Revealing the high-tech coating process behind the metal texture of car interiors! Ever Ray resin creates a triple protection system A

The driver's finger gently stroked the surface of the center console, and there was no fingerprint residue on the matte metal surface. Behind this is the synergy of three layers of precision coatings with a total thickness less than the diameter of a hair.

In the new energy vehicle exhibition hall, a visitor's eyes were attracted by a matte metal center console. She stroked the surface with her fingers and felt the delicate touch, but no fingerprints were left. The salesperson introduced: "This is a product using the latest dual-curing vacuum plating technology, and its scratch resistance is more than three times that of traditional processes."

This surface effect that consumers love comes from a breakthrough coating process-through the precise coordination of three layers of primer, mid-coat and topcoat, it achieves a perfect balance in decorative beauty, durability and functionality.

With the explosive growth of the new energy vehicle market, consumers' requirements for the sense of technology and luxury of interiors are constantly increasing, and the application of automotive interior parts using vacuum electroplating technology is increasing year by year.

01 Why has the metal texture interior become a new favorite?

The use of vacuum plating technology for automotive interior parts refers to the deposition of metal or metal compounds in the form of gas phase onto the surface of plastic materials under vacuum environment. This process adds metal elements to the automotive interior panels, improves the texture and taste, and creates a sense of modern technology and luxury.

From gear levers, steering wheel decorative rings to control panels and center console decorative parts, these parts can obtain extremely high metal texture after surface treatment using vacuum plating technology. This texture not only improves driving comfort, but also enhances the overall visual effect

Especially in the field of new energy vehicles, the use of metal texture interiors is more extensive. Consumers have increasingly higher requirements for the texture and beauty of automotive interiors, and traditional water-plated products are gradually replaced by vacuum-plated parts due to environmental issues.

The environmental advantages of vacuum plating technology make it a new trend in the industry. Compared with traditional electroplating, it does not produce chromium-containing wastewater, which fully complies with increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

02 Decoding the three-layer protection system

Primer: the "foundation" of vacuum plating

The vacuum plating primer is tightly attached to the plastic substrate. Its main function is to fill the micropores of the substrate and provide excellent plating properties. The plastic surface is usually rough. The spraying of the primer can obtain a smooth and flat mirror effect, which is conducive to the formation of a thicker and more uniform vacuum plating coating.

For substrates with lower polarity, the primer also plays a transitional role, so that the vacuum-plated metal coating has better adhesion performance. Traditional primer formulas often have paint peeling in hydrolysis resistance tests and cannot meet the performance requirements of automotive interior parts.

The innovative solution of Guangdong Ever Ray Environmental Materials Co., Ltd. introduces tetrafunctional polyester acrylates with good water boiling resistance and difunctional polycarbonate acrylates that can improve adhesion on plastic materials such as PC.

Midcoat: The "magician" of metallic texture

The midcoat layer is located between the primer and the topcoat. While imparting color, metallic texture or pearlescent effect, it ensures excellent adhesion to the electroplating layer and meets the interlayer adhesion with the topcoat.

The midcoat needs to achieve a perfect balance between metallic texture and adhesion. In traditional processes, the midcoat layer is prone to interlayer separation in a hot and humid environment, resulting in the shedding of the metal plating.

Ever Ray has solved this problem through its special functional group acrylate series resins. These resins have excellent interlayer adhesion and can form a dense and tough midcoat coating.

Topcoat: The "guardian" of long-lasting protection

The topcoat layer is the outermost layer, and its main function is to resist wear, scratches and stains, keeping the appearance as good as new for a long time. At the same time, it provides a matte effect, reduces fingerprint residue, and improves visual and tactile comfort.

Traditional topcoats often have difficulty in taking into account both wear resistance and anti-fingerprint performance. The steel wool-resistant photocurable resin material launched by Ever Ray in 2024 significantly improves the wear resistance of the topcoat by modifying the nano-zirconia filler.

This resin uses a modified silane coupling agent prepared by a two-step method to introduce fluorine elements, unsaturated bonds, benzene rings and siloxanes on the surface of nano-zirconia, so that the topcoat has excellent wear resistance, adhesion, flexibility and hydrophobicity.

03 Innovation core: Ever Ray's photocurable resin technology

Guangdong Ever Ray Environmental Materials Co., Ltd. was established in 2006 and is a modern high-tech enterprise focusing on the research and development and production of UV photocurable resins. The company has two production bases-Yunfu Base and Jiangmen Base, forming an intelligent factory system with an annual production capacity of more than 20,000 tons.