Krauss Maffei has shown a 2C moulding combining PA and PU

Krauss Maffei has shown a 2C moulding combining PA and PU

Krauss Maffei has claimed an industry first by successfully uniting injection moulding and reaction technology in the manufacture of a two-component moulding of thermoplastic and polyurethane.

The Skinform technology has been used to make the cover of a seat belt buckle lock for a luxury car model. It employs a polyamide preform encapsulated in PU. KM said the technology provides excellent surface qualities that cannot be achieved with thermoplastic elastomers in the conventional multi-component moulding approach.

It was revealed to a K2004 preview last week and will be displayed at the show in October with a KM 160-750CX injection moulder linked to a PU mixing and metering machine.

KM’s managing director of reaction technology Walter Tesche said a special type of mould is needed to handle the polyurethane, due to its low viscosity. He said the PU can be applied in thickness between 0.8mm and 3mm, but was not prepared to reveal whether the PU component of the Skinform process has a microcellular or any other type of cellular structure.