Reimagining Injection Molding Technology
Film insert molding and in-mold decoration have become established techniques in injection molding electronics (IME), enabling the production of 3D-shaped human-machine interfaces with seamlessly integrated graphics and sophisticated designs. The technology offers compelling advantages: highly integrated compact systems, enhanced durability, reduced assembly requirements, cost-effective production, and lightweight product architectures.
Yet current IME solutions face critical limitations. Capacitive sensors – the industry standard – fail with cold fingers or gloves and provide no haptic feedback. While individual manufacturing sub-processes achieve impressive yields of around 99%, the overall process yield drops significantly. Today’s multi-material IME products resist recycling efforts, falling short of EU sustainability and circularity requirements. Heat from LEDs positioned near capacitive sensors compromises durability and degrades user experience.
MULTIMOLD addresses these challenges head-on, targeting improvements in user experience, production yield, durability, and material recyclability to deliver the next generation of injection molding electronics.
The MULTIMOLD Approach
This Horizon Europe project tackles IME’s current limitations through three key innovations: printed piezoelectric sensing, 3D-shaped flexible PCBs, and material stacks optimized for recyclability and reuse.
The project focuses on real-world applications demanding reliable operation in harsh environmental conditions: industrial control panels, automotive user interfaces, and condition monitoring systems for wind turbines. MULTIMOLD demonstrators integrate advanced electronic functionality with multimodal sensors, haptic feedback, and power supply systems, together with micro- and nanostructured functional surfaces offering light-guiding, antibacterial, anti-icing, easy-to-clean, and aesthetically appealing properties.
Up-skilling workers and professionals for the future
While improving the technology to provide advanced IME technology, the importance of equipping workers and professionals with new skills to manage these innovations is not overlooked.
The MULTIMOLD project is actively addressing the upskilling and reskilling requirements in the automotive, wind turbine, and industrial sectors through the deployment of advanced workforce development tools.
Central to this initiative is AVANTI, an AI-powered software platform developed by R2M Solution that performs comprehensive curriculum vitae analysis to identify competency gaps for specific positions and recommends targeted training interventions. This technology-enabled approach allows organisations to systematically assess workforce capabilities against evolving role requirements and design precision training programs that address identified deficiencies.
AVANTI is currently undergoing validation testing with researchers and industrial personnel participating in the MULTIMOLD project. This pilot implementation will provide empirical evidence regarding the platform’s efficacy in identifying skills gaps and facilitating targeted reskilling initiatives, directly supporting the human-centric industrial transition outlined throughout this analysis. By leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance rather than replace human capability development, MULTIMOLD exemplifies the augmentation paradigm essential for ensuring workforce prosperity in the emerging industrial landscape.
Follow their journey: https://www.multimold.eu/