In-mold labeling is an automated packaging solution used for the production of packages and manufacturing of plastic ware. The process has the ability to take a relatively boring looking plastic product and turn it into a state of the art, eye catching product at the fraction of the price.
Such results can be achieved using various methods, one of which, and perhaps the most common is the Injection molding.
Principle of injection molding
The basic principle of injection molding involves several stages:
First, granular raw materials are poured inside a heated barrel through a hopper. Excessive heat melts the granules at which point it enters into a mold cavity under extreme pressure. In the cavity it cools and attains its desired shape and size.
The mold cavity is placed on a movable platen, and after the material inside gets hardened, the platen opens up and detaches itself from the solidified product using ejecting pins. Finally, when the product is ready, it is packed for shipping.
The advantages of injection molding:
- Intricacy in the design:
The injection molding applies a definitive pressure during the manufacturing process. As a result, it leads to an increased focus on the details, thus ensuring a better design for the final product. It also makes the packages look attractive and eye-catching.
- Improves durability:
It is a known fact that if you need durable plastic ware, IML or In mold Labeling is the “To Go” solution for it. The IML process has undergone several improvements over the years which also saw improvements in injection molding. This allows plastic producers to give various levels of durability to their products and packages. The process can be easily adjusted depending on the needs of the client.
- Enhanced benefit of co-injection molding:
The co-injection molding allows polymers of different types to be injected to the same container. This allows desired properties of the polymers to be combined in order to create something new. For instance a blue polymer combined with a metallic polymer will result in a blue product which has the look and feel of a metallic substance.
- Less expensive:
Needless to say that the ability to use copy cat material which gives both the look and feel of the desired substance as well as the ability to mass produce results in a significant reduction of costs.
- Low labor dependence:
Since the entire process is automated, there is very little labor dependence. Thus the chances of human error during production is reduced to zero. The process still requires human power to maintain and operate the machinery. But human hands do not touch the product manufacturing itself besides inserting the required parameters to the computer.
Bottom line:
Selecting the best method always yields better results in the long term.
Injection molding is a very consistent process with a high production rate. Need to create computer keyboards? Maybe cell phone keypads? Look no further than Injection molding.
