Nowadays in-mold label process is widely used in the consumer product industry, especially in the food packaging, cosmetic, household items and pesonal care goods industry. It produces durable and visually appealing printed labels that do not lose their adhesion and visual appeal when the printed surface is exposed to different environmental factors. These labels can be clearly printed with lots of information, such as the brand, ingredient information and instructions, making it easier for consumers to recognize and use the products.
Because of its advantage, the IML process can also be used in the food and beverage packaging industry. The IML cup is one of our main plastic cup products, which can be printed with much more customized looks while maintaining high quality. But there are still some of people who don’t know much about IML containers, so this article is written to give you a brief introduction of the IML process.
•What is in-mold labeling printing?
In the IML process, pre-printed labels are placed into a mold and merged with the plastic part through the injection molding process. Then they will solidify perfectly when they’re cooled down, and a durable and wear-resistant plastic container has been produced from now on.
In-mold labeling has certain advantages over other traditional labeling methods. On the one hand, a big reason for its widely use in the consumer goods industry is that the finished product has a durable labeling appearance. What’s more, the printed labels are placed by machine, which improves the production efficiency and reduces time costs for production.
•What are the key steps in the IML process?
The IML process includes pre-production, placement of labels, product molding and subsequent production steps. The key steps in this process are the placement of labels and molding stages. At the same time, a brief overview of the pre-production and subsequent steps can help us understand how a high quality IML product is made.
The pre-production steps.
The pre-production stages play an important role in the success of the IML process, which are helpful for choosing the right material, aligning the labels, adjusting machine settings and so on. These are important factors that will affect the quality of the finished product. The pre-production steps include the following below:
1.Choosing the material for labels:
PP and PE, which are common materials, have good chemical properties.They have high resistance to moisture and ultraviolet rays, and can be produced in different thicknesses and sizes, which can be well adapted to various label designs. What’s more, you can find that many IML labels basically use PP, PE or the copolymer of PP and PE as the label’s material. Other factors need to consider include ink acceptability, appearance, lines texture, transparency and product design. IML materials can also be paper coated with an adhesive or plastic film, which are called in-mold paper labels (IMPL) or in-mold transfer (IMT). The right material is important for IML process to ensure whether if the label can withstand the stresses from factors such as high temperature during the plastic container making process and perform well in this environmental conditions.
2.Design:
In-mold label designs should be visually appealing and perfectly adapt to the size of product. The design should also take functional requirements such as clarity, aesthetics and durability into consideration, as well as being compatible with material properties and molding process.
3.Choosing the printing ink:
The printing inks used to print the logo should be durable and able to withstand the heat and pressure of the plastic molding process. The ink should also be able to adhere perfectly to the plastic without color smearing or other problems. Then an IML cup with various, vibrant and accurate colors has been produced.
Molding,and label and container fusion process.
It’s considered to be the most important stage of the IML process, and this stage consists of the following steps.
Placing the labels: placing the printed label in the correct position in the mold cavity. Proper alignment of the label’s placement is important to aid in the proper bonding between the label and the injected plastic.
Molding: After placement, the inner surface of the label is thermally fused to the outside surface of the container by using the raw material’s own heat during injection molding, blow molding or thermoforming.
Cooling: The finished product is conveyed out after cooling and solidification.
Subsequent production steps.
To ensure the quality and perfectly present the desired design, the subsequent production steps of IML process include many detailed stages. This stage probably includes removing the flash and processing other materials, packing the finished part for further assembly.
The subsequent production step can ensure that functional IML parts meet the required standards of accuracy, gloss, aesthetics and durability. This step may also involve quality checks, such as checks by eyes and machine.
•What are the benefits of In-Mold Labeling?
In-mold label cups and containers is becoming more and more popular in the food packaging industry due to its ability to provide the customers wtih high quality, durable and customizable printing. Here are some of the main benefits of this process.
More possibilities for customization
IML offers manufacturers a wide range of customization options because of its high-quality color printing ability , including more kinds of colors(which is limited in other process to produce plastic containers), high-resolution graphics and designs for the specific branding and marketing requirements only. Manufacturers can produce a more artistic, high-quality product appearance that enhances their brand’s external image and appeal to their target audience by use IML process. The visual differentiation among different products is a key competitive factor in the market.
Improving efficiency, saving costs
IML is a relatively efficient labeling process that offers manufacturers advantages when producing, especially in mass production. Compared to traditional customized methods that require additional steps and resources such as labor, IML combines the labeling step into the molding process. Its characters are shorter producing time and simpler manufacturing process, helping manufacturers reduce the needs for labor and other consumables.
Longer service life of the product
One of the main advantages of IML is that it fuses the label to the plastic part during the molding process, which enhances the overall structural solidity, support and durability of the product. This means that the appearance of the plastic containers will not easy to peel off, wear or fade over time, even when exposed to bad environmental conditions or frequently use.
Enhancing recognition, preventing counterfeiting
The production of counterfeit products is a serious problem in many industries, because counterfeit products can damage a company’s reputation and lead to a great of financial losses. By using IML to complete the appearance design of a product, manufacturers can device a more secure and difficult-to-replicate printing plan.
The labels are made of durable materials that are difficult to copy, and they are fused to the product during the molding process. This makes it difficult for counterfeiters to directly copy, or even remove and change the printing designs of products.
In addition, IML labels can be flexibly combined with anti-counterfeiting methods such as QR codes to facilitate consumers’ authenticity verification of products. This anti-counterfeiting information may be difficult for counterfeiters to copy, further enhancing the security of products.
