News Archive

Fürth/Germany, April 22, 2020: A Human-Machine Interface (HMI) concept for an automotive display panel from LEONHARD KURZ was awarded the 2020 Red Dot Award for good design. The HMI concept received the award in the product design competition and in the automotive category. The special feature of the HMI instrument panel is its almost one meter wide single-image design produced by means of the IMD (In-Mold Decoration) process. The panel presents a detail-rich surface design into which touch and light functions have been embedded.

The award-winning automotive HMI instrument panel exhibits a solid, seamless surface. Whereas mostly small design elements are used in the automotive sector, a more striking, larger, nature-oriented design named Fading Lines was developed for this panel. The distinctive design progresses from a gentle gradient to a high-gloss piano black dead front surface. The flowing transitions give the Fading Lines design a dynamic appearance. Besides the unusual surface design, the geometry of the component also exhibits a special characteristic. The display area of the component transitions into the operating panel in an organic curve. This accentuates the operating area, and the curved geometry acts as a tactile aid.

Fürth/Germany, September 26, 2019: LEONHARD KURZ, together with its industry partners, will be presenting the latest developments in its decoration processes at the K 2019 plastics trade fair. At the trade fair booths of three injection molding machine manufacturers who provide the necessary high-performance machines and automation technology for these processes, there will be live demonstrations of rationalized and optimized processes for KURZ plastics decoration and sensor integration.

Fürth/Germany, September 26, 2019: Materials tailored to self-driving cars, front styling conceived for electric vehicles, merging of surface and lighting design, self-healing materials – these are some of the new requirements regarding aesthetics and function that are driving developments in automotive design. At K 2019, LEONHARD KURZ will be providing a glimpse into the future of automotive design and demonstrating paths towards more design freedom.

Fürth/Germany, September 16, 2019: LEONHARD KURZ will be presenting a hybrid machine for hot stamping decoration and digital printing from KURZ subsidiary BAIER at this year's plastics trade fair in Düsseldorf. The machine was developed to efficiently implement designs and labels for different model series, small runs, and individualized products.

Fürth/Germany, September 2nd, 2019: LEONHARD KURZ will be presenting individualized tube decoration in its most attractive form for the cosmetics and packaging industry at the K 2019 trade fair, from October 16 - 23 in Düsseldorf. KURZ, together with its subsidiary ISIMAT, have developed a process combining Indirect Digital Decoration (IDD) and digital metallization. This process enables variable data in luminous metallic colors to be applied simply and efficiently to plastic tubes.

Fürth/Germany, August 19, 2019: At K 2019, LEONHARD KURZ will be demonstrating the automated integration of touchscreen sensors into plastic parts. The sensors will be applied to a white goods control panel using KURZ’s patent pending FFB (Functional Foil Bonding) process. The process was presented for the first time at Fakuma 2018 and is now being adopted in series production applications. A semi-rotary variant of FFB will be displayed at the KURZ booth for the first time.

Fürth/Germany, August 5, 2019: LEONHARD KURZ is presenting the results of a comprehensive study on recycling at K 2019, in the VDMA Circular Economy Forum. The in-house produced study examined the mechanical recyclability of plastic parts that have been decorated with surface coatings from KURZ. KURZ commissioned its development team to effectively support its customers in setting up a return and recycling system and in reducing their CO₂ footprint. “Our customers need clear evidence that our surface decoration products do not affect the recyclability of their plastics. The scientifically sound study and our more than 120 years of experience in surface decoration enable us to effectively advise them in the development of their recycling concept,” explains Astrid Rauh, who works as a recycling engineer in the Environmental and Safety Management department at KURZ.

Fürth/Germany, July 18, 2019: LEONHARD KURZ is presenting at K 2019 from October 16-23 in Düsseldorf with a focus on new design and functional solutions for the automotive, consumer electronics, household appliances, and cosmetics industries. 

Using a new process called IMD PUR, KURZ will demonstrate the combined use of IMD (in-mold decoration) and PUR (polyurethane) technology for automotive applications. A front panel will be decorated and overflooded with PUR in the same clamping unit on an Engel duo 2460/900 injection molding machine. The novel design effects that can be achieved with this process will be demonstrated at the trade fair booth by means of a radiator grill concept. Aside from having an avant-garde design, this concept also illustrates the technical feasibility of using the process for exterior applications. The cutting edge surface design of the demonstrator is equipped with functions for autonomous driving that were jointly developed with the LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor manufacturer Velodyne. 

KURZ will also be demonstrating future-oriented concepts for automotive interior controls by means of a touch-control steering wheel – developed in a technological partnership with GE-T – with haptic feedback and freely programmable operating functions. 

Fürth/Germany, June 24, 2019: The coating manufacturer LEONHARD KURZ has developed a process for combining IMD (In-Mold Decoration) with PUR technology. In this process called IMD PUR, plastic parts are decorated during injection molding by means of in-mold decorating and then overflooded with PUR (polyurethane) within the same clamping unit. This produces sophisticated designs under a crystal clear, high-gloss surface. PUR layer thicknesses of between 0.3 and 15 millimeters can be created that exhibit a marked depth effect. Besides a glossy glass appearance, the PUR coating also provides a high level of surface protection. The decoration remains intact when subjected to scratches or stone impact, and the PUR topcoat is self-healing when scratched. 

Fürth/Germany, October 8, 2018: The coating manufacturer LEONHARD KURZ will be exhibiting an avant-garde design for automotive interiors in the form of a door trim concept at this year’s Fakuma. The plastic component will be produced at the trade fair booth B1-1105 of Sumitomo (SHI) Demag by means of an injection molding process with concurrent In-Mold Decoration (IMD).