Testing of an integrated production line for the finishing of plastic components has been successfully completed by its joint developers, precision injection moulder Balda (Bad Oeynhausen / Germany; www.balda.de) and optical media group Singulus Technologies (Kahl / Germany; www.singulus.com). Singulus expects to deliver the first production line to Balda in April 2007.

The cooperative venture, launched in October 2006, claims to have achieved fully automated integration of the plastic injection moulding and surface technology process stages. Injection-moulded components are removed from the machine and transferred to a "Singulus 3DS" metallising system for the application of a metallic surface using cathodic vaporisation (sputtering) and subsequently to a non-scratch coating process, all fully automatically and without any manual intervention. The system is capable of efficient production of extremely small lots and the companies claim that it is the first integrated production sequence of its type.

The developers say that the new technology generates significant savings in time and money, both in the production process and in logistics compared with traditional methods such as vapour deposition, painting or galvanising, which are only possible in batch mode.