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4 Common Questions Surrounding Injection Molded Parts
With businesses spending $212.81 billion on plastic injection molding in and projected to spend $359.80 billion a year by , plastic molding has become one of today&#;s most popular production methods. It&#;s used by a wide range of industries for applications that range from automotive parts and food packaging to electronic goods and disposable medical equipment. But despite its popularity, most people don&#;t know much about what plastic injection molding manufacturers do or how this technology works. Here are some answers to four common questions asked by customers of plastic mold companies.
What Is Plastic Injection Molding?
Plastic injection molding is a manufacturing process that produces parts by forcing thermoplastic material into a cavity with a desired shape. At a plastic injection molding company, the material is loaded through a hopper into a heated barrel, where it&#;s melted. The plastic is then injected through a nozzle into the mold cavity. Inside the cavity, it cools and assumes the shape of the mold. Once the plastic has solidified, a movable platen opens, and ejector pins push the new part out. This method can be used to mass-produce many precision-designed units with the exact same shape and specifications.
How Long Does Plastic Molding Take?
On average, it takes between about six and twelve weeks to build the mold used for the plastic molding process. The length of time required varies with the complexity of the part that needs to be molded. A simple part, such as a cup, can be formed by pulling two halves of a mold apart, a process known as a straight-pull mold. Parts involving undercuts and threads require more complex molds that use features such as hydraulics and slides, which increases production time. In general, designs that make it harder to separate mold halves or that require added injection components make molds longer to produce. To shorten production time, sit down with your plastic mold company early in the design process and get their input on how to reduce mold complexity.
How Much Does Plastic Injection Molding Cost?
A Plastic injection mold costs somewhere in the range of several thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands. Once the mold is built, using the mold to make parts is generally less expensive than other plastic manufacturing methods. The complexity of your mold design has a direct impact on how much your mold will cost. The materials you use for your part, the size of your part, and the scale of production can also impact the overall cost of your part production.
Is 3D Printing Cheaper Than Plastic Injection Molding?
3D printing can be less expensive than plastic injection molding for prototyping and short production runs, but after a certain production volume is reached, it becomes cheaper to use plastic molding. The reason for this is that in plastic injection molding it costs more up-front to make the mold, but once the mold is made, your cost per unit is lower. You need more data in order to accurately compare the costs of 3D printing versus plastic injection molding. Find a cost estimate for each method to discover how much it would take to make your mold and produce individual units. From there you can determine the volume at which plastic molding becomes more cost-efficient.
Still have questions about how you can use plastic injection molding to your advantage? Get in touch with the friendly experts at Universal Plastic Mold to learn more about our process and how you can optimize your manufacturing.
Injection molding is the most common plastic molding process and is used to create a wide variety of complex parts of different size and shape. Whether it&#;s an overcap for a water bottle or a vinyl window part being manufactured, injection molding is efficient and economical, especially if high volumes of parts are being produced.
Injection molds represent the greatest expense in upfront production costs. With any custom injection molding project, your injection molder should be able to provide you with a quote that breaks down the costs. Procurement and purchasing managers have the unenviable task of obtaining quotes for each project. Depending on the input (in terms of drawings, prototypes or sample parts), the quotes can vary greatly.
Molds made with tighter tolerances, more cavities and a longer production life will take longer to build and will cost more upfront. The savings with a high-quality mold are long-term. These molds require less maintenance and last longer than lower quality molds.
Getting an injection molding quote is the first step in determining feasibility; however, there are many questions that should be answered before an accurate quote can be supplied.
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Here are the top six questions you should able to provide initial answers to:
1. Are there CAD drawings, prints or samples of the part to be quoted?
To begin to form an accurate quote, the molder needs to know what you are asking them to make. Detailed dimensional drawings provide information on the size and complexity of the part. A sample or prototype can especially help the molder begin to determine how to maximize the design for manufacturability.
2. Are you running the parts from an existing mold?
If so, it would be up to the molder to decide if they can run your parts from the existing mold. At Rodon, we look for a mold that can run in an automated fashion, unattended and one that is made from a quality stainless steel material. If we can run the mold the way it was originally designed and built then we will certainly consider it.
3. What is the part application? Are there chemical or environmental issues the part will be exposed to?
The injection molder you are working with needs to understand the end-use application of the part. This explanation will help the manufacturer determine how sturdy the part needs to be and what the wear and tear will be over time. The information you provide will help your molder make recommendations on the resins and/or additives required for your project.
4. What quantities are needed?
All injection molds are not made alike. If you are interested in smaller quantities or a shorter production run, an aluminum mold might be the best option. If your project requires large quantities over a longer time span, then a hardened stainless steel mold would be the best choice. The upfront cost of the latter option is higher; however, it pays for itself over the life of the tool. High volume, precision molders like The Rodon Group specialize in building tools with hardened steel.
5. What is the size and complexity of the part?
While many plastic parts are made through injection molding, other molding processes can be used to produce a part. Briefly, smaller parts that are more complex are ideally suited to the injection molding process. Larger parts may be produced by injection molding or compression molding. Oversize parts lend themselves to rotational molding while hollow objects, like bottles, are made with blow molding. You can learn more about each in this related post.
6. What types of polymers or resins are required for the part?
You may need to do some initial fact-finding, but having an understanding of the type of plastic material you feel best suits your project gives the molder a starting reference point. In the long-run, a qualified molder will recommend the resin and additives they think will provide the best result.
By answering these six questions, you should be well on your way to working with a manufacturer that can help move your project along. You may also want to consider working with a turnkey manufacturer who handles every aspect of a project in one place, allowing for more transparent communication, streamlined processes, and higher product quality.
For over 60 years, The Rodon Group has used the turnkey manufacturing model to craft top-quality components for a range of applications, working closely with clients to ensure industry-leading value. Providing precision high volume injection molding services, we specialize in annual orders of 1 million parts per year or more.
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