Manufacturers Get "In" on In-Mold Labeling
By David Coughlin, Director of In-Mold Labeling Technologies, Standard Register
Product durability. This is something consumers expect from manufactured goods and, in turn, something that manufacturers strive to achieve.
Yet, durability of the product extends beyond the manufactured piece alone—also included are add-ons to the end product, particularly labeling. This labeling, which includes decorative, branding and safety labels, must prove to be as durable as the product itself. If not, the product’s overall value is lessened and, in the case of safety labels, the consumer is put at risk and the manufacturer could face costly litigation.
The durability or lifetime of a plastic-based product, for example, is generally expected to be from three to ten years. Thus, the labeling that is a part of the product is expected to not only last just as long but also be of the same quality as when the product was brand new. Labeling must withstand any adverse conditions that could cause the failure of the labels, including:
- Indoor and/or outdoor environments, such as freezing, direct sunlight, baking, etc.
- Harsh and abrasive chemicals and solvents
- Overt attempts to remove the labels
In other words, the labels for these plastic products must be extremely durable and permanent. While pressure-sensitive labels can experience shortcomings in their delivery of permanence and durability on plastic products, one type of label excels in these areas—in-mold labeling, a technology that allows manufacturers to enhance the appearance of their products by expanding available decoration space, including products featuring curved, contoured and textured surfaces. In-mold labels actually bond with the molded product part, providing permanent, non-removable labeling that lasts the life of the product.
Manufacturers of plastic parts have traditionally used pressure-sensitive or other forms of post-mold labeling and decoration, and most are either unaware of in-mold labeling or assume it to be too complicated and/or too expensive. However, in-mold labeling is quite the opposite of these assumptions and produces a superior overall product at lower costs.
What is In-Mold Labeling?
In-mold labeling or in-mold decorating is the application or bonding of a label during the plastic molding process. By applying the label within the molding equipment, a manufacturer is able to eliminate the post hand- or machine-applied pressure-sensitive label from the container or plastic molded part. By including the label in the molding process, it becomes a permanent piece of the product that improves accuracy and durability of the finished label on the part or product.
The process begins by having a label placed inside a mold. The label can be located through robotics or by hand and typically is held in place by vacuum ports, electrostatic attraction or other appropriate means. Once the label is positioned, the mold is closed (if required) and the molten plastic is injected into the mold. The molten plastic material envelopes the label and makes it an integral part of the molded object.
The big difference between an in-mold label and a traditional adhesive-applied label is that the in-mold label is “in” the product while the traditional adhesive-applied label is “on” the product. Plus, in-mold labeling offers a wealth of flexibility to manufacturers by:
- Working with and adapting to the manufacturers’ molding equipment and tooling
- Establishing compatibility with nearly all molding materials
- Conforming to a product’s shape and texture
- Exceeding Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and child safety requirements
- Ensuring durability and fade-resistance
Why Use In-Mold Labeling?
In addition to durability and permanence, manufacturers can benefit in a variety of ways by using in-mold labeling on their plastic products and components. These include adding value to the product, promoting and protecting the brand, and ensuring proper safety messaging.
Adding Value to Plastic Products
There’s noend to the decorative possibilities for plastic products when a manufacturer uses in-mold labeling to add colorful, photo-quality images. By adhering to the shape and texture of a product, the in-mold label allows manufacturers to add high-quality color graphics toareas where decorative graphics were previously impossible, all without image distortion.
For example, a manufacturer of patio tables was looking for a way to change the perception of its product from a commodity to a decorative product for the home. They chose a high-quality color graphic which covered the top surface of the table and wrapped flawlessly around the curved table edge, providing foolproof conformance to a complex surface while delivering unmatched durability. By decorating the products this way, both the manufacturer and the retailer were able to realize higher margins.
An additional example is found with a manufacturer of surf boards. The company wanted to add decorative graphics to its boards to help them stand out from the competition, but they needed a process that would stand up to sun, surf and sand. By adding highly fade-resistant in-mold decorative graphics to their boards, this manufacturer was able to improve the value of their products and achieve a meaningful competitive advantage, exceeding the performance of other labeling alternatives.
Promoting and Protecting the Brand
The value of a recognizable and respected brand is nearly impossible to assess. The fact is, next to employees, a manufacturer has no greater asset than its brand image. Thus, they want to avoid promoting their brand with labels and imprints that fade, chip, peel or otherwise deteriorate.
