Molded plastic component having enhanced surface finish

Abstract

A molded plastic component having enhanced surface finish is molded within a mold having at least one metal base, a mold cavity, and at least one self-lubricating surface layer which defines the plastic component within the mold cavity. The self-lubricating surface layer includes a porous metallic skin integrally connected to and extending from an interior surface of the at least one metal base and lubricating particles disposed on the skin and in pores of the skin. The lubricating particles are bonded together to form a sealed surface of the at least one self-lubricating surface layer such that the molded plastic component has the enhanced surface finish. The metallic skin includes a plurality of spaced, sinusoidally-shaped projections of autocatalytic nickel alloy. The lubricating particles are preferably submicron-sized particles of low friction fluoropolymers. The mold may be an injection mold, a compression mold, a blow mold or a vacuum mold. When the mold is an injection mold, other parts of the mold such as an ejector pin, a core pin, a cooling line and a resin flow path may also have a substantially identical self-lubricating surface layer integrally formed thereon to provide non-stick surfaces thereof. The plastic component may be made of DYM, ABS, Santoprene®, polypropylene, SMC, TPO, TPU, or other plastic compound.