Modeling in-mold labels

In-mold labels are very thin part inserts (less than 1mm thick). Labels are applied to the mold before each injection. As the label has different material properties which greatly affect the flow and cooling behaviour, they need to be modeled separately.

Note: You must run a Cool analysis to include in-mold labels in calculations.

There are two different methods for creating in-mold labels. You can model them as part inserts if they are more than 1mm thick, or you can follow the directions below.

Note: Ensure the mesh on the part is on the same plane and has the same boundary as the label.
  1. Select the elements you want to apply the label to.
  2. You can create a new layer and assign the label elements to it, or follow steps 3-5 below.
  3. Click Translate entities (Geometry tab > Utilities panel > Move > Translate).
  4. In the Vector (x,y,z) box, in the Translate tool pane, enter an arbitrary vector to temporarily offset the label so that properties can be assigned to the label (i.e. 0 0 100). Make sure you remember the offset amount.
  5. Select the option for Copy and click Apply. Resize the screen to view the newly created elements.
  6. Highlight the elements for the label and click Assign properties (Geometry tab > Properties panel > Assign) then click New > In-mold label.
  7. Assign the necessary properties such as material, interface conductivity and thickness.
    Note: A label must have a thickness and material assigned to it. If a label is more than 1mm thick, you will need to model it as a part insert.
  8. Ensure the label and the part are correctly oriented.
    • For Midplane models, if the blue side of the label faces the blue side of the part, then the label is located on the blue side of the part. If the red side of the label faces the blue side of the part, the label is located on the red side of the part.
    • For Dual Domain and 3D models, ensure that the blue surface of the label faces the blue surface of the part.
  9. If you created a translated copy of the elements, you need to move the copy back onto the part. In the Vector (x,y,z) box, in the Translate tool pane, enter the opposite of the amount you offset the label elements in step 3. Select the Move option, and click Apply.
Note: If the solution doesn't converge when you run the model, model the in-mold label as a part insert.
Parent topic: Part inserts