About the product

A welding helmet must protect against different forms of welding, welding sparks (hot or glowing particles), but mainly it must protect your eyes against the intense light. When a welder starts a job, he can see through the glass with the helmet on. As soon as the strong light generated hits the visor, it switches so that the light is filtered and the welder can see what he is doing without injury.

Processes

AMB lacquers and metallises parts to provide them with the chrome surface finish. To give the surface an elegant, reflective finish in chrome, the plastic is treated in three steps:

Step 1 – Primer

The parts are mounted on fixtures that secure the helmets and mask them so that the lacquer does not get inside. Because they are made of polyamide, a primer is applied – a base coat that allows the subsequent surface treatment layers to adhere to the material better. The primer also smooths out surface imperfections, which is important for the next step.

Step 2 – NiCr = nickel and chrome

While we usually use aluminium for metallising as it provides a shiny, reflective surface, we could also use an alloy of nickel and chromium. First, we pump the air out of the metallising chamber to achieve a certain vacuum. Next, we heat the metal alloy until it begins to boil. The metal vapour then condenses on the helmets, which are rotated in order to achieve a layer that is as even as possible. The layer is extremely thin; only 80 nanometres.

Step 3 – Protective coating
Now we have a bright chrome effect on the parts, but because the layer is so thin, we must protect it by applying a clear coat. Once it has cured, the helmet will be packed and sent to the customer for assembly.

About 3M

3M, the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co., was founded in 1902 in Minnesota and grew along with the automotive industry at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1925, 3M invented masking tape. It was the first in a long line of Scotch adhesive tapes, which have made 3M one of today’s multinational giants.