Leonhard Kurz Demonstrates Where ‘Soft Touch Meets Visual Design’

Leonhard Kurz has developed a new product line for in-mold decoration with a tangible and visible soft surface. These IMD coatings exhibit novel haptic properties while offering the same design and functional scope as Kurz’s general products for the IMD process. The haptic and visual designs are transferred in a single process step during the injection molding process. Whereas a velvety haptic effect has previously been reserved for single-color designs only, the new coatings can lend a soft finish to leather designs, or a robust grip to bold color gradients.

The soft touch coatings are available in three variants with different haptic sensations and different functional characteristics. The Satin Feel haptic design is durable, not sensitive to scratching, and dirt resistant. Velvet Feel has a velvety roughened surface that is abrasion resistant, slip resistant, and sound absorbing. Grip Feel is characterized by its strikingly grippy surface and especially high wear protection, plus it is non-slip and sound optimizing.

“In our visually overloaded world, the tactile sense is becoming increasingly important,” said Nikolas Wagner, head of Business Area Plastic Decoration Sales and Marketing at Kurz. “Our new product line creates surfaces that are just as pleasant to touch as they are to look at. Furthermore, the surface properties can be precisely tailored to the specific requirements of the application, for example in the area of notebooks or automotive interiors.”

Satin, Velvet, and Grip Feel can be combined with a large number of the IMD designs available from Kurz. The possibilities include, for example, wood, carbon, textile or marble looks, leather designs, or single-image designs. Metalized surfaces right through to true-chrome coatings can also be produced to stunning effect: one expects a smooth, cool chrome surface and is surprised by a warm, velvety haptic. Transparent top coats, too, can be given pleasant-to-touch surfaces. In addition to these special surface characteristics, various textures can be incorporated into the coatings to further enhance the haptic effect.

The Kurz IMD product range includes surfaces that can be partially or fully backlit for mood-setting ambient lighting and elegant day/night designs. These finishes can also be combined with soft-touch surfaces. If it is desired to activate this lighting by means of proximity or touch sensors, metallic designs with non-conductive vacuum metalized (NCVM) coatings must be used to ensure the interference-free functioning of the sensors. Metalized soft touch designs can also be equipped with the NCVM property.

Visitors to the Kurz booth A4-4122 at Fakuma can touch and feel these novel haptic effects for themselves and discover the numerous design options on offer.