Metallization on plastic

PVD coatings for radome applications

Modern vehicles are equipped with numerous sensor solutions – one of these being radar sensors. The radar in a vehicle measures distances to surrounding objects for a variety of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning.

The radome functions as a radar transparent, protective front cover of the radar system. To optimize the function, the radar is usually placed in the center of the front grill, in most cases behind the car emblem. This makes the radome a brand-critical design part of the vehicle.

Coating challenges in radome applications

The typical car emblem of modern vehicles is manufactured with injection molded plastic and coated for a chromium metallic appearance, often combined with colored details. However, both the molded plastic part itself and the metallic coating affect the radar signal. Only slight attenuation of the signal can result in undetected objects, unacceptable for safety systems. These brand critical parts therefore require a coating solution that fulfills both the required radar transparency and non-disturbance of the radar signal without compromising with the desired design qualities.

Traditional metal coating solutions for decorative parts do not fulfill these requirements. This includes chromium plating on plastic (>10 μm thickness), and even thin decorative PVD metallization using common metals (0.1 μm thickness).

Why Impact Coatings’ PVD solutions for radome applications

Extensive research together with automotive suppliers has resulted in functional material solutions with significantly lower attenuation, while maintaining the desired metallic look of the radome.

Our INLINECOATER™ PVD systems are capable of coating radomes with these specialized materials. The systems also allow integration with injection molding and other production steps in automated production lines, resulting in volume production with maximized quality control and cost-efficiency.

• Very low signal attenuation for radar transparency
• Premium metallic look
• Attractive color with lightness values L* of 60-93
• Thin and homogenous coating
• High-throughput INLINECOATER™ PVD systems designed for automation and production line integration
• Compact, automated production lines for excellent quality control and maximized production yields

Want to know more about our PVD systems for radome applications?