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Common Terms Associated With FIM
The following glossary of terms has been kindly supplied by the Decorative Systems Division of Pressac
Abrasion Resistance - Ability of a printed image to withstand wear and tear during handling and general product usage.
Aquagraphic Technology - Post-molding decoration technique, in which an image is printed onto a carrier film. The printed carrier film is then floated in a tank of water and the carrier dissolves leaving the printed image floating on the surface. An injection molded plastic component (often coated with a primer layer) is then dipped into the water and the printed image will transfer onto it.
Artwork - Name given to the image to be transferred to the plastic component during the decoration process.
Bayblend - Trade name of the Bayer Corporation, used to refer to its family of polycarbonate/ABS resin blends.
Bayfol - Trade name of the Bayer Corporation, used to refer to its family of specialized, hybrid polycarbonate films .
Carrier Film - Film material used to temporarily carry a printed image during a decoration process. The carrier film does not become part of the finished product and is discarded during the decoration process.
Cashew Gate - Curved shape gate which is used on an injection molding tool to direct the resin onto the rear surface of the component. So-called because of its shape, and also referred to as a winkle gate.
Cavity side - Term used to describe one half of an injection mold tool. Generally this side will form the external surface of the product and is most often the fixed half of the tool.
Chemical resistance - Ability of a plastic component to withstand contact from a variety of chemical products. This can range from simple cosmetics, through household cleaners to industrial solvents.
Core side - Term used to describe one half of an injection mold tool. Generally this side will form the internal surface of the product and is most often the moving half of the tool.
Cycoloy - Trade name of the GE Corporation, used to refer to its family of polycarbonate/ABS resin blends.
Digital Printing - Printing technique in which the image is created by a PC based system. Has the advantage of low set up costs and no minimum volume run. Also able to provide very high definition images.
Draft Angle - Slight angle introduced on nominally vertical walls of a molded component to ease the process of ejection from the mold tool.
Draw Depth/Draw Height - Depth/Height to which a decorated foil is formed (drawn) prior to cutting and molding.
Dual Layer construction - See laminated film construction.
Dubellson Gate - Mold tool gating strategy in which the flow from a valve gate is directed behind a decorated foil by means of an annular ring.
Ejection - The process of pushing a molded component off of the core side of a mold tool.
Fan Gate - Mold tool gating strategy in which resin is injected via a thin wide area, generally on the edge of the component.
Female Tool - Negative impression forming tool into which a decorated film is pushed to create an FIM foil.
Film - Raw material onto which the decorative image is printed in the FIM process. Generally this will be a polycarbonate type material.
FIM (Film Insert Molding) - IMD process in which a pre-decorated, pre-formed foil is placed in the cavity of a molding tool prior to resin injection. During the molding cycle, the resin and the foil fuse together.
First Surface Decoration - Components in which the decorative image is on the outer surface. Generally such components will be liable to abrasion and may have additional lacquers applied to protect them from this.
Fixed half - That half of a mold tool which is attached to the non-moving portion of the mold machine. Generally this will be the cavity side of the tool.
Flexography/Flexographic printing - High volume printing technology used extensively in the publishing industry.
Flow Direction - Control of the direction of travel of molding resin during the injection molding process.
Flow line - Visible defects on molded components caused by the flow pattern of the resin during the injection process. In many cases this feature can be masked by the presence of an IMD foil.
Foil - Name given to the printed film in the FIM process once it has been decorated, formed and cut.
Form/Form Tool - Male or female tool used to shape the flat, decorated film into a 3D foil.
Forming - The process of shaping a flat decorated film into a three-dimensional format. Often this process is referred to as 'thermo-forming' since heat is generally used.
Gate/Gating - The location on a mold tool where the resin is injected into the cavity to create the component.
Hardcoat - Lacquer applied to a film or foil to increase the abrasion resistance. This can be applied either as a sprayed coating on a 3D component or as a pre-coating of the film used in the decoration process. Generally, hard coating will be an essential requirement with first surface decorated parts.
Height to Space Ratio - Ratio used to specify the required distance between adjacent raised areas on a formed foil. Particularly important in the design of IMD keypads where it governs the pitch between adjacent keys depending on the height of the key.
HPF (High Pressure Forming) - Forming technology in which flat films are converted into 3D foils using a combination of heat and high pressure air in a sealed chamber.
