In-Mold Labeling (IML) is a manufacturing process in which a pre-printed label is placed inside a mold before the injection molding. The label becomes an integral part of the final product during the molding process, creating a seamless and durable finish.
Key Steps in the IML Process:
Step1: Label Preparation-A label, usually made of thin polypropylene or another compatible material, is printed with the desired design and cut to the required shape.In our color changing products, all the design will be printed by special color changing ink.
Photo1: Master is printing the special labels of in-mold-label products
Photo2: Pre-printed label and cut to required shape
Step2: Label Placement-The label is placed inside the mold using robotic arms or static charge. The label adheres to the mold wall. By incorporating robotic arms into the production process, we have significantly enhanced the efficiency of color-changing plastic cup manufacturing while reducing labor requirements. Under standard production conditions, a single mold can produce up to 15,000 cups per day. If higher production capacity is needed, it can be easily achieved by increasing the number of molds.
Photo3: The robotic arm rolls up the printed sheets, preparing them for placement into the molds.
Step3: Molding-The plastic material is injected, blown, or formed into the mold. The molten material fuses with the label, embedding it into the surface. The product solidifies as it cools, with the label integrated as a part of its structure. The final labeled product is ejected from the mold, ready for use or further processing.
Advantages of IML
First of all, In-Mold Labeling (IML) allows for nearly full-surface printing on cups.
IML involves placing pre-printed labels into the mold before injection. Since the label conforms perfectly to the mold’s shape, it can cover the entire surface of the cup, from top to bottom, achieving a full-coverage print.
Photo4: The huge difference from roll-printing and IML label plastic cup. There is no need to save gap for design.
Secondly, In-Mold Labeling (IML) plastic cups are more likely to have a better quality for several reasons:
The label becomes an integral part of the product by fusing with the plastic during the molding process. This ensures that the label is resistant to peeling, scratching, or fading, even in harsh conditions like moisture, heat, or friction.
IML eliminates any gaps, edges, or air bubbles that are often present in traditional sticker or adhesive labels. The label is perfectly adhered to the product, resulting in a smooth, flawless surface.
IML labels are pre-printed using advanced techniques like offset printing, which allows for high resolution, sharp details, and vibrant colors.The print quality is consistent and precise, ensuring a premium look and feel for every product.
IML is a highly automated process that ensures consistent quality in high-volume production. Each product comes out of the mold with the label perfectly applied, reducing defects and waste.
In Mugbaby, We can maintain a defect rate below 1%, with which we could make the color changing cups cheaper as well as better quality than other materials.
Finally, the IML process is the best practice process for color-changing plastic cups.
Since 2020, the cold change cup has become everyone’s favorite product, it gradually replaced the hot change ceramic cup in the minds of users. On the one hand, because young people like to drink cold drinks more, on the other hand, the cold change cup from light to dark color change effect is also more amazing!
In the printing process, since IML’s label printing is all flat printing, we can combine offset and silkscreen printing to print the color-changing and non-color-changing areas of our cups, so that even if there are more than 10 colors superimposed on each other, there are no unacceptable alignment problems, but rather, it makes our designs prettier and easier to realize!
Send us your designs and ideas, and with IML technology, we can achieve a 99% replication of your concept.
Photo5: Mock-up designs
Photo6: Genuine photograph (not set up or doctored)
