Vacuum Metallising

 

We have four vacuum metallising systems which technique, ranging from a standard type of deposition to state of the art plasma/in process silicone protection which has become the hallmark for automotive reflectors.
All our systems are fully automatic allowing for accurate repeatability throughout the process. Size capacities range from the smallest items to a maximum of 560mm x 960mm when rotating planetary , although it is possible to metallise larger items in certain circumstances.
We can metallise on most inert substrates with the exception of Acetal polymers. Having both moulding and finishing systems allow us to offer a one stop destination for many of our clients.

• Facility for "IONIC GASEOUS PLASMA" serving as a surface preparation prior to aluminium deposition
• Polymeric layer can be offered within the vacuum metallising process by plasma and silicones to provide post metallising protection
• Various substrates undertaken
• Fast responses times
• Trials and prototypes undertaken
• Highly efficient modern plant
• Glass metallising is achievable
• Automatic base lacquer flowcoating to most substrates

Services

 

Established in 1982, we specialise in vacuum metallising, plastic injection moulding and spray painting for a variety of products and substrates, such as:

• Automotive & general lighting products
• Point of sale
• Fashion
• Trophy industries
• Mining industry
• Automotive prototypes
• Decorative items for fires
• Promotional Clocks
• Window fashion industry & many more
• Paint Spraying

We are also a leading supplier of reflectors to the automotive, commercial and rotating beacon manufactures. Many of our customers use us as a "One Stop Shop" for completion of their products but a high percentage send their own mouldings in for finishing in either paint or vacuum metallising.
Vacuum-metallising is mainly used as a decorative coating successfully in some applications for its r.f.i shielding properties.
http://www.dual-metallising.co.uk

About us

Dual Metallising was formed in 1982, primarily as a vacuum metallising and paint spraying company becoming a market leader during that period of time. Progressing some six years later into plastic injection moulding, which lead us into manufacture and promotional clocks.
We maintain a high standard of work and have a track record of providing a fast, efficient and reliable service both with small and large volumes. We pride ourselves on providing the best service possible to our customers, offering competitive rates, we also have a fast turnaround capability which is vital to many of our clients.
Our expertise also covers items requiring finishing/manufacturing for the point of sale industry both on vacuum formings and injection mouldings. Prototypes form an important part of our activities together with spray painting.
Dual metallising is a very friendly and welcoming company with 12 employees working from our 8,500 sq ft factory in the Tyseley area of Birmingham. Our long serving employees are very highly motivated in providing their best service to our customers.

http://www.dual-metallising.co.uk

Metallizing

 As can most probably be deduced from the name, the term ‘metalising’ (also spelt as ‘metallizing’) is used to describe the process of coating a thin layer of metal onto the surface of a non-metallic substance. One of the oldest known examples of such a process is the technique of ‘silvering’, a practice first used in the nineteenth century by the German chemist Julius von Liebig, and which has been used ever since in the process for the manufacturing of mirrors. In this particular form of the metalizing process, the non metallic surface of the glass is coated with a thin layer of silver, but nowadays it is more common for the metallic layer to be formed by sputtering powdered aluminium or other such similar compounds onto the glass surface. The plating of non-metallic objects could be seen as having really increased in popularity rapidly with the introduction of Acrylonitrile Butadiene System (ABS) plastic, typically used for the manufacture of pipe systems, musical instruments (like plastic clarinets and recorders), golf club heads (because of its good shock absorbance) as well as car parts and protective headgear.

 Due to the fact that a non-metallic substance tends to be a poor electrical conductor, the surface of the object has to be made conductive before the plating process can commence. In order for this to occur, the plastic component is firstly etched chemically by a suitable process (such as submerging the component in a hot chromic-acid sulphuric acid solution). The etched plastic surface is then sensitised and activated by first being dipped in a solution of tin (II) chloride and then again in a solution of palladium chloride. Finally, the processed surface is coated with a layer of electroless copper or nickel before being plated even further. Although this process provides the surface with a useful adhesion force of some strength, it is considerably weaker than actual metal to metal adhesion strength.

 One of the most famous variations of the typical metallizing process is ‘vacuum metallizing’.

 In the process of ‘Vacuum Metallizing’, the coating metal is heated until it reaches its boiling point in a vacuum chamber. The process then involves letting condensation deposit the metal onto the surface of the substrate. The coated metal is then vaporised by extremely high temperatures generated from either resistance heating, electron beam or plasma heating and the metal condenses on the work piece or product as a thin metallic film.

Reflectors

It has been proven that almost all road accidents (regardless of whether they included motorcycles, cars, bicycles or even huge lorries) take place during the night and in conditions of poor visibility, for instance fog. Therefore, it is crucial that every vehicle used on the road ought to be fitted with a form of reflector as an additional visibility safety measure its an a virtually near certainty that there is a reflector to fit every single make and model of car and motorcycle since in most cases the reflectors for vehicles such as this aren't made specifically for specific models and makes and may very easily separately be attached or stuck on.

