China Plastic Injection Molding
It’s a manufacturing method used to make custom-molded parts, whether for consumer products or high-end B2B plastic products.
The plastic molding process involves injecting melted plastic into a mold; after the material cools off, the molded parts are removed from the mold and ready to use.
The injection molding machine is divided into 2 parts, the injection unit and the clamping unit.
The parts are still left to cool down to further ensure the desired form and product quality. For example, a plastic mold could break if you try to handle it right after it’s been pushed out of the injection molding machine.
It’s best to let the resin/plastic rest.
The process of creating molded parts is quite simple:
The mold is filled with this melted plastic, and it’s cooled off by cooling bores; once the mold temperature is cool enough, the final part is ejected with the help of an ejector plate and pins system.
The production process is repeated as many times as needed to get all the injection molding parts your device needs.
The process is measured in cycle times; which includes
Hundreds of parts can be manufactured in one day; it’s one of the most cost-effective industrial processes.
Simple right? Once you’re at this stage, it is, but to get here, you first need to go through the process of injection mold design and manufacturing; here’s where the real challenge is.
The mold is a hollow custom shape block made out of steel that is filled with molten plastic materials that take the shape of the mold.
A couple of things to consider when designing the shape of your molded parts for plastic molding.
There are many more guidelines for designing injection molded parts.
That’s why you should never design molded parts, or any part of your product for that matter, in a vacuum because you will end up with a product that is not manufacturing friendly.
If you need complete design and manufacturing support, not just for your molds but also for your complete product, you can contact us.
Suppose you don’t use the correct mold parameters for the parts to be molded, considering dimensions and specific plastic materials to be used.
In that case, your parts have a higher chance of coming out defective after the plastic molding process.
Common plastic molded parts defects
These defects on the surface finish are pretty common when there’s very little coordination between the plastic injection molding company and the company doing the mold design and plastic part design.
This is usually referred to as a lack of Design for Manufacturing. If you want a smooth transition into mass manufacturing, the plastic mold company and your product designers should be experts on DFM.
Needless to say that defective parts caused by a lousy mold design are expensive to fix.
Fixing mistakes during the design stage is 100 times more important than fixing them during the manufacturing process.
If this is your first time looking for molding manufacturing, you should know that production costs are high.
Plastic injection molds are complex units that require the knowledge of highly experienced engineers who know how to design a mold using advanced software and have in mind all the Guidelines for Injected Parts and the capabilities of the manufacturing plant.
Otherwise, the transition from design to manufacturing will be full of setbacks; surface finish issues will arise, and additional monetary expenses will follow.
US$7,000 – US$100,000
A very simple, single mold cavity can cost around US$7,000; a more complex multi-cavity tool mold will cost around US$100,000
These are very rough estimates; for an accurate quote, we need to look at the specifics of your injection molding project; but beware, even low-cost injection parts are not as cheap as you might expect.
So, it sounds like this is expensive, and if something goes wrong, you’ll end up with a lot of wasted time and money.
So, why use this manufacturing process?
Plastic injection molding is still very much used to produce parts for mass manufacturing is fast. When done correctly, there are very few mistakes in the final parts, even if you’re using multiple materials for the same part.
Manufacturing plastic parts with other techniques such as 3D printing is not suited for mass production.
Producing parts this way takes too much time, and the machines don’t allow for the right plastics to be used; you end up using something which material properties turn out to be too weak.
With injection molding, you can mass manufacture long-lasting complex parts fast with a low waste of plastic and other materials.
Using an injection mold becomes the most cost-efficient way to produce product parts in the long run.
This is especially true when you have large product runs.
If you’ve ever reached out to a mold maker inquiring about manufacturing a small batch of custom-made molds and the plant ignored you, it’s most likely because the quantities you were trying to make were not worth it.
This is one of the most used materials for injection molding in high volumes; it is though, it offers stability and chemical resistance.
Another thermoplastic material that is commonly used as it is easy to work with, fire-resistant, unlike ABS, and very lightweight.
On the downside, it scratches easily, and polycarbonate sheets can expand by a degree of 0.065, so keep that in mind.
This is a trendy material used for injection mold; it’s incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide array of product applications. If your product is in contact with water, we recommend you to use it as it is highly impermeable.
On the downside, it is affected by UV degradation easily, so if your product is under the sun all the time, then you might want to stay away from it.
If you need enhanced design flexibility, this is your best resin option. The benefit of using this material is stretching to a moderate length and then returning to its original shape.
The type of material you need to use for your molded parts product will largely depend on the kind of environment your device will operate in and the if any, certifications it needs.
To pass certification testing, 3D molded casings won’t cut it.
After all the careful designing and manufacturing process for molds, it all culminates in the injection molding machine.
Plastics are poured down a hopper into the barrel; inside the barrel, there’s a screw-shaped device called an auger which rotates and pushes the melted plastics into the empty part of the mold.
The plastic inside the barrel is melted thanks to heater bands outside the barrel; it heats the barrel, and the plastic melts.
When the machine begins its production run, the mold closes, and the drill plunges forward with high pressure injecting the liquid plastic into the mold, just like a syringe injects liquid.
We have the complete equipment and offer various types of plastic injection services to accommodate your needs, from high-quality parts to lower-tier ones.
Tell us about your project, what you need, and we’ll work closely with you to deliver injection molds, plastic molds, automotive parts, and any molding manufacturing you need.
Don’t worry about your IP; we’ve got you covered; we’re part of the Titoma manufacturing group; you can use this Non-Disclosure Agreement before you get in touch with us.
Don’t worry. You’ll be the sole owner of your molds and any production equipment or machining for injection mold you decide to invest in.
If our skills suit your project requirements, we’ll get on a phone call to discuss more details for an excellent service. at affordable prices
We can optimize an already existing design or make one from scratch to save production time. The Titoma group also takes on complete electronics manufacturing projects.
Please contact us at the Titoma Group for more information, a quick quote, or other inquiries.