IMT (In Mould Thermoforming)

 

Back injection moulding enables a direct connection between the plastic carrier and the decorative material. By thermoforming foils directly in the mould cavity, before the injection moulding process, an upstream thermoforming and possibly trimming process is no longer necessary. This saves you another set-up and another work step. Reduce your component costs and your logistics sustainably.

  • Cost advantage in production, as no separate pre-moulding and trimming is necessary
  • Investment advantage, as all process steps are combined in the injection mould
  • Undercut component areas can be decorated
  • No visible plastic edges, as decoration can be carried out right into the non-visible area
  • Processing of very thin foils, as a transfer process is no longer necessary
  • High repeatability of the component optics, as no repositioning of a preformed inlay is necessary
  • Components of different sizes can be produced in the same tool for the same optics

We have been constantly developing the IMT technology for several years. We presented it to the public for the first time at K2019.
Decorative film is positioned in the injection mould, deep-drawn and back-injected. The combination with the IMC and IMW trimming technologies enables a significant cost reduction of the overall process and makes the injection moulding machine the centre of the process chain. Decoration right into the non-visible area opens up completely new possibilities for our customers and their designers.

Complex designs

This method enables the production of parts with complex shapes and structural details in one efficient run.

Cost efficiency

By combining thermoforming and injection molding in one step, IMT reduces the need for additional tooling and processes, which lowers production costs.

Expandable

It is possible to integrate additional GKTool technologies in order to complete the components in a process-optimized manner.