Mould Integrated Painting

What if it were possible to produce components with a perfect finish without ever passing through a paint booth? To answer this question, KraussMaffei presents ColorForm, a technology that integrates the painting phase directly within the mould.

Developed entirely in-house, ColorForm is a two-component process that enables a plastic part to be painted directly inside the mould: a first injection phase of thermoplastic material is followed by rotation of the mould, allowing a polyurethane-based lacquer (PUR/PUA) to be injected onto the part. In this way, components are ready for use as soon as they come out of the mould – with no need for touch-ups or further finishing steps.

The entire ColorForm system has been developed by KraussMaffei and, unlike other solutions, all components are designed and built under one roof. This results in a fully integrated system in which every phase – from moulding to coating application – is perfectly synchronised. For industry operators, this means fewer suppliers to manage, reduced process complexity, and a turnkey solution that is fully harmonised.

By eliminating additional processing steps, ColorForm not only simplifies operations, but also offers clear ecological advantages. Unlike traditional painting methods – often involving high solvent, water, and energy consumption – it significantly reduces production waste, energy use, and reliance on harmful chemicals.

The ColorForm process is currently on demonstration at the TechCenter in Parsdorf (Germany) on a 4,500-tonne machine, designed for the most ambitious projects and suitable for the production of large, technical components.