Hicks Plastics is a leading Tier II supplier of vacuum metallized products for the automotive lighting market with eleven vacuum metallizers. The high precision molding and vacuum metallization processes provides exceptional surface finishes and reflectivity performance for the most demanding automotive lighting applications. The vacuum metallization process utilizing physical vapor deposition (PVD) and an integrated HMDSO top coat application can be applied directly to injection molded products in a single process step resulting in exceptional quality, performance and competitive pricing.

Hicks Plastics has extensive experience and expertise in the design and manufacture of vacuum metallization tooling and masking. Rapid prototype substrates can be produced and metallized in a few days to validate the masking concept.

We have the capability to manufacture the masking tooling utilizing fabricated stainless steel, electroplated nickel, or injection molded masking. This allows us to deliver the right level of precision for each application utilizing the most cost effective masking tooling manufacturing process to provide superior value to our customers.

Hicks Plastics has been a leading supplier of quality custom injection molded products for over 30 years. Our capabilities include injection molded, insert molded, and overmolded products. We specialize in vacuum metallized exterior and interior automotive lighting products such as reflectors, decorative bezels, lenses, and headlight, taillight, deck lid, and fog light housings.

We also have extensive expertise with insert and over molded products such as steering wheels and door latch covers. The insert molding process allows the ability to integrate multiple components or functions into a single part. In the case of the door latch cover, the steel stamping which is used to close out the area around the door latch is inserted into the injection mold tool and a soft PVC seal is injection molded around the periphery of the part.

For the steering wheel application, a die cast aluminum hub is inserted into the injection mold tool and the polypropylene material is injection molded around it to form the steering wheel.   In order to allow for economical differentiation, the base level polypropylene steering wheel is inserted into the injection mold tool and overmolded with a PVC material to provide a soft feel for an up level steering wheel.

The Hicks Plastics team has vast molding experience with the most challenging engineered resins. Our facilities are equipped with state of the art equipment including 39 injection molding machines ranging in size from 85 to 1450 Ton. For projects that have very tight tolerances, we have 21 electric injection molding machines that have a very precise molding accuracy and the repeatability to consistently operate within an extremely narrow processing window.

The injection molding process is highly automated with computerized material handling and resin drying systems and robotic de-molding. This allows us to provide injection molded products with superior Class A surface finishes that are required to provide vacuum metallized products with world class quality appearance finish.

Hicks Plastics integrates state of the art injection molding, vacuum metallization, and assembly processes to meet our customers demanding product cost, quality, and delivery requirements. The sub-assembly capability drives value for our customers by minimizing the freight and packaging costs plus reduces the footprint required on their assembly lines. We integrate verification systems and poke-yoke devices into the assembly process to ensure the highest quality products.

Hicks Plastics has the capability to apply basecoat paints utilizing a robotic spray UV cure chain on edge line eliminating handling of the parts during the basecoat process. The molding, painting, and metallization processes are integrated under one roof at the Macomb, Michigan facility.