Refrigerator panel materials commonly found on the market can be categorized into three main types: PCM, PVC, and PVT, commonly known as painted, brushed, and fiberglass. Brushed panels are more practical, while painted panels are prone to discoloration, and fiberglass panels are more susceptible to fingerprints. Better refrigerators use stainless steel, though this comes at a higher cost. Tempered glass is currently the most popular material for refrigerator panels on the market, offering a more moderate cost. Some also use acrylic panels to simulate glass, which is even cheaper.
Refrigerator panels made of ordinary steel plate with a spray paint are inexpensive. Applying VCM coating to ordinary steel plate creates a more attractive appearance at a reasonable cost. PCM steel plate is a pre-coated steel plate and is also a common material.
Many refrigerators use VCM panels. What exactly is it? VCM panels are actually metal-laminated panels, which are made by coating metal sheets with a film of PVC or PET. This allows for the printing of various patterns and colors, creating different finishes such as matte and glossy. This results in a colored laminated steel sheet (which may be stainless steel or galvanized). Due to the wide variety of film products available, intricate patterns and designs can be created to attract consumers.
The difference between PCM and VCM panels in refrigerators is that, while painting and coating are typically a first step in the production and manufacturing process, there are also methods where the steel sheets are pre-coated and then assembled into products. PCM stands for pre-coated metal. Metal sheets are pre-coated with PCM paint, and then the coated sheets are cut and formed into products. Compared to painting and molding equipment, this PCM method offers greater efficiency, paint savings, and higher coating quality.
