"In the network for the surface engineering of plastics, companies and research establishments from a variety of sectors collaborate on research and development projects and on company joint ventures, and organize training opportunities for their members.

The concentration of expertise from various companies and institutes along the technological value chain is designed to give all the protagonists a head start in technology, industrial growth, more jobs and a competitive edge.

The network’s activities focus on surface engineering and decorative finishing processes for plastic components, the modification of tool and component surfaces with the aid of surface and thin-film technologies, and surface analysis and testing. All of these sectors include surface protection and decoration and the creation of functional surfaces in their range of services.

The network is represented by the Kunststoff-Institut für die mittelständische Wirtschaft NRW GmbH (K.I.M.W.), an external institute of the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, which focuses primarily on improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of injection molded components made of thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics.

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