Decoration of Plastics

In-Mould Decoration of Plastics, J.C. Love and V. Goodship, The University of Warwick Rubber Product Failure, R.P. Brown. 

Another route to protect polymers from oxygen, light and UV is to encapsulate the part with a continuous film of another, more-resistant polymer to provide a barrier to oxygen. This technology is also used for decoration of plastic parts (in mould decoration or IMD, painting, multilayer sheets for thermoforming. ..). There is no protection against heat. 

Customized Decorating of Plastic Parts with Gray Scale and Multi-Color Images Using Lasers... 

T. McKee, L. Toth, W. Sauerer, Customized Decorating of Plastic Parts with Gray Scale and Multi-Color Images Using Lasers, Proc. ANTEC, Society of Plastics Engineers, 1997. 

The decoration of plastics by means of various printing processes, e.g., offset, silk screen, letterpress, electrostatic, or photographic methods. 

There are two other explanations which are relevant to some situations though neither is important in connection with structural adhesives. The first is the electrostatic theory which, as its title indicates, involves adhesive and substrate as the plates of an electric condenser, work being necessary to separate the plates. The second is the mechanical theory in which mechanical interlocking of adhesive and substrate involves fracture of parts of one or other before separation can be achieved. The former theory has some part to play in explanations of the adhesion of pressure sensitive tapes to substrates and the adhesion of sputtered metal in the surface decoration of plastics. The latter is important in the adhesion of polymers to textiles and papers and, to a much lesser extent, to wood. 

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