Patent ID: 6890586

Claim:
An in-mold coating method of preparing a plastic part with a clear-coat surface, the method comprising: providing a mold having a mold surface having a predetermined degree of finish; heating the mold to a temperature between approximately 40 degrees Celsius and approximately 95 degrees Celsius; providing an unpigmented first-reactant/solvent mixture; providing an unpigmented second-reactant/solvent mixture; mixing the unpigmented first-reactant/solvent mixture and the unpigmented second-reactant/solvent mixture to form a clear-coat mixture; spraying the clear-coat mixture onto the heated mold surface, the clear-coat mixture having an open time on the heated mold surface; providing a pigmented third-reactant/solvent mixture; providing a fourth-reactant/solvent mixture; mixing the pigmented third-reactant/solvent mixture and the fourth-reactant/solvent mixture to form a pigmented mixture; spraying the pigmented mixture, during the open time of the clear-coat mixture, onto the clear-coat mixture previously sprayed onto the heated mold surface; applying, over the sprayed pigmented mixture, a substrate-forming material, so as to create an uncured preform; and allowing the preform to cure so as to form a substrate having a clear-coat surface with substantially the predetermined degree of finish; wherein the clear-coat mixture and the pigmented mixture are sprayed in an amount to form a total coating layer thickness substantially between 3.0 to 4.0 mils DFT.