Producing viewing side galvanically coated plastic component with non-galvanically coated area exhibiting mask of non-galvanizable material, useful as control element for motor vehicle, comprises providing translucent or transparent film

摘要

Producing a viewing side galvanically coated plastic component (1) with at least one non-galvanically coated area exhibiting a mask (2) of a non-galvanizable material, comprises: providing a translucent or transparent film (3) with a galvanizable front side and a non-galvanizable back side; printing at least a portion of the front side of the film, which is not galvanized, with the mask of the non-galvanizable material; shaping the printed film; back injection molding the shaped film with a second non-galvanizable material (4), obtaining a component blank; and galvanizing the component blank. Producing a viewing side galvanically coated plastic component (1) with at least one non-galvanically coated area exhibiting a mask (2) of a non-galvanizable material, comprises: (a) providing a translucent or transparent film (3) with a galvanizable front side and a non-galvanizable back side; (b) printing at least a portion of the front side of the film, which is not galvanized, with the mask of the non-galvanizable material; (c) shaping the printed film corresponding to a target shape of the plastic component; (d) back injection molding the shaped film with a second non-galvanizable material (4), and obtaining a component blank; and (e) galvanizing the component blank, and thus producing a metallic surface coating (5) on the viewing side of the component blank below a recess of the masked area. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for: (1) the translucent or transparent film for producing the front side galvanically coated plastic component in the above method, where the film is printed on the galvanizable front side with the mask of the non-galvanizable material, and the film is deformable; and (2) the viewing side galvanically coated plastic component, which is suitable as a control-, a decorative- or a display element for a motor vehicle, comprising the one non-galvanically coated area exhibiting the mask of the non-galvanizable material, the film back injection molded with the second non-galvanizable material, where the viewing side of the film is galvanically coated below the recess of the mask, and the mask is printed as single or multi-colored, translucent, opaque or light-scattering.