Product category:
Moulding materials
News Release from: MacDermid Autotype | Subject: In mould decoration
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 August 2002
Improving mouldings scratch and solvent
resistance
In mould decoration - Tim Wright, IMD Manager at Autotype International, discusses the relative merits of a new process that is set to change the way we decorate products for good.
Breaking the Mould Often the best designs are those which combine existing ideas with new developments So it is with In Mold Decoration which combines state-of-the-art technology with recognised manufacturing processes
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 16 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Tim Wright, IMD Manager at Autotype International, discusses the relative merits of a new process that is set to change the way we decorate products for good.
Once in a while a new technology comes along that has the potential to revolutionise manufacturing processes up and down the country.
These advances are rare but their impact is immense, changing the way we produce hundreds of products in many different industries - saving time, money and, possibly, the environment.
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IMD (In Mold Decoration), the process by which a graphic film can be inserted into an injection mould during the production of value-added parts such as mobile phones or portable CD player cases, is such a process.
Autotype provide films with formable hardcoats that give finished products made by the IMD process better scratch and solvent resistance than uncoated films, and a lacquer system that allows selective texturing of the moulding to allow the possibility of many decorative effects.
This process and these products are becoming the preferred choice for the manufacture of product housings and are the most versatile method of introducing intricate and fully customisable graphics onto 3D components.
As a manufacturer of specialist films and associated products for screen printing, digital display printing and industrial print applications, Autotype International has been closely involved in the development of specialist films for the IMD process.
This involvement has enabled the rapid progress of IMD in providing an effective route to a greater range of special effects and cost reductions.
But how does this new technology achieve this? The IMD process utilises specialist films onto which images of almost any complexity can be placed.
Images are printed when the film is still flat using conventional printing methods, so parts can be fully customised.
The imaged film is reverse printed which assures automatic protection from scuffs and abrasion.
The printed film is then shaped to the required form using well-established manufacturing processes employing vacuum (thermoform), water (cold form) or air (high pressure form) forces.
Any residual materials are then cut away.
The trimmed form is subsequently placed in an injection moulding machine where a polymer is injected to form the bulk of the three-dimensional part and the completed part is then ejected from the machine.
The combination of existing and new technologies results in enormous versatility with the intrinsic benefits of a moulded component.
The advantages experienced by manufacturers who use the IMD process include the integration of components, process streamlining, customisation, greater design freedom and environmentally-friendly procedures.
However, one of the most important advantages is its cost-saving potential.
The IMD process enables the integration of various parts into a single component system.
This can lead to dramatic cuts in processing times and labour, leading to reduced production costs and greater savings.
Cost savings of up to 40 per cent have been reported compared to conventional methods.
The IMD process also provides unrivalled levels of versatility in first/second surface decoration, special effects and run lengths which are simply unattainable in other processes.
The ability to adapt to complex runs and flexibility in regards to form depth, means the IMD process is head and shoulders above other traditional processes.
A typical example would be the manufacture of portable CD players.
Conventional manufacturing processes would involve, say, 11 components and 12 processes.
An IMD scenario might reduce this to one component and eight processes.
The IMD process is applicable in any industry requiring decorated parts.
For example, manufacturers involved in the production of front panels of white goods, automotive applications and telephony will benefit from this ground-breaking development.
Future calls - one area already benefiting from IMD is the mobile phone industry which has enjoyed a period of massive growth but, if newspaper reports are to be believed, is now experiencing its first real crisis.
Many telecoms experts have concluded that the future for mobile phones lies in the development of the lifestyle market - creating or buying a phone to suit individual personalities.
This, from a manufacturing perspective, will stimulate the demand for imagery, branding and special effects resulting in shorter manufacturing runs.
Prior to IMD, production processes such as multi-shot moulding, pad printing and laser etching provided limited flexibility when it came to decorating products.
The limitations of these processes in relation to special effects and complex patterns, and their general high costs, meant the arrival of IMD was greeted by many manufacturers with relief and expectation.
In practice, because of the growing market for customised phones, the majority of mobile phone manufacturers are now planning to adopt this revolutionary concept.
Mobile phone companies already employ IMD during the manufacture of phone lenses where the process's ability to provide extremely resistant surfaces - which can be coated selectively - has been invaluable.
Furthermore the IMD process allows for the first time the integration of the lens and the A frame - reducing components and costs.
Moulding a better future - the impact of IMD on the mobile phone industry has been, and will continue to be, dramatic.
With IMD, mobile phone manufacturers will be able to supply customers with required design customisations at a fraction of the current cost.
Moreover, these specifications will be produced at a higher quality than ever before.
The wider implications of IMD are that manufacturers in a variety of different industries will be able to produce a wide range of products that do not appear mass produced but are customised in small batches or even individually.
These customisations and special effects will be made available to a wide audience ensuring continued growth through stimulating fashion consciousness and replacement demand. Request a free brochure from MacDermid Autotype ...
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