In-Mold Decorating: Durable Injection Molded Plastic Parts, Cost Saving Single-Step Process, No Secondary Operations, Reduce Defects / Rejects, Match Colors Precisely, Backlight Effect

In-Mold Decorating

As part of our "One-Stop Solution" philosophy, we offer our customers a number of value-added services to complete plastic injection molding projects without employing additional vendors.

The newest solution available from ACM to produce beautiful and durable plastic parts with logos, text or other graphic design elements is in-mold decorating (IMD).

Efficient in-mold decorating offers a number of cost saving factors over other options:

• Single-step process - all colors added at same time
• Eliminate the cost of additional overlay labels
• Less post-production - no secondary operations required
• Reduces defects and rejects
• Takes no additional time to produce parts
   

In-Mold Decorating: Versatile Design Option

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The in-mold decorating process can apply design elements during the molding process.

1. A transfer film is carefully placed into the mold before injecting the plastic material.
    
2. When hot resin is injected into the closed mold the decoration transfers from the film to the molded plastic part.
    
3. Once the part cools, the decoration becomes a permanent part of the piece, resulting in sharp, clear and durable decorations that should last the life of the part.
    

Decorations for in-mold processes can be corporate logos, graphic images, text, or design patterns.

• They can be produced in virtually any colors to precisely match the customer's requirements
   
• Translucent or transparent decorative foils can be utilized to produce a "hidden backlight" effect

Read Case Studies to learn more about how in-mold decorating can improve the design quality of injection molded parts

In-Mold Decorating vs. Other Decorating Methods

Options to add decorations to molded plastic parts include:

• Pad printing
• Hot stamping
• Silk screening
• Heat transfer labels
• Pressure-sensitive labels

Some of the advantages of in-mold decorating when compared to these other methods include:

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• In-Mold Decorating vs. Pad Printing
  • More economical when applying multiple colors
  • Eliminates the need for volatile chemicals or solvents
     
• Vs. Hot Stamping
  • Second-surface graphics are possible
  • Better protection
  • Can be less expensive to produce multiple colored designs
     
• Vs. Heat Transfer Labels
  • More wear resistant
  • More durable - won't peel off
  • Easier to decorate on curved surfaces
  • No additional cost for labels
     
• Vs. Pressure-Sensitive Labels
  • More wear resistant
  • More durable - won't peel off
  • Eliminates recessed label area and adhesive application issues
  • No secondary operations required

Learn more about how in-mold decorating can improve the design quality of injection molded plastic parts at Case Studies
 

For more information about how In-Mold Decorating can improve your next project, call 765-457-8225, or send us an email, or submit this short form:

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