IDTechEx’s New Report Discusses Competing In-Mold Electronics Manufacturing Methodologies

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IDTechEx released a new report titled 'In-Mold Electronics 2023-2033' that discusses in-mold electronics manufacturing methodologies. This comprehensive report evaluates the technical processes, material requirements and applications and draws on over 20 company profiles, the majority based on interviews, to explore this emerging manufacturing methodology. It includes 10-year market forecasts by manufacturing methodology and application sector, expressed as both revenue and functional surface area. Furthermore, the report provides a detailed evaluation of competing approaches, such as functional film bonding and the merits of including components such as LEDs within the IME parts.

IDTechEx reports that smooth, functional surfaces that incorporate touch sensing and backlighting are becoming increasingly prevalent across a variety of applications including vehicle interiors, domestic appliances, medical devices, and aircraft seating. These surfaces use capacitive touch sensing and backlighting, which requires electronics behind the decorative exterior. In-Mold Electronics (IME) is an emerging manufacturing approach that promises to make functional surfaces cheaper, lighter, and more aesthetically pleasing. IME is a method of integrating electronics into the molded part rather than mounting a printed circuit board onto the back of a decorative part.

Manufacturing process flow for in-mold electronics (IME)

Using smooth and functional surfaces that offer touch-sensing capabilities has become increasingly popular in various applications such as vehicle interiors, medical devices, and aircraft seating. Hence, IME involves subjecting at least some of the electronics to a molding process. Conductive patterns are screen printed onto a substrate, enabling capacitive touch sensing, and a decorative layer is applied to the front. The conductively patterned substrate is then thermoformed to produce the required curvature, followed by an injection molding step. This approach contrasts with conventional electronics manufacturing techniques, where a printed circuit board (PCB) would be mounted onto a decorative user-facing part afterward.

The advantages of IME include a weight and material consumption reduction of up to 70% relative to conventional mechanical switches, simpler assembly, and associated supply chains. IDTechEx forecasts the market for IME parts to reach around US$2bn by 2033. Within the umbrella term of 'in-mold electronics', there are many subtly different manufacturing approaches, including mounting SMD components on a flat substrate prior to thermoforming, mounting the SMD components onto an already thermoformed part, and omitting the SMD components altogether.

Mapping possible IME manufacturing methodologies

IDTechEx envisions a gradual trend towards greater functionality integration in IME since it offers the most material and weight reduction scope. Each approach offers a different balance of cost, form factor complexity, functionality, robustness, and size/weight reduction that can meet a particular need.

Click here to view the report titled "In-Mold Electronics 2023-2033" from IDTechEx.