Injection molding is a time-intensive process. You need to be able to trust the team you hire with your time constraints.
When selecting an injection mold manufacturer, look for one that uses science-backed design and production practices. This will maximize manufacturing efficiencies and ensure you get the most value for your dollar.
Experience
Plastic injection molding is a valuable manufacturing option for a variety of industries. It’s a process that saves on costs over other options like CNC machining, produces less waste, and can be used to produce intricate parts.
When selecting an injection molder, finding one who can meet your specifications without making significant compromises is essential. Ideally, your injection molder will be able to offer suggestions that can improve your design and make it more cost-effective to manufacture.
For example, avoiding undercuts in the mold design can drastically reduce complexity and cost. Undercuts require a complicated set of shut-offs to be modeled, which can add up. A simple redesign with a larger draft angle can eliminate the need for undercuts in the molded part.
Capabilities
Injection molding is a highly cost-effective option for mass-producing exact parts. The process typically delivers tight tolerances that are impossible to achieve through other manufacturing methods, such as CNC machining.
Plastic injection molding is also an excellent choice for high-volume production. Labor costs for the process are low since machines do most of the work, with human supervision and quality assurance only necessary for specific tasks.
It is essential to consider the plastic injection molds manufacturer’s capabilities before moving forward with your project. The manufacturer’s capacity to meet your production volume needs is critical. Injection molding can produce very high volumes, but the cost per unit increases as the production size increases. The most expensive part of a plastic injection molded product is the tooling. You can minimize the tooling costs by reducing the number of factors and using the most diminutive possible dimensions.
Reputation
Plastic injection molding machines can create anything from a simple plastic button to an intricate medical device. Regardless of the size and complexity of the product you need, choosing a manufacturer with a solid reputation for quality is essential.
They should be committed to Design for Manufacturing (DFM), an engineering process that optimizes production efficiencies and reduces overall costs. They should also be able to meet your lead times and maintain open communication with you throughout the entire project.
A trustworthy provider can handle all aspects of the design and manufacturing process, ensuring the finished part meets your exact specifications. They can even work with complex plastics and materials like metals. They can even provide an upfront cost estimate that includes the tooling price and the final price per unit.
Flexibility
The manufacturing of plastic injection molded parts requires flexibility. When selecting a partner, finding one that can accommodate design or product development changes and offering solutions like process monitoring and scientific injection molding to meet your specific needs is essential.
Plastic molded products are used in various applications, including the agriculture industry, where it’s essential to have substantial, durable, and corrosion-resistant plastic parts. Injection-molded agricultural parts are used in conveyor belts, drives trains, feeders, water sprinklers, and more.
A good plastic injection mold manufacturer will follow practical guidelines to avoid common defects in molded parts. These include designing pieces with uniform wall thickness and draft angles, considering the movement of side-action cores, ribs, and snap-fits, and avoiding sharp corners.
Pricing
Pricing plays a significant role in injection mold making. Large complex molds cost more to manufacture than small and simple ones. The material the mold is made of also affects the price. Aluminum molds are cheaper than steel ones but tend to wear out faster, requiring replacement and re-machining. Steel molds are more durable and can last for years, lowering the overall per-part cost.
Designing the part with the right features can help reduce the cost of a plastic injection mold. For example, reducing the wall thickness will allow more plastic injected in a single cycle. This can save time, money and reduce waste. It can also improve the strength and durability of the finished part. This is especially helpful for high-volume parts.
