Decorative parts production simplified by overmolding process

Taiwan Green Point Enterprises Co. Ltd. (Green Point Group) signed a deal in May 2005 that will let it mass manufacture more attractive parts for its customers in the image-conscious automotive and handheld electronics industries.
By licensing the EXO overmolding system from Inclosia Solutions (Midland, MI), the Green Point Group can incorporate materials like wood, metal and fabrics, including denim and leather, onto injection-molded plastic enclosures. Inclosia is a division of the Dow Chemical Company.
Available since April 2003, the EXO overmolding system is a two-step process whereby a decorative insert is placed inside the cavity of a steel mold and combined with plastic by injection molding. First, the system makes a base enclosure structure from an injection-molded thermoplastic. Second, the fabric is permanently bonded to the base and the edges are sealed to prevent fraying or peeling, Inclosia explained.
The process does not adversely affect the part’s functionality or the fabric’s look-and-feel, the company added. As well, the EXO overmolding system saves users time because it spares them the inconvenience of manually attaching these materials to its plastic parts.
“With Inclosia Solutions’ new technologies and [the] Green Point Group’s established capabilities in mass marketing, we will be able to provide a total solution that fills the customer’s preference for real-material decoration, and the high-volume demand from our customers,” said Hwai-Hai Chiang, general manager of the Green Point Group, in a statement earlier this month.
The Green Point Group describes itself as a one-stop shop, offering services from industrial design to finished enclosure models for applications in telecommunications, automotive, opt-electronics and optics.