Injection molding: Metalized IM labels find favor quickly

New from inmold label printer Verstraete (Maldegem, Belgium) are metalized labels. At least two molders' customers already have specified the labels for their products—a paint tub and a storage container. The big fish still waiting to be landed is the cosmetics industry, but when MPW visited Verstraete last month it was clear that cosmetics' brand owners are very keen on IML and metallic labels. An article related to that visit is included in the May issue of the magazine.    

To make the labels, Verstraete acquired the necessary equipment from printing machine manufacturer Heidelberg. Heibelberg's 'Foilstar' unit enables the printer to apply a layer of aluminum foil where required onto any of the films in its portfolio.

For a brand owner, there is plenty of choice. It can opt to keep the natural (silver) color of the metalized film, or apply up to 8 colors on top of the metalized layer. This latter option opens colorful possibilities; for example, printing yellow onto the silver layer gives you a gold color, and text in a PMS color can take on a metallic effect. By printing a PMS color or CMYK on top of the metalized foil, the original shade changes slightly.

These are not the first metalized IM labels on the market but Verstraete claims it has optimized its production process so that these labels are as easy to load as the company's standard IML labels.

So far at least two molders have acknowledged using the labels. In Poland, Plast-Box uses them to decorate the 3-, 5- and 10-liter tubs paint tubs it molds for Tikkurila Paints & Coatings. Those tubs are molded by Plast-Box's Ukrainian sister company. Closer to Verstraete's home, Dutch company Sunware, which molds plastic storage products, also has begun using the metalized labels for some of its products. —Matt Defosse