This IDTechEx report, the fourth edition in six years, is based on interviews with companies which are conducted by technical IDTechEx analysts. This gives real insight and clarity into what is actually happening in the sector.

 

In-Mold Electronics (IME) 2025-2035 assesses the technology and market opportunities associated with this emerging manufacturing methodology. Drawing on over 25 company profiles, this report evaluates the technical processes, material requirements, applications, and competing methodologies associated with IME such as functional film bonding. It includes 10-year market forecasts by application sector, expressed as both revenue and IME panel area.

 

The report provides examples of uses of IME today, and those that are planned. It includes a discussion of target applications and the required functionalities, and discussion of future technical developments for IME, including greater integration of electronic components.

The progress of key players is covered, including how they see adoption of the technology over the coming years. We give our impartial view on the sector, based on all the inputs and research conducted, and our extensive two-decade long knowledge of assessing the printed and flexible electronics sector, providing unbiased quantification of the uptake of IME technology.

 

The report covers manufacturing methods for in-mold electronics, both with and without integrated SMD (surface mount device) components such as LEDs. It also evaluates competing methodologies for producing similar decorative touch-sensitive interfaces such as functional film bonding, and direct printing. This includes evaluation of the applications and circumstances for which IME is most compelling, including detailed discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of greater integration of electronic functionality.

 

Materials requirements for IME, including conductive and dielectric inks, electrically conductive adhesives, transparent conductors, substrates, and thermoplastics, are also evaluated, with multiple supplier examples. Additionally, the report includes discussion of IME sustainability (including a life cycle assessment).

Motivation for IME

Greater integration of electronics within 3D structures is an ever-increasing trend, representing a more sophisticated solution compared to the current approach of mounting rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs) behind decorative surfaces. In-mold electronics (IME) facilitates this trend by enabling integrated functionalities to be incorporated into components with decorative thermoformed 3D surfaces. IME offers multiple advantages relative to conventional mechanical switches, including reduction in weight and material consumption. It also requires far fewer parts for the same functionality, simplifying supply chains and assembly. Some of the other key benefits include space-saving (important for automotive applications, for example), because the panels are thinner; and light-weighting.

 

Based on a mature manufacturing technology

The IME manufacturing process can be regarded as an extension of the well established in-mold decorating (IMD) process, in which thermoforming plastic with a decorative coating is converted to a 3D component via injection molding. Since IME is an evolution of an existing technique, much of the existing process knowledge and equipment can reused.

 

IME differs from IMD though, the initial screen printing of conductive thermoformable inks, followed by deposition of electrically conductive adhesives and optionally the mounting of components such as LED and even ICs s. More complex multilayer circuits can also be produced by printing dielectric inks to enable crossovers. The figure below shows a schematic of the IME manufacturing process flow.

Challenges and innovation opportunities

Despite the similarities to IMD, there are multiple technical challenges associated with the integration of electronic functionality that must withstand thermoforming and injection molding. A very high manufacturing yield is crucial since the circuitry is embedded, and thus a single failure can render the entire part redundant. This comprehensively updated report covers the commercial and emerging solutions from the key players as IME progresses from R&D to gaining widespread adoption in multiple application sectors.

 

On the material side, conductive inks, dielectric inks, and electrically conductive adhesives need to survive the forming and molding steps that involve elevated temperatures, pressure, and elongation. Furthermore, all the materials in the stack will need to be compatible. As such, many suppliers have developed portfolios of functional inks designed for IME. Establishing an IME material portfolio before widespread adoption means that material suppliers are well positioned to benefit from forthcoming growth. This is because of production processes and products designed with their materials in mind, thus serving as a barrier to switching suppliers.

 

This report examines the current situation in terms of material performance, supply chain, process know-how, and application development progress. It also identifies the key bottlenecks and innovation opportunities, as well as emerging technologies associated with IME such as thermoformable particle-free inks.

 

Commercial progress

IME is most applicable to use cases that require a decorative touch-sensitive surface, such as control panels in automotive interiors and on kitchen appliances and other devices that need sealed waterproof controls. It enables a 3D, smooth, wipeable, decorative surface with integrated capacitive touch, lighting, and even haptic feedback and antennas.

 

Despite the wide range of applications and the advantageous reductions in size, weight and manufacturing complexity, commercial deployment of IME with integrated SMD components has thus far been fairly limited and not met expectations. This slow adoption, especially within the primary target market of automotive interiors, is attributed to both the challenges of meeting automotive qualification requirements and the range of arguably simpler, less integrated alternatives such as functional film bonding (FFB). The report discusses why FFB has enjoyed faster uptake to date within the automotive sector, comparing the competing value propositions and outlining how these will evolve as IME integrates more functionality.

 

IME also has great potential outside the automotive sector. The ability to produce decorative, lightweight, functional components is especially compelling for aircraft interiors, where the weight reduction brings fuel savings. Other potential applications where IME offers simplification of existing HMI surfaces, or even the introduction of HMI functionality to new locations, are white goods, medical and wearable devices, countertop appliances, and even smart furniture.

 

The long-term target for IME is to become an established platform technology, much the same as rigid PCBs are today. Once this is achieved getting a component/circuit produced will be a simple matter of sending an electronic design file, rather than the expensive process of consulting with IME specialists that is required at present. Along with greater acceptance of the technology, this will require clear design rules, materials that conform to established standards, and crucially the development of electronic design tools.

 

Overview

IDTechEx has been researching the emerging printed electronics market for over two decades. Since then, we have stayed close to the technical and market developments, interviewing key players worldwide, attending numerous conferences, delivering multiple consulting projects, and running classes and workshops on the topic. In-Mold Electronics 2025-2035 utilizes this experience to evaluate all aspects of this emerging manufacturing methodology for HMI surfaces.

Key aspects

This report provides the following information:

 

Technology trends & manufacturer analysis:

 An introduction to the in-mold electronics (IME) manufacturing methodology and associated commercial landscape. This includes the motivation for developing IME, along with analysis of opportunities and threats.

 Evaluation of the applications and circumstances for which IME is most compelling, including discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of functionality integration.

 Detailed discussion of the manufacturing requirements for IME, where the biggest technical challenges lie and how they may be addressed.

 Analysis of the IME specific material landscape and technical requirements, including conductive and dielectric inks, conductive adhesives, transparent conductors, and substrates.

 An example life cycle assessment for an automotive component manufactured using IME and with conventional methods.

 Motivation, challenges, and examples of functionality that can be integrated within IME components, including lighting, heating, and haptics.

 An overview of the manufacturing methodologies that compete with IME, including functional film bonding, applying functional films to 3D surfaces, laser direct structuring and printing onto 3D surfaces.

 Updates from conferences attended by IDTechEx.

 Primary information from key companies, including multiple detailed company profiles based on interviews.

 

Market Forecasts & Analysis:

 10-year market forecast for IME by area, split by the application areas: Automotive; Controls (Industrial & home); White goods; Medical & Wearable; and Other

 10-year market forecast for IME by revenue, split by the application areas: Automotive; Controls (Industrial & home); White goods; Medical & Wearable; and Other

 10-year market forecasts by value capture for each material/component/service.