Automotive Interiors Expo 2018

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Michigan, October 23-25  – Automotive Interiors Expo, Novi, Michigan, is about quality, color, texture, touch, feel and innovation. Specialty finishes are a strong theme of the expo, with some companies offering plastic compounding and masterbatching, metalized plastics and chrome-look plastics, and others presenting hot foil stamping and film insert molding.

You’ll find a wide range of fabrics, acoustical materials, shape-forming materials and foams, fasteners and adhesive systems, lighting and more! The show is a must-visit for Tier 1 suppliers as well as for interior design teams from car manufacturers wanting to keep up with the rapidly changing world of materials, finishes and technologies that contribute to ‘touch and feel’.

Dates: October 23-25, 2018
Location: Hall A.1, Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, Michigan, USA
More Information: http://www.automotive-interiors-expo.com/detroit/en/

 

 

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CES ASIA 2018

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Shanghai, June 13-15, 2018   –

CES Asia is owned and produced by the International CES (Shanghai) Exhibition Co. Ltd. , a wholly foreign-owned enterprise by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), and is co-produced by Shanghai Intex Exhibition Co., Ltd (Shanghai Intex), a leading producer of international tradeshows in China. Special co-organizers for CES Asia are the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME) and the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce (CECC).

Dates: June 13-15, 2018
Location: New International Expo Centre Shanghai, China
More Information: http://www.cesasia.cn/

 

 

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ALUMINUM HOLIDAY CARDS

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Many of our patterns and finishes on aluminum are created with layers of decorative processes. A popular request is to make use of selective areas of mechanical finishes – stripes, spins, and brushes on the surface of the metal. The resulting decoration has movement and depth which can then be built upon with transparent tints of color and printed tones for detail.
 
Layers of Decorative Processes on Aluminum
Layering of processes is the foundation for this year’s Holiday Card. This is a beautiful showing of the possibilities for adding areas of interest as well as visual depth and dimension without additional tooling investment.

Mechanical Finishes Create Movement
Incorporating areas of spins and stripes creates an optical effect where light is reflected off the surface of the metal at various angles. The resulting movement is a way to catch attention without being too bold. The ornaments and images in the background of this year’s card showcase these effects.

Gradient Halftones
Patterns can be printed so that they change scale or intensity as they are laid down across surfaces. Soft detail frames the edges of this year’s card with fades and tones, adding further interest.

Transparent and Metallic Colors
A tint of color applied to a selectively brushed background gives you a tone on tone effect as the color is printed on both bright and brushed aluminum. A transparent red is printed overall and appears as a two-tone color depending on which area of the card your eyes are focused on.

Metallic colors rely on metal flakes added to color formulations to create options ranging from fine to coarse metallic effects. The graphics for the Holiday Card have a medium fleck to give a hint of a bead-blast look and feel to contrast with the high gloss background.

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Laser Etch Look

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Laser Etched Looking Surface Decoration

A common request for finish development to be used on decorative trim is to achieve the look of fine detail seen in laser etched surfaces.
Subtle intersecting lines flow across the surface of this brushed aluminum trim resulting in the look of laser etched details. I love how tight the structure is on one end of the part and the way that the finish evolves to have more open space between the lines on the other end.

This pattern could be enhanced with some color for the background. Additionally the structure can be adjusted so that it flows specific to the shape of the trim piece, taking into account bends and twists of the surface.

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