Creating a look that matches the product’s underlying quality
Every Xten project has the potential for a sensational finish, because of the wide and diverse array of decorating options we offer.
Surface Applied
Brand names, corporate logos, use instructions, warnings, and the like can be applied through such traditional decorating techniques as:
• Pad printing
• Hot stamping
• Silk Screening
• Hand Labeling (Pressure Sensitive [PS] Application)
IMD and IML
In addition to our abilities with the more traditional forms of decorating, we’ve created an expertise with in-mold decorating and labeling (IMD/IML), one of the most cost effective and environmentally responsible ways to prepare products for market.
IMD/IML’s is more economical primarily because it reduces decorating scrap and eliminates secondary decorating/labeling operations.
The process also expands the number of decorating options that can be used to enhance the appearance and marketability of almost any product.
IMD/IML is also the leader when it comes to sustainability, due to such characteristics as:
Reduced Material Consumption and Waste. IML is a single sheet of film usually half the weight of pressure sensitive label, which must be heftier to facilitate application. PS labels also must add a layer of adhesive and a paper liner.
The liners on PS labels, thermal transfers and hot stamps all enter the waste stream post application. There is no post application waste with IMD/IML.
Lower Energy Use. Traditional methods of decoration/labeling require additional heat to cure or activate what has been applied. IMD/IML utilizes the residual heat of the melted plastic to accomplish attachment to the product.
Improved Recycling – Products that have been in-mold decorated or labeled can be reground without concern over resin contamination. PS labels in particular contaminate the plastic stream and require additional steps in the recycling process.
Improved Re-use/Repurpose. Many parts that are in-mold decorated or labeled will maintain critical graphic integrity through multiple uses, particularly washing. As a result, they can often be re-used or re-purposed. Not only does the producer realize a reduction in cost of goods, but there is also a positive reduction in the waste stream. Products with PS labels or direct imaging can not sustain the same level of harsh treatment as those finished with IMD/IML.
Our Thanks to the Guy Who Turned Us On to The Value of IMD/IML… and helps keep us on the leading edge. Bob Travis is owner and president of InkWorks Printing LLC, an innovative printing company he started in 2009. InkWorks specializes in new and unique solutions for decorating packaging and durable products, the most progressive of which is the in-mold decorating and in-mold labeling that’s making advances in the molding industry.Bob helped form the In Mold Decorating Association (IMDA) and is the organization’s current president. He is a regular contributor to numerous conferences that focus on the science, technology and advancement of IML. He holds a Bachelors and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.www.inkworksllc.com |
