In-Mold-Decoration with Flock?! A Technical Developement of FiberLok, Fort Collins, USA

摘要

IMD technology, which entails inserting pre-formed, pre-cut textiles into injection molds, or spraying textile materials into such molds to create parts for vehicle interiors, has been around for a while. Contract flocking shops view this process as competition, since they have lost many parts to this process, such as the A and B pillars that were once directly flocked. An article in the American trade magazine IMM (Injection Molding Magazine) details new developments in this area. Flock is being used for IMD as well. Quote: "If the recent launches of fabric-covered mobile phones are any indication, textile looks are the next new wave in handheld electronics and perhaps more. Motorola's new 'denim ' phone launched recently in China and Nokia's 7200 textile phone are on the leading edge of this potential trend. Although produced differently, the effect is the same - a plush surface for rigid plastic substrates. Hard, metallic looks still have their proponents, but this new twist heralds an effort to appeal to users' sense of touch and perception of textiles as warm and rich. It also points to the increased need to 'wow' consumers with innovation as competition heats up. Mobile phones are one of the first visible applications for textiles, but other consumer products have also recently sported a softer look. For example, the recent HP iPAQ Pocket PC case featured synthetic leather on a plastic cover". Only the optical and haptic (feel) aspects of the applications discussed in the article are mentioned. However, there are also function-related advantages. Mobile phones or Palm PDAs won't slide out of the user's pockets as easily, and should the worst come to pass, the textile will even cushion the device's fall.