ABS high-gloss injection molded housing | Precise electroplating treatment | Custom mold design for automotive interior components

Why is ABS + electroplating the preferred choice for automotive interior components?

The automotive interior components require a metallic texture, but they also need to be 30% to 50% lighter than metal. ABS happens to fall right in the middle of this requirement - it has good fluidity, high gloss, strong electroplating adhesion, and is the gold standard material for electroplated parts, without any competition. 

Compared with PC, the cost is higher. Compared with PP, its gloss and adhesion are one level lower. ABS has the best cost-performance ratio. 

Process Disassembly: From a Single Piece of Material to an Electroplated Interior Component 

Step 1: Injection Molding

Use the ABS high-gloss grade (such as LG HI-121H), with mold temperature ranging from 60 to 80°C and material temperature ranging from 220 to 250°C. The key is to precisely control the gate position and the holding pressure curve - the air bubbles, shrinkage, and weld lines during the injection process will be magnified 10 times after electroplating. Therefore, the finished part must achieve grade A surface quality. 

Step 2: Pre-treatment (the core)

It involves the processes of degreasing → roughening → sensitization → activation → chemical nickel plating. This step accounts for over 40% of the total electroplating cost and is the most prone to errors. If the pre-treatment is not done properly， all the subsequent processes will be wasted. 

Step 3: Electroplating + Post-treatment

Decorative chrome plating of 0.3 - 0.8 μm, chrome acid sealing to enhance salt spray resistance to over 48 hours (in compliance with automotive standards), mechanical and chemical polishing to Ra ≤ 0.1 μm. UV clear coat can be optionally used for anti-fingerprint treatment. 

Final effect: It closely resembles genuine chrome in appearance, yet its weight is only one-third that of the metal piece, and the cost is reduced by 40% to 60%. 

How do we meet the automotive-grade requirements?

The salt spray test showed no rust spots after 72 hours (the standard is 48 hours). The 5B adhesion was achieved. The temperature cycling from -40°C to +80°C was conducted 100 times without cracking. The gloss was 90-95 GU. The VOC complies with VDA 278. All the tests were successfully passed. 

Customized mold design and delivery standards

The molds are made of 718H pre-hardened steel, with a service life of over 500,000 cycles. The number of mold cavities can be flexibly designed from 1 to 64. The T1 trial mold takes 18 to 22 working days. Minimum order quantity is 500 sets. Both drawings and samples can be provided. DFM analysis and mold flow reports are included. 

Typical products: Air conditioning outlet blades, center console trim strips, door handle covers, steering wheel button bases, gearshift lever decorative covers.