Licensee Network for DuPont™ Delrin® Decorating Solutions Takes Shape
January 09 , 2006
DuPont recently signed a global licensing agreement with Quality Plated Plastics (QPP) for the metal plating of DuPont™ Delrin®. This agreement represents the most recent step in the formation of a network of licensees who can offer a pre-treatment process developed by DuPont for the painting and plating of DuPont's acetal resin.
DuPont aims to encourage the development of plastic components for consumer goods, which combine function and aesthetics with the additional benefits of lower cost and increased productivity.
Marketed under the trademark of DuPont™ Delrin® Decorating Solutions (DDDS), the system comprises specially developed Delrin® grades for plating and painting as well as water- and solvent-based coating solutions supplied by DuPont Performance Coatings. It provides manufacturers of consumer goods with greater design opportunities and flexibility than before.
Josep Ros, DuPont's functional aesthetics manager in Europe, said, "In the cosmetics industry, there now is the potential for completely new shapes and forms which are both easy to assemble and match the dimensional variations of glass bottles used for cosmetics and perfumes. Designers and manufacturers now can enjoy all these benefits as well as producing highly attractive and aesthetic components."
Market segments such as sporting goods, household appliances and sanitary products are also common areas of application for Delrin®, where it is used for its metal-like properties and low coefficient of friction and wear. "Using the new technology, such applications now will not only behave like metal, but will look like it, while maintaining the benefits of plastic," Josep said.
With more than 30 years of experience in the electro-plating of plastics, QPP was one of the first companies in the United Kingdom to commercially electro-plate plastics in a variety of metal finishes. QPP continues to invest in new product lines and technologies.