There are also several firms specialising in the manufacturing of plastic products that along with producing reflectors in a array of polymers (from standard ABS compounds to others for instance PPS, DMC and ULTEM which have a very high level of heat resistance) for a wide variety of vehicles (manufactured using vacuuming or moulding production processes), also offer a re-metallising service for headlight reflectors of classic and modern cars alike. Companies such as these are often approached to produce suitable reflectors for many makes of cars which have failed their M.O.T. tests.

For bikes in particular, reflectors are usually manufactured as a moulded tile of transparent plastic, having a smooth exterior surface (in order to allow light such as from an approaching car’s headlights to enter) whereas the back of the reflector takes the form of a range of angled spherical beads or micro-prisms. These reflectors use the principle of retroreflection to notify motorists to the presence of the cyclist traveling on the road. Retroreflection takes place when light is reflected back to the source with a minimum amount of light being scattered and lost in the surrounding area, making Retroreflectors the perfect materials for usage within the creation of car and bicycle reflectors.

When light strikes the back of a reflector such as this (meaning the surface housing the spherical beads and micro-prisms) it will do so at an angle that is greater than the ‘critical angle’ (the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection can take place). Total internal reflection in this case means that (due to the orientation of the interior surfaces) the light is totally reflected back out through the front of the reflector in the direction it came from and immediately alerts the other motorists to the presence of another vehicle on the road.

Reflectors

It has been confirmed that the majority of road accidents (regardless of whether they included cars, bicycles, motorcycles or maybe even huge lorries) occur at night in circumstances of poor visibility, for example fog. Therefore, it is important that any vehicle used on the road ought to be fitted with a form of reflector to act as an additional visibility preventative its an an almost near guarantee that there is a reflector to meet every model and make of car and motorcycle since in the majority of cases the reflectors for vehicles such as this aren't made especially for specific models and makes and can easily be separately be stuck on or attached.

There are also several firms specialising in the manufacturing of plastic products that along with producing reflectors in a selection of polymers (from standard ABS compounds to others such as PPS, DMC and ULTEM which may have a really high level of heat resistance) for a huge selection of vehicles (manufactured using vacuuming or moulding production processes), also provide a re-metallising service for headlight reflectors of classic and modern cars alike. Companies such as these in many cases are asked to manufacture suitable reflectors for many makes of cars that have not passed their M.O.T. tests.

For bikes in particular, reflectors are normally manufactured as a moulded tile of transparent plastic, with a smooth exterior surface (in order to allow light for example from an approaching car’s headlights to enter) whereas the back of the reflector takes the form of an array of angled spherical beads or micro-prisms. These reflectors use the principle of retroreflection to alert motorists to the presence of the cyclist on the road. Retroreflection happens when light is reflected back to the source with a minimum amount of light being scattered and lost in the surrounding area, making Retroreflectors the perfect materials for use in the creation of bicycle and car reflectors.

When light strikes the rear of a reflector such as this (meaning the surface housing the spherical beads and micro-prisms) it does so at an angle that is greater than the ‘critical angle’ (the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection can take place). Total internal reflection in this case means (due to the orientation of the interior surfaces) the light is totally reflected back out through the front of the reflector in the same direction it came from and immediately alerts the various other road users towards the existence of the other vehicle on the road.

Reflectors

It has been determined that the majority of road accidents (no matter if they involved motorcycles, cars, bicycles or maybe even heavy goods vehicles) take place during the night in circumstances of poor visibility, such as fog. It is therefore vital that any vehicle used on the road should be fitted with a type of reflector as an added visibility safety measure and it is a virtually near guarantee that there's a reflector to fit every make and model of motorcycle and car since in the majority of cases the reflectors for such vehicles are not made especially for particular models and makes and may very easily individually be attached or stuck on.

There's also several firms specialising in the manufacturing of plastic products that along with producing reflectors in a range of polymers (from standard ABS compounds to others such as PPS, DMC and ULTEM which may have a really high level of heat resistance) for a large selection of vehicles (manufactured using moulding or vacuuming production processes), also provide a re-metallising service for headlight reflectors of classic and modern cars alike. Companies such as these are often approached to produce suitable reflectors for a lot of various makes and models of cars that have not passed their M.O.T. tests.

For bikes in particular, reflectors are normally manufactured as a moulded tile of transparent plastic, with a smooth exterior surface (in order to allow light such as from an approaching car’s headlights to enter) whereas the back of the reflector takes the form of a range of angled spherical beads or micro-prisms. These reflectors make use of the principle of retroreflection to notify motorists towards the presence of the cyclist traveling on the road. Retroreflection happens when light is reflected back to the source with a minimum amount of light being scattered and lost in the surrounding area, making Retroreflectors the perfect materials for use in the manufacture of bicycle and car reflectors.

When light strikes the rear of a reflector such as this (meaning the surface housing the spherical beads and micro-prisms) it will do so at an angle that is greater than the ‘critical angle’ (the angle of incidence above which total internal reflection can take place). Total internal reflection in this instance means that (due to the orientation of the interior surfaces) the light is totally reflected back out via the front of the reflector in the direction it came from and instantly alerts the various other road users towards the existence of the other vehicle on the road.