Achieving the most sophisticated design possible with uncompromised quality - that's the goal KURZ has set for itself when it comes to automotive decoration. That goal has become a reality. KURZ is an expert in hot stamping, IMD and Insert

Molding and can help you select the most economical and quick path to create excellent results in decorating plastic parts. With the correct process, costs and effort are reduced without compromising design quality.

By using IMD and Insert Molding foils from one supplier, you can be assured that designs will be ideally matched to one another. This choice also allows surfaces and coloring to be well balanced as they are between a hot stamped door tread plate, a center console produced using the Insert Molding process, and a gear shift cover and door trims decorated using the IMD process.

KURZ also offers comprehensive project support for automotive projects. The company develops suitable foil designs and surfaces - both in-house and in collaboration with the automotive manufacturer's designers; optimizes part geometry for relevant process technology with the aid of engineers and technicians; carries out trials and produces pilot series; installs the components on

site; trains processors, and provides support during the commissioning of the decoration technologies.

The ability to employ a variety of processes not only helps with the efficient decoration of different types of plastic parts, they can also be combined to decorate a single part and achieve special design effects. Our example shows a door trim that has had a wood design applied to the entire surface using the IMD process. It then was partially over-stamped with a metallized hot stamping foil. The hot stamping runs along the convex section and the result is a strikingly realistic appearance of a wooden trim with chrome mounting. A similar effect can also be achieved using an IMD single-image foil with a combined wood-and-chrome design. In this case, however, a design groove would need to be integrated into the part geometry in order to ensure register accuracy during lamination.

The issue with that would be that the metallized part of the single-image design wouldn't match as closely to the convex section of the trim. By combining the hot stamping and IMD processes, the design groove becomes unnecessary, eliminating this troublesome dirt trap and creating a more refi ned look. A further advantage: the two continuousdesign foils are more cost-effective than a corresponding single-image foil with the combined design that would be expensive to produce.

Sophisticated technology is required to produce chrome foils that are easy to process. KURZ' Chrome BRUSHED range of foils attests to the capabilities and sophistication of our technology process. The appearance of these brushed chromes is truly brilliant and they are able to have a substantially deepdraw. KURZ has been continuously optimizing the deep draw of its foils and can offer an above-average deformability even for its chrome foils. The automotive industry has had very good experience with these foils; KURZ chrome foils are currently providing a refined real-metal look to diverse interior components to 10 car models.

Interior car components with an up-market, metallic appearance are very popular now. If your current car doesn't come with them, after-market kits provide the solution. Accessory suppliers offer sturdy components for various car models that can be accurately glued onto original parts to turn conventional plastic designs into classy chrome designs in no time at all. KURZ supplies this growing market with the chrome look it wants, along with many other designs with metallized effects.

Plastic decoration with limitless possibilities: KURZ has created various novel designs that can be produced as hot stamping, IMD or Insert Molding foils. The new designs are available as standard foils with no minimum order quantities.