IMD Mould

This kind of 3D decoration is only 2mm in thickness which allows more design freedom, saving assembly time and cost, representing key technology of “intelligent skin” or “electronic skin”. When the plastic product has the electronic function, the new IMD process becomes hot among automobile interior technologies which helps improve vehicle product level.

1 Procedures

Printing Decorative Layer on Foil

1.2 Making Electric Circuit, Sensor, Antenna,etc. on the Foil

1.3 Sticking Electronic Elements on Foil Surface

1.4 Foil Hot Press/ High Pressure Molding

1.5 Plastic With Foil Injection Molded

2 Development

The electric circuit manufacturing method is the core process which pass through two stages.

Stage one is the development of printing conductive metal-the silver paste production which has some shortages:

Firstly, silver circuit cost expensive;

Secondly, welding performance is not good;

Thirdly, cannot be well adhered to base material that nanometre silver powder should take a proportion of over 70% then possesses good conductivity while the sticking glue takes less than 30% which jeopardizes the adhering performance.

Stage two is to print non conductive ink. The base material is layered glue with more than 90% and use laser to activate then electrode the electric circuit in chemistry liquid, so great conductivity and welding performance is realized. And there are several advantages:

Mass production costs much lower;

As great conductivity as planar PCB, and copper thickness only 10µm;

Any shape of curved surface to be 3D molded;

Can be welded.

3 Application Cases

Case 1 takes auto console box for example, applying printing electronic and IMD integrated process, the general module changes from controller, decorative shells, mechanic buttons, LED, etc. to single 3D surface with foil, OLED and sensor.

Traditional design (left below) with individual parts assembled and the new tech(right below).

Case 2 puts decoration and multiple functions on one product.

Sensor for hand waving to activate

Controller, button and slider

Light

Printing antenna beneath the decoration layer

LED backlight indicator and lights integrated in plastic

Controller integrated in 3D plastic

Case 3 to make the electric circuit on film or plastic.

Case 4 makes 3D appearance with new design and combines multiple electronic elements for functions which represents surface decoration a significant trend.

Case 5 To make touch control slides, lights and touch buttons combined, thin and simple.

Case 6 to make inside electric circuit, surface decoration and lighting decoration integrated.

There are many other application cases applying 3D In-mold Electronics which only needs to make one set of IMD mould instead of molds for many parts.

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