I. Automotive Ambient Lighting: The Competition Beyond “Light”
As the battle for dominance in smart cockpits intensifies, an increasing number of automotive brands are seeking differentiated value in cabin details. Among them, interior ambient lighting has quietly evolved from a “colorful optional feature” to a “standard experience,” becoming a crucial interface for emotional communication between brands and users. It is no longer just an aesthetic add-on but integrates multiple functions such as brand identification, human-vehicle interaction, and mood management. Essentially, ambient lighting is not only an artistic presentation of light but also a systemic competition rooted in manufacturing technology.
This trend is also reflected in market dynamics. According to Gasgoo Research Institute, China’s automotive lighting market is projected to exceed 100 billion yuan by 2025 and reach 120 billion yuan by 2030. Among the segments, ambient lighting is emerging as one of the most promising growth areas, following ADB, DLP headlights, and full-width taillights.
From a branding perspective, ambient lighting is increasingly becoming a “light language” that conveys style and value propositions. For example, the BMW 7 Series’ ambient lighting system covers the dashboard, center console, door panels, and rear footwells, synchronizing with crystal-textured control panels to enable dynamic transitions between “welcome mode,” “mood mode,” and “driving mode,” creating an immersive “light and sensory” seating experience.
From aesthetic expression to brand building and emotional interaction, ambient lighting is playing a more strategic role in cockpit design. Behind this, an “invisible technology war” centered on optical coating manufacturing capabilities has quietly begun—where manufacturing precision and process integration determine the quality of every light effect.
II. The Hidden Challenge: Ambient Lighting Coating Difficulties Are Severely Underestimated
To achieve high transmittance, high reflectivity, and high uniformity in light effects, ambient light guides are typically made of polymer materials such as PC and PMMA, with multilayer coatings—including metal films, semi-transparent films, and protective films—deposited via vacuum coating to control reflection, transmission, shielding, and luminous intensity.
However, this process is far from simple. The industry currently faces three major manufacturing challenges:
Difficulty in Ensuring Coating Uniformity
Light covers and guides often feature complex 3D structures, making it difficult for traditional coating equipment to maintain consistent film thickness across different regions, leading to bright spots or dark areas.
Low Yield, High Rework Costs
Ambient lighting demands extremely high optical performance. Even minor coating deviations are nearly irreparable, resulting in low yields and increased cost pressures.
High Risk of Secondary Processing Contamination
If metal and protective films require separate processing, microdust or scratches introduced during handling and environmental exposure can easily contaminate the coatings, affecting adhesion and appearance consistency.
Addressing coating uniformity, improving automation, and reducing processing steps have become key demands for automotive lighting and interior component suppliers.
III. Integrated Solution: Zhenhua Vacuum’s ZCL1417 Automotive Interior Part Coating Equipment
To tackle these industry pain points, Zhenhua Vacuum has launched the ZCL1417 Automotive Interior Part Coating Equipment, specifically designed for multilayer coating deposition in applications such as interior ambient lighting, illuminated logos, and radar trims.
Its core advantages lie in three dimensions:
Multi-Process Integration, One Machine for Complex Coating Structures
The ZCL1417 combines DC magnetron sputtering, MF mid-frequency sputtering, thermal resistance evaporation, and CVD-assisted technology, allowing flexible configurations based on product structures and desired optical effects. It supports full-process coverage for metal layers (e.g., Al, Cr), functional layers (e.g., TiO₂, SiO₂), and protective layers (e.g., AF coating).
Single-Step Coating, Avoiding Contamination, Improving Yield
The equipment enables one-step deposition of metal + protective films, eliminating contamination and film damage risks associated with traditional multi-step processing. Coating density and uniformity are significantly enhanced, meeting high-gloss and consistency requirements while substantially improving yield.
High Automation, Meeting Mass Production Demands
The ZCL1417 features a high level of automation, simplifying operation, reducing manual intervention, and lowering skill barriers. In scenarios requiring rapid model changes and small-batch production of ambient light guides, it effectively enhances production efficiency and process stability, catering to mass production needs.
Extended Applications: Beyond Ambient Lighting, Versatile Support for More Interior Components
Beyond ambient light guides, the ZCL1417 is also suitable for vacuum coating processes on automotive interior and exterior trims such as reflector cups, illuminated logos, radar badges, and functional panels.
For these complex-shaped, precision-engineered components, Zhenhua Vacuum has thoroughly considered factors such as coating uniformity, deposition area control, and product consistency in its equipment design, delivering systematic and highly reliable solutions to customers.
Conclusion: Light Experience Defines the Future of the Cockpit
Behind every light effect in ambient lighting lies a feat of high-precision manufacturing. As automotive cockpits shift from hardware competition to experience competition, mastering the “language of light” will be key to winning user emotional resonance and brand loyalty.
ZCL1417 is Zhenhua Vacuum’s profound response to the trend of “experience-driven manufacturing,” leveraging multilayer coating technology and advanced automation to continuously empower the realization of automotive cockpit light aesthetics.
—This article was published by vacuum coating equipment manufacturer Zhenhua Vacuum
Post time: Aug-09-2025