DECORATION | INNOVATION
Appeal of IML and IMD grows widely
In-mould labelling and decoration are breaking out from their established packaging market, but other technologies are also making advances. Peter Mapleston reports
Go to any plastics show, and some of the most fascinating displays to watch are high-speed injection moulding of containers with automation systems for in-mould labelling (IML). There are sometimes so many of such production cells running that you might think all containers are decorated this way. That’s far from the case, but growth in IML is high, and developments in equip- ment and materials are taking IML into new areas – application-wise and geographically – all the time. However, IML is not having it all its own way: older technologies are fighting back, and there are some newer decoration methods on the block too. And of course, decoration is not only for packaging – there’s plenty going on in other consumer-orient- ed products that benefit from a splash of colour. Market research consultant AWA, which has been following the IML market for many years, says new applications are burgeoning in broader industrial markets for in-mould technology around the world. It recently published its latest market update report, AWA Global In-mould Label Market Study 2017, and will also publish reports on in-mould decoration and in-mould electronics later this year. “With a very small share of the enormous global
www.injectionworld.com
label market – at around 4% – in-mould labelling is just beginning to establish itself as a mainstream contributor, thanks to its significant advantages for brand owners,” AWA says. “It delivers manufacturing economies and efficiencies without sacrificing the aesthetics of a product’s packaging. By providing photo-quality printed graphics — often on highly- durable label materials — it performs exceptionally well on thin-walled plastics packaging. “However, in-mould labelling is not an instant- access technology. Its adoption by an end-user requires considerable capital investment, and the market has the most complex structure and value chain configuration of any packaging decoration method, so there are resultant high barriers to entry at all levels.”
Global IML markets Europe is the most mature market for in-mould labels, with 59% of the global total, mostly in the injection-moulded format, and today the region exhibits wide acceptance of the process across a broad range of end-use segments, AWA notes. “In North America, the use of in-mould labels for promotional activities – at sports events, in cinemas,
June 2018 | INJECTION WORLD 33
Main image: Injection-com- pression
moulded IML decorated lids (Pic: StackTeck)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58
