Coloured moulded plastic parts reduces costs for White goods manufacturer
10 February 2017
White goods are now available in brilliantly bright cheering shades to make kitchen appliances add to the rooms overall appearance and aesthetics. But this change in the fashion of kitchen appliances resulted in additional finishing options, which had cost implications on a number of processes.
Multiple stocks of the same product now required several paint finishing processes
When parts such as control panels and doors needed to be in the same colour, painting plastic components became the norm. A key issue was colour matching, which initially was easier if a component was sprayed. Get it right on one, and then repeat. Because all the components were white, it required a larger injection moulding volume, leading to lower unit costs and streamlined storage of non painted components, which could be called off and painted to match the manufacturing lines requirements.
Painting plastic components added a level of cost, plus other issues like scratching
White goods get used regularly and typically have a long product life, which means they encounter wear. If a plastic component is painted, this wear may impact on the finish, with scratches revealing the white plastic for example. Given the person who wants a coloured kitchen appliance is focused as much on the look as its functionality – this is a problem.
Exact colour matching, combined with efficient moulding colour change processes
Tex Plastics realised this issue was a potential problem for their clients and developed an exact colour matching formula. They combined this with a moulding process, which enabled colour changes. This meant production volumes could be quoted with variable colour ways. This combination delivered a better finished product, which was moulded in the exact colour required, at a unit cost which was less than taking a white product and painting it.