In-mold labeling protects a manufacturer’s valuable brand with a process that is unmatched for durability, image sharpness and color accuracy. Just like the previously mentioned product decoration, in-mold branding labels adhere to the shape and texture of a product without image distortion. This allows a manufacturer to brand its products in areas where branding was previously impossible.
For example, according to Bob Freund, an entrepreneur and inventor, “In-mold decorating and branding allow me to significantly improve the value of my products and give me a competitive advantage. My customers love the premium graphics and are willing to pay a premium price for product that really stands out from the competition.”
Ensuring Proper Safety Messaging
There’s no question that responsible companies want the people who use their products to do so safely. That’s why they put prominent safety warnings on potentially dangerous items. Due to increasing legislation, safety warnings are increasing even on innocuous products.
What happens when a well-intentioned company places a warning label on a product that later peels,chips or wears off to the point that the safety message is unreadable?Not only can product users become injured, in today’s litigious society the financial impact and damage to a company’s brand image can be devastating.
In-mold labeling integrates colorful safety messages into a manufacturer’s plastic product with no fear of peeling, cracking or wearing off. Incredibly sharp, picture-perfect images are fused into the plastic during the molding process without adhesives, allowing the graphics to become part of the product itself. Plus, the elements of nature, rough handling, gasoline and many other chemicals won’t alter the safety message.
All of these features help provide peace of mind for manufacturers, according to Mark McCarthy, a partner with Tucker & Ellis, a Cleveland law firm specializing in defending manufacturers from product liability actions. “User safety is a huge concern. We want everyone who buys products to have a completely safe experience. That’s why it is so important that safety warnings and other information remain legible and easy to read for the life of a product. You can’t always get that with labels that peel, scratch or tear. And messages molded into plastic without contrasting color aren’t very readable. With [this] system, there can be colorful safety messages that are hard to ignore—and stay that way—helping to protect companies from product liability.”
Moving to In-Mold Labeling
Based on the information reviewed here, manufacturers should consider incorporating in-mold labels into their plastic products and components to take complete advantage of this sophisticated product and process. In addition to providing a cost-effective and secure method of fusing product decoration, branding and safety messages into a plastic product, in-mold labeling:
Works with manufacturers’ molds and tooling: In-mold labeling lets manufacturers add colorful, high-definition decoration to molded products without modifying existing molds or tooling, saving the manufacturer time and money. Plus, the technology works in both automatic and manual insertion processes.
Automates the process: For high-volume applications, film placement can be easily automated with robots.
Exceeds FDA and child safety requirements: In-mold films comply with all child safety regulations for hazardous materials and exceed FDA requirements for food contact.
Is competitively priced: The in-mold labeling process is competitive with other methods, including pressure-sensitive labels.
Is compatible with virtually all molding materials: With an in-mold labeling system, there’s no need to carefully match the material composition of the label to the molded material. In-mold technology is proven completely compatible in such applications as various polyolefins as well as ABS, polycarbonate, PVC, PET, TPO, TPE, elastomers, vinyl, glass-reinforced nylon and styrene. It has also been molded into thermosetting polymers and rubber during vulcanization. Decorative or safety images can be molded into non-rigid items because the image will flex or stretch with the product.
Conforms to product shape or texture: The graphic image in an in-mold application assumes the texture and shape of the mold surface. The image actually molds around curves and over steps to create a continuous graphic that enhances the quality of the finished product. In-mold technology works in injection, gas assist, structural foam, blow, compression, injection-compression and extrusion applications, as well as some thermoforming and rotational molding applications.
Provides incredible durability and fade resistance: In-mold images actually fuse into the surface of a product during molding and shrink with the product as it cools, without blistering, thus becoming inseparable. This process results in a graphic image that is highly fade-resistant and virtually impervious to the effects of nature, dishwashers, autoclaves, gamma radiation, rough handling, gasoline and other abuses.
In the end, in-mold labeling provides manufacturers a better solution for branding, product decoration and safety messaging on all plastic parts. If you’re ready to capitalize on the advantages that in-mold labeling has to offer your company, contact Standard Register today. As a partner for your in-mold labeling needs, you can trust Standard Register will provide cutting-edge technology to improve the value of your products and reduce product liability risks.