The secret to metallic surfaces on plastic
Metallic-looking surfaces are in great demand in many industries.
Silcos has the perfect answer: Physical Vapour Deposition, or siloptics® PVD for short, is a decorative and functional technology for applying wafer-thin metal layers to a wide variety of plastics and even flexible materials.
Your advantages
- visually brilliant
- environmentally compatible
- additional functionality
- established in series production
- everything from a single source
Visually appealing metal surfaces
The coating process is based on the physical principle of cathode sputtering with magnetic field support, which is known as “magnetron sputtering”. Ion bombardment is used to transfer metal atoms from a solid metal plate into the gas phase and then deposit them on the components. The PVD surface is given a protective layer of lacquer for a brilliant finish. This process is fully automated and completely reliable in terms of variations in colour tone and layer thickness.
Our siloptics® PVD technology provides many highlights, especially in the aesthetics-orientated automotive industry.
As a pioneer in PVD, we have been metallising your plastic parts without chromium (VI) in series production since 2006.
Discover our product range and download our comprehensive data sheet to find out more about the possible applications of siloptics® PVD technology.
Flawless metal surfaces
Metallisation of plastic
Day-night design
Backlit characters and symbols can be displayed as required using laser marking and are used for switch applications, for example.
Translucency
Semi-transparent PVD coatings can be used to illuminate metallic surfaces – with the keyword here being the disappearing effect.
Splinter-free and flexible
Due to the flexibility of the material, PVD is suitable for many different and soft materials, e.g. for safety-relevant components such as decorative elements on airbag covers.
Variable conductivity
The electrical conductivity of PVD coatings is adjustable, making it possible to produce radar-transparent or non-radio-shielding surfaces – even in combination with capacitive sensors.
Deceptively real: siloptics® PVD
Elegant metal look for plastic surfaces. Brilliant, exclusive and functional. Our coating solution not only gives plastics and elastomers a high-quality look, but also outstanding technical properties for a wide range of applications.