Drivers of this year’s Mercedes M-Class SUV will love the trendy soft-touch paint on the instrument panels and consoles.
The foundation of the tactile coating used by Miamisburg, OH-based injected plastics molding/assembler Arkay Industries at its Arkay Plastics plant in Prattville, AL, is a two-part application of water-soluble paint compounds that produce a soft-touch finish. During the application process each plastic part receives an isopropyl wipe-down and an air de-staticization to remove lint. After two coats of paint and a 60-second flash time between applications, each part is moved through an infrared oven to dry. The entire painting process takes 34 minutes from loading onto the conveyer to unloading after the drying process.