Design Guide 2 'PAINTING SMC: ADDING VALUE THROUGH A PERFECT FINISH'
The appearance of a product, as well as the touch and feel, are key elements of a successful design and in many cases strongly influence the user’s attraction to the product. The full range of SMC finish- ing options available today – from high-gloss, Class A finishes superior to painted metal, to matt and novel textured surfaces – supports the expansion of this versatile composite material into new appli- cations and markets. In this second guide in our series, we find out how to achieve the highest quality finish on SMC parts and discover how state-of-the-art coating technologies can deliver significant cost savings over conventional processes.
Sheet moulding compound (SMC) and bulk mould- ing compound (BMC) are fibre reinforced polymers, also known as composite materials. They consist of a thermoset resin (typically an unsaturated polyes- ter), a fibre reinforcement, an inorganic filler, and various additives designed to improve processabili- ty and performance. Formulations can be tailored to deliver specific properties in the final product, such as fire resistance.