Nowadays in-mold label process is widely used in the consumer product industry, especially in the food packaging, cosmetic, household items and pesonal care goods industry. It produces durable and visually appealing printed labels that do not lose their adhesion and visual appeal when the printed surface is exposed to different environmental factors. These labels can be clearly printed with lots of information, such as the brand, ingredient information and instructions, making it easier for consumers to recognize and use the products.
Because of its advantage, the IML process can also be used in the food and beverage packaging industry. The IML cup is one of our main plastic cup products, which can be printed with much more customized looks while maintaining high quality. But there are still some of people who don’t know much about IML containers, so this article is written to give you a brief introduction of the IML process.
•What is in-mold labeling printing?
In the IML process, pre-printed labels are placed into a mold and merged with the plastic part through the injection molding process. Then they will solidify perfectly when they’re cooled down, and a durable and wear-resistant plastic container has been produced from now on.
In-mold labeling has certain advantages over other traditional labeling methods. On the one hand, a big reason for its widely use in the consumer goods industry is that the finished product has a durable labeling appearance. What’s more, the printed labels are placed by machine, which improves the production efficiency and reduces time costs for production.
•What are the key steps in the IML process?
The IML process includes pre-production, placement of labels, product molding and subsequent production steps. The key steps in this process are the placement of labels and molding stages. At the same time, a brief overview of the pre-production and subsequent steps can help us understand how a high quality IML product is made.
The pre-production steps.
The pre-production stages play an important role in the success of the IML process, which are helpful for choosing the right material, aligning the labels, adjusting machine settings and so on. These are important factors that will affect the quality of the finished product. The pre-production steps include the following below:
1.Choosing the material for labels:
PP and PE, which are common materials, have good chemical properties.They have high resistance to moisture and ultraviolet rays, and can be produced in different thicknesses and sizes, which can be well adapted to various label designs. What’s more, you can find that many IML labels basically use PP, PE or the copolymer of PP and PE as the label’s material. Other factors need to consider include ink acceptability, appearance, lines texture, transparency and product design. IML materials can also be paper coated with an adhesive or plastic film, which are called in-mold paper labels (IMPL) or in-mold transfer (IMT). The right material is important for IML process to ensure whether if the label can withstand the stresses from factors such as high temperature during the plastic container making process and perform well in this environmental conditions.
2.Design:
In-mold label designs should be visually appealing and perfectly adapt to the size of product. The design should also take functional requirements such as clarity, aesthetics and durability into consideration, as well as being compatible with material properties and molding process.
3.Choosing the printing ink:
The printing inks used to print the logo should be durable and able to withstand the heat and pressure of the plastic molding process. The ink should also be able to adhere perfectly to the plastic without color smearing or other problems. Then an IML cup with various, vibrant and accurate colors has been produced.
Molding,and label and container fusion process.
It’s considered to be the most important stage of the IML process, and this stage consists of the following steps.
Placing the labels: placing the printed label in the correct position in the mold cavity. Proper alignment of the label’s placement is important to aid in the proper bonding between the label and the injected plastic.
Molding: After placement, the inner surface of the label is thermally fused to the outside surface of the container by using the raw material’s own heat during injection molding, blow molding or thermoforming.
Cooling: The finished product is conveyed out after cooling and solidification.
Subsequent production steps.
To ensure the quality and perfectly present the desired design, the subsequent production steps of IML process include many detailed stages. This stage probably includes removing the flash and processing other materials, packing the finished part for further assembly.
The subsequent production step can ensure that functional IML parts meet the required standards of accuracy, gloss, aesthetics and durability. This step may also involve quality checks, such as checks by eyes and machine.
•What are the benefits of In-Mold Labeling?
In-mold label cups and containers is becoming more and more popular in the food packaging industry due to its ability to provide the customers wtih high quality, durable and customizable printing. Here are some of the main benefits of this process.
More possibilities for customization
IML offers manufacturers a wide range of customization options because of its high-quality color printing ability , including more kinds of colors(which is limited in other process to produce plastic containers), high-resolution graphics and designs for the specific branding and marketing requirements only. Manufacturers can produce a more artistic, high-quality product appearance that enhances their brand’s external image and appeal to their target audience by use IML process. The visual differentiation among different products is a key competitive factor in the market.
Improving efficiency, saving costs
IML is a relatively efficient labeling process that offers manufacturers advantages when producing, especially in mass production. Compared to traditional customized methods that require additional steps and resources such as labor, IML combines the labeling step into the molding process. Its characters are shorter producing time and simpler manufacturing process, helping manufacturers reduce the needs for labor and other consumables.
Longer service life of the product
One of the main advantages of IML is that it fuses the label to the plastic part during the molding process, which enhances the overall structural solidity, support and durability of the product. This means that the appearance of the plastic containers will not easy to peel off, wear or fade over time, even when exposed to bad environmental conditions or frequently use.
Enhancing recognition, preventing counterfeiting
The production of counterfeit products is a serious problem in many industries, because counterfeit products can damage a company’s reputation and lead to a great of financial losses. By using IML to complete the appearance design of a product, manufacturers can device a more secure and difficult-to-replicate printing plan.
The labels are made of durable materials that are difficult to copy, and they are fused to the product during the molding process. This makes it difficult for counterfeiters to directly copy, or even remove and change the printing designs of products.
In addition, IML labels can be flexibly combined with anti-counterfeiting methods such as QR codes to facilitate consumers’ authenticity verification of products. This anti-counterfeiting information may be difficult for counterfeiters to copy, further enhancing the security of products.