Consultation + development
We use a multi-stage process to assess the technical feasibility of your request and provide you with advice and support in finding the right solution. Consultation and development are our core competencies, the result of many years’ experience and our highly qualified specialists. This makes us very fast and efficient and allows us to offer you proposals, costings and samplings in no time at all.
Step 1
Technical assessments
Our technical assessments evaluate all possible options for your surface finishing project and investigate different approaches to meet your requirements.
Step 2
Feasibility assessments
We carry out in-depth feasibility assessments, while optimising any possible course of action in order to design even better scenarios to satisfy your requirements. This phase also includes a sampling process in which our in-house development team puts together high-quality sample pieces. We do this very swiftly to show you all possible options as quickly as possible.
Step 3
Costings
Now we’re ready for the next stage. Taking the optimised approach as a basis, we calculate the costs for different solutions. We also put together a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of each solution. This illustrates the options you have and the costs. Naturally, we also advise you on each of the options and recommend a course of action that suits your purposes.
Step 4
Presentation of possible solutions
Following the feasibility assessments and costings, we show you the different possible solutions we have identified for your project, give you an idea of how much they would cost and advise you on the pros and cons of each for a recommended course of action.
Step 5
Production
Where a solution or approach is selected and we are contracted to carry this out, the production process is started.
Example case
The objective of this project was to coat a premium kitchen appliance with a high-grade surface finish. The aim was for it to look like ceramic. The fundamental issue for this project was how to create a coating with the visual characteristics of ceramic.
The base material of the injection moulded pieces that needed coating was aluminium. Attention needed to be given to the fact that small holes – also called ‘pinholes’ in the industry – can form from spray tool degassing when coating aluminium. These pinholes usually only become apparent once the first coat has been applied.
It was first necessary to clean a sample piece in our in-house wash station, using a cleaning application specifically aimed at aluminium. Only when we can guarantee a piece is completely clean can we achieve the best possible adhesion for the coating.
Once cleaned, the piece was coated on our semi-automatic spindle coating machine. The first layer consisted of a primer in the form of a basecoat. The primer ensures good adhesion on aluminium and can be applied thickly for a good fill factor.
Before coating could be carried out, a coating carrier needed to be constructed to carry the piece on the semi-automatic spindle coating machine. It also needed to provide a cover for the base of the piece as this is not allowed to be coated for technical reasons.
After the primer had been applied, the aforementioned pinholes became apparent. Once dried, these were filled with primer and then sanded down following another drying process.
The piece now needed to be given separate coatings on different parts of its surface. The customer wanted a white high-gloss coating in the upper inside area of the piece and a white matt coating on the outside to make it look like ceramic. Once the white high-gloss coating had dried, the outer surface could undergo a matting process.
A coating covering constructed in advance was used to cover the inside during the matting process to retain the high-gloss finish.
Identifying a suitable matt coating
A clear matt coating was required to matt the high-gloss coating on the outer surface. This clear coating needed to have the following characteristics: good resistance to a range of cleaning agents and cosmetics as well as excellent abrasion resistance. Once the piece had been coated and had fully dried, it underwent a visual check for any embedded dust or other flaws in the coating.
The customer also wanted the piece to be printed with their brand name and the ‘Swiss made’ label. This was printed using a pad printing machine.
For the printing process, we needed to make a tool carrier to position the piece accurately. The tool carrier needed to move the piece into two different positions: the brand name needed to be applied on the outside where it is clearly visible and the ‘Swiss made’ label on the bottom edge.
Making the printing plate
We also needed to make a printing plate for the pad printing process.
Following the sampling process and approval from the client, the cost of a series production could be calculated. During the project stage, there were naturally lots of discussions with the customer to reach decisions aimed at finding a solution.
The end product was very satisfactory: the injection moulded aluminium piece now had the appearance of a premium piece made from high-quality ceramic. This is a real showpiece, and impressive evidence of the effects that can be achieved with surface finishing.
We paint, print and coat all types of materials, from individual parts to large series, and always advise you on the best solution for you. With a high level of technical, development and process competence in surface finishing, we have been supporting our customers for over 20 years with our long-standing employees - innovative, agile and very efficient.
m+m colordesign AG
Lengnaustrasse 10
CH - 2540 Grenchen
+41 32 653 60 40
info@mmcolordesign.ch