Paint, powder & polymer coatings · finish comparison
Soft-Touch Coating vs Wet Painting
Soft-Touch Coating (coatings for plastics) and Wet Painting (paint, powder & polymer coatings) solve the same problem by different routes; wet paint resists corrosion better.
Soft-Touch Coating
Coatings for plastics · $$$ · instant quote
Soft-touch coating is a flexible polyurethane-class finish that gives rigid plastic a warm, rubber-like tactile feel and improved grip.
Wet Painting
Paint, powder & polymer coatings · $$ · instant quote
Wet painting atomizes a liquid resin, pigment, and solvent or water system onto prepared metal or plastic.
When to choose which
Choose Soft-touch
Soft-touch is the pick when its strengths below matter more than Wet paint's.
- Typical film is 20–40 µm
- Creates a premium rubber-like hand feel
- Improves dry grip without changing the molded tool
Choose Wet paint
Choose Wet paint when color is needed without a rubber-like feel.
- Matches RAL, Pantone, or customer master colors
- Covers metals, molded plastics, and printed polymers with suitable primer
- Multi-layer systems can separate adhesion, color, and UV-protection functions
What the numbers say
- Wet paint resists corrosion better.
- Wet paint is the harder surface.
- Wet paint is the lower-cost option ($$).
- Soft-touch is the thinner coating (20–40 µm), so it disturbs tight fits less.
Scores side by side
Each score is 0–100 against every finish in this catalog. Corrosion is derived from salt-spray test duration and surface hardness from the finish layer's Vickers hardness where a measured figure exists; a finish that leaves the base metal's own surface is not rated for hardness. Cosmetic, lubricity and cost are FabDigit's engineering assessment. Scores and typical figures are screening data, not matched side-by-side tests or service-life rankings; ASTM B117 is a controlled salt-fog method, not a field-life prediction.
| Score | Soft-touch | Wet paint |
|---|---|---|
| Corrosion resistance | 20 Low | 59 Good |
| Surface hardness / wear | 5 Minimal | 10 Minimal |
| Cosmetic quality | 85 Excellent | 90 Excellent |
| Lubricity | 5 Minimal | 15 Low |
| Cost | 40 $$$ | 30 $$ |
Key numbers
| Property | Soft-touch | Wet paint |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 20–40 µm | 20–80 µm |
| Salt-spray test duration | — | 96–250 h |
| Max service temperature | — | 120 °C |
| Electrical | Insulating | Insulating |
| Colours | clear, black, custom color | RAL colors, Pantone colors, custom color, clear |
| Relative cost | Premium ($$$) | Standard ($$) |
| Added lead time | 3–7 working days | 3–7 working days |
| RoHS | Compliant | Compliant |
| Instant quote | Yes | Yes |
Bold marks the side that is ahead on a row where more (or less, for cost and lead time) is better. Ranges are the typical specification window; the drawing call-out fixes the class.
Which materials take each finish
| Material family | Soft-touch | Wet paint |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | With care | Yes |
| Polymer | Yes | With care |
| Steel | With care | Yes |
| Brass | With care | With care |
| Composite | With care | With care |
| Copper Alloy | With care | With care |
| DMLS / SLM | No | With care |
| FDM | With care | Limited |
| Magnesium Alloy | With care | With care |
| MJF | With care | Limited |
| SLA | With care | Limited |
| SLS | With care | Limited |
| Stainless Steel | With care | With care |
| Titanium | With care | With care |
| Zinc Alloy | With care | With care |
Soft-touch vs Wet paint — frequently asked
What is the difference between Soft-touch and Wet paint?
Soft-Touch Coating (coatings for plastics) and Wet Painting (paint, powder & polymer coatings) solve the same problem by different routes; wet paint resists corrosion better. Wet paint is the harder surface. Wet paint is the lower-cost option ($$).
When should I use Soft-touch instead of Wet paint?
Conversely: choose Wet paint when color is needed without a rubber-like feel.
Is Soft-touch or Wet paint cheaper?
Wet paint is the lower-cost finish ($$ against $$$ for Soft-touch) among the finishes FabDigit quotes. Both are priced per part with a lot minimum; the exact figure appears on the instant quote once the part is uploaded.