automotive components business that ensure the optimum amount of paint is applied to each individual plastic piece. The result is a higher quality finish, with greater durability and mar resistance.
Another consideration for plastic part manufacturers is the UV resistance of the paint applied to plastic pieces. As all automotive trim pieces are exposed to high levels of UV radiation on a daily basis through general use of the automobile, this is a vital area of interest. It is important that any paint applied to plastic parts have the highest UV resistance possible, as this will result in the longest lasting paint finish. OEM paint manufacturers utilize state of the art mixtures to ward off corrosive affects of sunscreens, bug sprays, perfumes and other solubles.
Of course, VOC use and exposure is another important consideration when choosing a service provider. Volatile organic compounds emitted by inferior quality paint can have significant effects on health and wellness, and concentrations of VOCs can be very high in sealed environments, such as the interior of a vehicle. While VOCs are not technically toxic, they can have chronic health effects on individuals. We work close with paint manufacturers to minimize the VOC content in our paints.
Production capabilities are another important consideration. Keeping up with demand requires that you work with a painting company capable of turning out high volumes of painted plastic parts. Ideally, such a provider will have several robotic painters to ensure high productivity consistency, as well as the best speed to delivery possible. The number of paint booths and paint lines offered by a painting supplier is another important consideration. The more paint booths and lines in operation, the more productive that supplier will be.
Finally, color matching is an essential consideration. Tier 1 manufacturers contract to provide automotive plastic parts that meet an automaker’s color requirements for interior trim. It is vital that you choose a painting company that can match colors exactly, so that all parts produced are in accordance with the automaker agreement. Such a painting provider will offer additional value, such as providing sub-assembly services, kit packaging, alliances with plastic injection molders and total paint program management to take some of the burden off of manufacturers.
Finding such a painting service provider is essential – the quality of your automotive parts hinges on the company chosen. Choosing to work with a painting company that does not meet these guidelines, or choosing to use molded-in color for automotive plastic parts can have severe consequences for the quality, durability and appearance of the finished product.
One such resource for painting automotive plastic parts is our firm, A&K Finishing, Inc. We consider ourselves to be the best plastic part painters in the business.
State of the art finishing equipment puts our name in the hat, our people keep OEMs coming back. Here’s a snapshot of our operations:
- High Tech Custom painter utilizing Water Borne, Lacquer, 2k Urethane, Metallic, Base/Clear Interior, Soft-Touch and Pad Printing;
- Two modern plants with a total of 60,000 square feet provide flexibility to handle everything from high volume production to service;
- Over 75 highly skilled non-union employees monitor Quality, JIT delivery, and Lean Manufacturing Principles, all while balancing customer needs;
- 12 High Volume Fanuc Robots to ensure high productivity, consistent process control and just-in-time delivery of highest quality paint application possible;
- Robotic Painters have 5 axis and 6 axis heads to make difficult applications simple and easily accommodate different part sizes. Programmers on staff;
- Each line has its own Gear Pump/Analog system to insure mix quality and paint utilization.
- Fully automated paint lines and conveyors;
- A total of 18 Temperature and Humidity controlled paint booths and 12 paint lines provide enough capacity to handle any size job;
- Servicing industries such as Automotive, Electronics and Office Furniture since 1990
If you are a plastic molder searching for a plastic painting company it is important that they make sure the plastic painting company has the appropriate kinds of paint lines to accomplish the job. Types of paint lines are typically robotic paint lines, open spray paint booths and infra red ovens for short lines and/or quick turnaround jobs.
For more information on automotive plastic painting services contact Hilary Larkin, Sales and Marketing at A&K Finishing, Inc. of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A&K Finishing is known as “First to Finish with Quality” in the automotive, electrical and office furniture businesses.
