By Paul Gevaert, Robert Potzmann, Chi-Yan Lee and Arie Cornelis, Allnex. Productivity, cost control and environmental concerns are very important in the automotive industry. Switching to plastics in automotive interiors allows (for example) a reduction of the overall weight of the vehicle, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while retaining aesthetic values. Therefore, carmakers are looking for coatings on plastics that offer performance, robustness, good haptics and aesthetic effects, as well as better productivity. UV energy-curable coatings allow both OEMs and suppliers (Tier 1 and 2) ...