IMD-decorated lock panel
A slim decorated control panel for smart locks — graphics in the mold, so the finish does not wear off in daily use.
Products · IMD / IML parts
IMD shell with seamless finish
A molded shell where colour and graphics sit inside the wall — seamless finish, brilliant colours and no post-printing.
Also searched asIMD parts · IML parts · in-mold decoration · in-mold labeling · film insert molding
In-mold decorated shells are used where a product needs colour and detail without paint, printing or a separate decorative part. The decoration is bonded during molding, so it cannot peel, fade at an edge or come off in cleaning.
Producing it reliably is a molding and tooling discipline: film location, cavity vent layout, injection speed profile and wall thickness all influence whether the artwork distorts. We validate the decoration on the T1 samples rather than at mass production.
Typical applications
- Smart device housings
- Robotics and appliance covers
- Wearables and handhelds
- Consumer electronics shells
Specification
What this class of tool is built to
Our standard specification for this type of tooling, confirmed line by line on the mold design approval sheet before machining starts.
| Mold construction | Two-plate, three-plate, hot runner, stack or family — specified per part |
| Cavity count | Single or multi-cavity, sized to annual volume, cycle time and press tonnage |
| Mold steels | P20, 718H, NAK80, S136, hardened H13 / SKD61 cores |
| Mold work tolerance | ±0.01 mm |
| Machine accuracy | Down to 0.001 mm (Yasoda, OKUMA, GF, Makino) |
| Runner | Cold runner, hot runner or valve gate |
| Surface finish | SPI A1–D3, bead blast, leather grain or your texture |
| Cooling | Machined circuits; baffles or bubblers where geometry requires |
| Ejection | Pins, sleeves, stripper plate, lifters, unscrewing or collapsible core |
| Verification | Swiss Hexagon CMM and Zeiss Contura; dimensional report at T1 |
| Molding | 30 presses from 20T to 300T, in the same building |
| Documentation | 2D/3D drawings, steel and component certificates, parameter sheet, spare parts |
| Lead time | Typically 15–30 days of machining after design approval |
| Tool ownership | Yours — the tool is designed to be transferable |
Values above are our standard capability for this class of tool, not fixed figures for a specific project. Cavity count, steel grade, runner type and finish are agreed with you on the design approval sheet before any steel is cut.
Related products · IMD / IML Parts
More from the IMD / IML Parts range
IMD nameplates and decorative panels
Flat decorated panels with metallic, gradient and marble finishes — produced as flat parts instead of printed foil or metal.
IMD patterned small parts
Printed patterns — animal print, textile effects, gradients — molded into small plastic parts instead of applied afterwards.
Next step
Ask for a DFM review and a price for your part
STEP/IGES/X_T files, the resin, your annual volume and target market are enough to get a mold price, a cycle estimate and the risks we can see — usually in 1–2 business days.