Reproduction of Material Finish by IMD – Wood grain, Marble, Fabric texture
Natural material finishes are reproduced by high resolution gravure printing + fine tool texture created by laser etching.
In recent years, one of the hot design trends in home appliances and consumer electronics, is the reproduction of natural material finishes, such as wood grain, marble, and fabric texture. These finishes naturally harmonize with other home interior designs and add aesthetic value as well as function to industrial products. Fabrics are featured in robot vacuum cleaners, wood grain for air purifiers and household disposers, and marble finish for facial steamers – each natural expression is reproduced beautifully by NISSHA IMD (In Mold Decoration) technology.
NISSHA reproduces these natural material-like finishes with IMD technology, which is a combination of printing and injection molding. The targeted natural material is 3D scanned to obtain both image and surface texture information. The image is reproduced by high-definition gravure printing and the surface texture is reproduced by laser-etched mold texturing. This allows us to reproduce not only the visual appearance, but also the tactile sensation when touched.
Furthermore, since the process itself follows the existing IMD, it is possible to add features that are essential for product design, such as back side shape (bosses and ribs), and logos and texts to the part without additional processes or compromising design. Combining hidden till lit user interface is another strong benefit gained from selecting NISSHA technologies.
Adopting natural materials in electrical products creates a range of challenges from cost, reliability (durability), process compatibility, to the limitation of supply chains. In contrast, it is very easy to realize these CMF designs in IMD technology. The cost of including tooling texture does not have to be a large premium over traditional IMD, and the reliability specs, processes, and supply chain can be the same as those of traditional IMD.
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