Hydroforming - Forming technology in which flat films are converted into 3D foils using a liquid in a sealed bladder.
Injection Molding - The process of injection molten plastic resin into the cavity of a mold tool to create 3D plastic components.
Insert Molding - The inclusion of additional components during the plastic injection molding process. Typically used to produce moldings with mechanical components such as threaded metal bosses. Film Insert Molding is a variant of this process.
Image - Term used to describe the decoration to be applied to a plastic component. See also artwork.
IMD (InMold Decoration) - Catchall term used to describe any one of a number of processes used to decorate plastic products during the injection molding cycle.
IML (InMold Labeling) - IMD process in which a flat (2D) decorated foil is placed in the cavity of a molding tool prior to resin injection. Generally this process is used where the finished component is flat or only slighted shaped. It can also be used to decorate flat localized areas on a product.
Ink Blow/Ink Wash - Defect in IMD components in which a portion of the image is distorted or displaced during the injection molding process.
Knock Out - Term used to describe the features on a mold tool used to eject the component from the tool.
Lexan - Trade name of the General Electric company used to describe both its family of Polycarbonate resins and their film counterparts.
Lithography/Lithographic printing - High volume printing technology used extensively in the publishing industry.
Male Tool - Positive impression forming tool over which a decorated film is shaped to create an FIM foil.
Makrofol - Trade name of the Bayer Company used to describe its family of polycarbonate based films.
Mold/Mold Tool - Two piece core and cavity arrangement used to shape the plastic resin during the injection molding process.
Mold Flow Analysis - Process of using computer simulation to predict the flow of resin in an injection molding tool. Generally used to optimize mold tool design before the tool is manufactured.
Mother Tool - Module used to house the form tool in the High-Pressure Forming technique. Generally a mother tool will be a standard item, with heaters and their associated control system, into which form tools for each individual application is fitted.
Moving Half - That half of a mold tool which is fitted to the moving platen on an injection-molding machine. Generally this will be the core half of the tool and will include the ejection mechanism.
Niebling Process - Name of the predominant supplier of the High-Pressure forming process.
Nissha Process - Name of the predominant supplier of the ink transfer IMD process.
Parting Line - The point on a molding tool at which the core and cavity halves of the tool meet.
Post-Molding - Operation carried out on completed moldings to complete the production process. Can include, de-gating, de-flashing and several decoration techniques.
Profile Tool - 3D cutting tool used to stamp out 3D formed films into foils suitable for insertion into the injection mold tool.
Registration - The process of controlling the position of the printed image (decoration) on the completed plastic component.
Rib - Internal feature designed into plastic components to increase their strength.
Runner - Channel between the gate point and the component, in an injection molding tool. Creates as short waste sprue of material.
Second Surface Decoration - Components in which the decorative image is on the inner surface of a layer of plastic material. Such components are more difficult to manufacture than first surface types but have far superior abrasion resistance.
Solvent based ink - Thermally curing (drying) ink used in the decoration process.
Sprue - Waste plastic material created during the injection molding process when the runner area between the gate and the component is filled with plastic.
Sub-gate - Gating strategy in an injection molding tool in which the resin is deflected onto an additional feature on the tool such as an ejection pin.
Sublimation - Decoration process in which the image is embedded into a coating on the molding using a combination of heat and pressure.
Substrate - Term used by the printing industry to describe the material onto which the images are printed.
Surface Finish - The level of texture, or polish, on the surface of a plastic component. This can be controlled by the texture on the mold tool, and/or the texture on any foil used in the IMD process.
Thermoforming - The process used to convert flat 2D decorated films, into 3D foils.
Three Plate Tool - Mold tool design which uses a dual parting line approach in order to separate the sprue from the component during the normal operation of the tool. Avoids the need for a post molding operation to de-gate the tool.
UV Cured Ink - Ink used in the decoration process which is cured (dried) using UV light.
Vacuum Forming - Well established thermoforming technique in which a heated film is drawn down onto a forming tool.
Wall Thickness - The nominal thickness of a molded plastic component.
Weld line - Cosmetic defect on a molded plastic component caused by the coming together of different mold fronts.
Winkle Gate - See cashew gate.
Information kindly supplied by Pressac Decorative Systems Division. For more on the company please visit http://www.advanceddecorative.com/
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