Fuerth and Duesseldorf, 24 October 2007: The stamping foil manufacturer Kurz will be at K 2007 to present current and new, creative design ideas for automotive applications. Kurz is a specialist in the hot stamping, Inmold decoration (IMD) and insert molding decoration processes and will be demonstrating all three of these finishing technologies at K 2007. Trade fair visitors will discover how the same designs can be achieved in a variety of processes, allowing automotive parts to be decorated in a cost-effective manner while providing them with a well-balanced appearance.
Visually superior thanks to a mix of processes
One of the new visual effects is a combined wood and chrome design that has been created using separate processes. For the decoration of door trims, Kurz has employed a combination of technologies to achieve special design effects.
The door trims were first covered with a wood design using the IMD process, then 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 could also be achieved using an IMD singleimage 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 laminating.
The issue with that is the metallized part of the single-image design wouldn't match as closely to the convex section of the trim as the hot-stamped continuous design. By combining the hot stamping and IMD processes, the design groove becomes unnecessary, eliminating this troublesome dirt trap and creating a more refined look. A further advantage: the two continuous design foils are more cost-effective than a corresponding single-image foil with the combined design that is expensive to produce.
Chrome foils with optimized processing characteristics
Automotive parts that have been finished with foils from the newest generation of the Chrome Brushed product line will also be on display at the stand. The foil used exhibits the brilliant appearance of brushed chrome and provides a substantially deep draw. 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, and Kurz currently provides chrome foils with a refined, realmetal look to diverse interior components of 10 current car models.
The trend: After-market brightening of car interiors with a metal look
Interior car components with an upscale, trendy metallic appearance are very popular. 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 the original parts to turn conventional plastic designs into a classy chrome design in no time at all. Kurz supplies this growing market with the chrome look it wants, along with many other designs with
metallized effects.
For comprehensive information, come to K 2007 and visit Stand 19 in Hall 5. You can also find out more about the Kurz decoration product range for the automotive industry at www.kurz.de .
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