Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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3d pattern over plastic

2007

Dear All,

I am a product development engineer on the automotive industry. We have been consulted about metal feeling for a switch. The internal area of the switch will be made in plastic. We have suggested our customer a solution with ABS chrome plated, as he wanted "cold metal feeling". But I am afraid that he would request some sort of "3D pattern" or texture on the surface, very much like the aluminium sheets that have triangle, squares, rhomboidal shapes. These geometries create a "3d" visual effect due to light reflection (or at least it is what I think). So far I only have seen these patterns in aluminium sheets.
My questions are
1) Can these patterns be reproduced in plastic? I mean a part inject moulded reproducing a texture effect.
2) Over these textured surfaces; Would it be feasible to have chrome plating? Would plating ruin the pattern effect, or the plating is layer is so thin that it would be OK?
3) We wanted to offer also the possibility of atomized aluminium (vacuum metallizing)covering the plastic, but as the component has a handle we would have the issue of rubbing off the aluminium layer. To avoid that problem we would need to a apply lacquer but then the "cold metal feeling" will be lost. Is there a way to get a wear off resistant plating from vacuum metallizing and keeping the "cold metal feeling".

Sorry about writing such long question but I wanted to explain properly the issue.

Thanks and regards,

Andres Ochoa
Product Designer - Malta

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2007

1. Yes
2. No problem
3. Talk to vendors in the physical vapor deposition business for possibilities. It is an expensive process, so you do not want to set it up in house without having a huge, long term business. It has a huge learning curve.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida