The Kurz Group hosted a webinar on May 11th under the motto “Next level decoration for automotive interiors”. The Kurz Group is a global player in thin film technology, surface finish, sensor technology, integration and tooling.
Lutpold Haarländer, Director Business Development from the partner BURG Design, presented his company as manufacturer of individual decors for new surface designs. He emphasized the trends to seamless surfaces and backlighting, touch and UX, new surfaces and textures and sustainability.
Burg Design uses the following methods to manufacture innovative decors for automotive interiors:
Dr. Markus Fischer, Kurz’s key automotive account manager for Europe, gave an overview of the company’s activities in the fields of open-pore wood, backlighting, haptics, and metalized finishes.
For example, backlighting is available with all decoration technologies, with hidden-until-lit day and night design. The degree of transmission is adjustable.
The picture below shows a case study “Backlighting: IMD Technology”:
Haptic finishes are also available in all decoration technologies in three different touch experiences, which can be combined with other effects like backlighting and metalization. With IMD the haptic can be integrated in the decoration without tool modification in an affordable one-shot process.
Real metalization with indium is also feasible with IMD technology. It’s less expensive than electroplating, and involves no toxic hexavalent chromium. The light transmission is also adjustable, and nonconductive versions are available for touch application buttons, displays, and trim parts. 5G and radar transparency and customized tints in various gloss grades are also feasible.
A short survey among the attendees, which effects are the most relevant for the market, brought the following results:
