China mold

What is Plastic Mold?

Plastic mold (mould) is a tool or die used in the manufacturing process to create plastic parts and products. The plastic mold is typically made of metal or another hard steel (H13, DIN1.2344, DIN 1.2343, 2083, NAK80, or similar steel) and is designed to hold melted plastic in a specific shape until it cools and solidifies.

Plastic mold manufacturers commonly use this process to make millions of plastic parts. These parts can have complex designs and the same shape. Other methods would find it hard or impossible to create them,Plastic injection molds are used in many industries. These include automotive plastic injection molded products, construction industry, , home application products, furniture industries, electronics industries, plastic molding toys, consumer products, and so on.

Making plastic mold injection is very complex jobs that must be manufactured by a professional injection mold maker. Below are the simple steps to make the plastic molds.

  • First, the part designer must create the model you want. Alternatively, you can hire your injection mold supplier to design the final product based on your needs.
  • Second, when the product design is approved, you need to find your mould maker to come up with a completely mold design. Once the mold design has been created, you can start to manufacture the plastic mold. The plastic injection mold manufacturing process includes drilling, lather machining, wire cutting, CNC machining, EDM, polishing, etc.
  • Third, the last step to making a plastic mold is mould fitting. When mold manufacturing is complete, you need to do the mold fitting. This checks if the components are in the right position. Mold fitting is the only way to check mold quality and improve any possible issues in advance.
  • Fourth, when mold fitting is finished, the actual injection molding process can start. At the beginning of the injection molding process, we called it mold trial. From the mold trial to large-scale production, we still need to fix some small injection molding problems. We must do several mold trials because the first one usually has some issues that need to be resolved.

After two or three mold trials until customer approval of the samples, we could start massive production runs. There is a simple process to follow. It includes part design, mold design, and mold manufacturing. This helps create perfect-looking plastic products.

Plastic mold manufacturing is actually a complex process. You must find a professional plastic mold maker to make your plastic molds.

plastic injection molding tool

What are the advantages of plastic mold technology?

Here are some of the advantages of plastic mold technology:

High efficiency and quick production

There are many good reasons why plastic injection molding is famous as the most common and successful form of molding. The process is quick compared to other methods. Its high production rate makes it more successful and affordable. Speed depends on the size and complexity of the mold, but just about 15–120 seconds pass between each cycle.

Better strength

Strength is one of the important factors that need to be determined when designing a plastic injection-molded part. The designer needs to know if the part should be rigid or flexible. This information helps them adjust the ribs or gussets. Understanding how the customer will be using the part and what kind of atmosphere the part will be exposed to is also vital.

Finding the right balance of design considerations will help address your parts need for stability and strength. Material selection plays another important role in the strength of the part.

Reduced waste

When searching for a high-volume injection molding supplier, it is important to consider their green manufacturing efforts. These efforts show a commitment to sustainability, quality, and safety.

During the molding process, excess plastic is produced. You want to look for a firm that has a system in place to recycle its excess plastic. The best eco-friendly plastic injection molding companies use advanced machines to cut down on waste, packaging, and transportation.

Low labor costs

Labor costs are generally relatively low in plastic injection molding in comparison with other kinds of molding. The ability to produce parts quickly and at a high quality improves effectiveness and efficiency.

The molding equipment usually operates with a self-gating mechanical tool. This keeps operations smooth and production going with little supervision.

Flexibility, material, and color

Choosing the right color and material for a project is key to making plastic molded parts. Due to the large range of both, the chances are almost limitless. The progress in polymers has led to many different types of resins to choose from.

It is important to work with an injection molder who has experience with different resins and uses. This includes resins that meet RoHS, FDA, NSF, and REACH standards.

To choose the best resin for your project, think about a few important factors. These include tensile strength, impact strength, flexibility, warm deflection, and water absorption.

If you are unsure about the best materials for your plastic molds, you can check injection molding materials. You can also contact us easily by emailing info@plasticmold.net.

acrylic molds

What are the disadvantages of plastic mold technology?

Here are some of the disadvantages of plastic mold technology:

High initial investment costs

Quick-production injection molding needs an injection molding machine, injection plastic molds, injection molding equipment, other auxiliary equipment, etc.

The cost of injection molding machines and molds is high. This makes it a big investment. Therefore, it is not ideal for small batches.

High design requirements

To produce parts in large quantities, make sure the design is correct from the start. If you have to replace the mold later because of design problems, it will be very expensive.

High skill requirements: Making mold items depends on many factors. This means the technical skills needed are higher and harder to learn.

Injection molding machine operators need a lot of skill. They usually require 5 to 10 years of experience.

Plastic injection mold design and production workers need more technical skills. They usually require 5 to 10 years of experience.

Longer pre-production lead time is time-consuming.

The main equipment for injection molding is the mold. However, designing the mold takes a long time. Different tool-making methods and mold testing also slow down production.

Depending on the structure and size of the product idea, it generally takes 25–40 days to make the injection mold.

Once the plastic injection mold is ready, it often takes several attempts to adjust the injection molding machine settings. This process happens during the same-making stage. The goal is to find the best settings for fast production. However, this also requires some time.

PMMA injection molding

When do you need plastic molds?

When you have a plastic product design that want to make it in life or sell on the market, you should consider using plastic injection mold technology. It offers great manufacturing options that you might be missing out on. No matter if you worry about accuracy, using plastic instead of metal, or cost, this list can help. We believe it will encourage you to consider plastic injection molding for your product again.

Part standard and accuracy

Plastic injection-molded parts can have high quality and accuracy as required. When using manufacturers in the U.S., accuracy is usually within 0.001 inches. Standard control measures, such as ISO certification, ensure your parts are high quality and accurate. However, the price will be higher than in China.

Volume of production

Once the mold making for plastic parts is made, the volume of production can be scaled up or down as needed.

Cost per plastic part

After the primary cost of the injection mold, the cost per part is extremely low. Choosing the right resin will affect the cost. However, machine wear and labor costs are low. This means that costs per part are lower than other manufacturing options when production volumes are high.

Complexity of parts

Plastics and their inject molds permit greater design freedom than many other producing specs. A skilled plastic mold company can create parts and sets of parts that require less work after they are made. This includes everything from smooth finishes to intricate designs.

Co-injection, overmolding, and double-shot

Parts don’t have to be made of one plastic. Double-shot molding and overmolding allow two types of plastic to be combined in the mold. These plastics can have different qualities, such as hardness and flexibility.

Co-injection molding allows one polymer to be injected as the core of another. This method creates parts that are more flexible and affordable.

double injection

Market-specific materials and standards

Plastic molding technology has been around for a long time and has the tools and standards to meet different markets. For example, if you are making medical parts and need traceability, you have options. These options help ensure that every part can be traced back to its batch.

Injection molding is a process used in most plastic productions and is very preferred by different businesses and firms. This is largely because it is pretty efficient and provides uniformity in all the items manufactured using this process.

To get the best results, it is best to work with a professional injection mold producer. They offer quality plastic injection molding services.

This process requires the use of expertise to make sure that the products meet high standards. Your mold supplier must choose the best material to use. They also need to create a working mould design. Finally, they should make a working prototype to start the production process.

Where can I find the best plastic mold company?

Sincere Tech is one of top 10 mold manufacturers in China. We provide custom plastic injection mold and molding services worldwide. Our services can save you 40% on plastic mold manufacturing and production. We have over 18 years of experience in plastic injection mold manufacturing services and fluent technical English communication.

We 100% guarantee that your project will be successful. You will be impressed and satisfied with our quality, price, and services. We are willing to share with you some of our customers to let you verify our quality and service. Send us your requirements for a quotation; you will not lose anything but our competitive price for reference.

To protect your project from copying, we can sign an NDA document to protect your project. In the following, you will find information about plastic injection molding processes, techniques, specialized molding technology, defects, and troubleshooting solutions.

plastic mold technology

Plastic mold structure

Basically, there are two main parts in the plastic injection mold structure: the mold cavity (fixing half) and the mold core (moving half).

The mold cavity (fixing half) is the mold part that forms the outer shape or contour of the plastic part being generated. The feeding system is located at this point as well.

This part of the mold is designed to define the full size and shape of the part. It is made by creating a reverse impression of the part to be molded. This uses high-precision CNC machines, wire cutting, electrode discharge machining, and other machining methods.

On the other hand, the injection mold core (moving half) side forms the inside features and shapes of the plastic part being generated. It creates the inside geometry of the part, such as bosses, holes, ribs, and other specs.

The mold core is made using reverse impressions of the part. This is done with high-precision CNC machining, wire cutting, and electrode machining. Other machining processes are also used.

The two parts of the plastic injection mold, the cavity and core, will be put together in the mold base. This mold base has cooling channels, ejector pins, guiding bushinges, runners, spure bushing, fastening screws, and other mechanisms. These mechanisms include lifters, sliders, and other special actions.

The material for the plastic mold structure depends on several factors. These include the type of plastic, the mold’s lifetime, and the budget. Usually, the mold base is made from S50 C. Sometimes, the A and B plates are made from 1.2311. Normal steel for the mold cavity and core will be P20, 1.2738H, S136H, NAK80, 1.3444, 1.3443, H13, etc.

Plastic injection molding needs a lot of precision and accuracy. The mold structure is key to making a high-quality finished product.

Overall, plastic mold is made of a variety of mold plates, inserts, blocks, sliders, lifters, and other metal components. A plastic injection mold has two main parts: the fixed half, called the cavity side, and the ejector half, known as the core side. These parts include several mold plates and inserts.

The cavity is made using inserts that fit the surrounding frame plates (A/B plates). This makes it easier to machine and replace.

plastic mold

plastic mold injection

The plastic injection mold cavity and core inserts are usually separate blocks. Some of these blocks are made of strong material. They are inserted into pocket plates. These pocket plates are machined into the A and B plates. A and B plates are also called cavity or core retainer plates.

The mold cavity and core inserts are in the pocket plate. They stand above the A/B plate by about 0.1 to 0.5 meters. When both the fix and moving halfes closed, leave a small space between the A and B plates. This will create an excellent fit for the cavity and core inserts.

The mold fixed half includes (cavity side):

a: Locating ring; b: basic plate (top plate); c: guide pin; d: insulation plate (for higher mold temperatures or hot runner mold); e: fasten screw; f: frame plate or A plate (cavity if made in solid); see below picture

fixing half-cavity side

fixing half-cavity side

Plastic mold ejection half includes (moving half/core side):

a: guide bushing; b: locating bushing; c: supporting bar; d: bottom plate; e: frame plate or B plate (core if made in solid); f: support plate; g: support bar; h: upper ejector plate; i: lower ejector plate.

moving half-core side

moving half-core side

Plastic mold materials

There are many types of mold steels that can be used to make injection plastic molds, including aluminum, steel, brass, copper, and many others. The below materials are some of the common mold materials used in the making of plastic molds.

Basic steel, which we use to make plastic molds:

  1. P20 (1.2311): This is a versatile, low-alloy mold steel with HRC 33-38, which is used a lot for the low- to middle-volume injection mold. This steel has good toughness and machinability. Some time used as A and B plates, and ejector plates as well.
  2. H13 (1.2344, 1.2343) or S136: Those are excellent heat resistance steels, These steels are usually used for injection molds. They are needed for high production volumes and should last over 1 million shots. This is a very tough, low-hardness steel used for high-quality cavity and core requirements. The hardness of those steels can be hardened to HRC 48–60 degrees.
  3. 303 Stainless Steel: This material is known for its corrosion resistance and machinability. It’s suitable for molds used in less demanding applications.
    420 Stainless Steel: This type of steel is harder and more wear-resistant than 303 stainless steel. It is used for molds where abrasion is a problem.
  4. Aluminum Alloys: Some aluminum alloys are used for prototype molds due to their lightweight nature and good thermal conductivity. The normally used aluminum alloys are 7075 and 6061.
  5. Beryllium Copper Alloys: These alloys, such as C17200 and MoldMAX, exhibit high thermal conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance. They are used in molds that require rapid heat removal, especially for some of the deep ribs, which are not possible to add a cooling channel to or are not easy to cool during molding.
  6. 718H (1.2738H) and 2738HH: Those are pre-hardened steels that have a hardness of HRC 28–40, which provides moderately high hardness and good machinability. It is used primarily for cavities and cores, as well as stripper plates. The mold life of those steels is around 0.5 million shots or more.

When selecting the steel for a plastic mold, you may wonder which material you should use. Then,  you need to think about some factors, such as the type of plastic material being molded, the expected production volume, the required mold life, and cost considerations. Additionally, the surface finish is also an important factor in selecting the right mold material. When you have a project that requires plastic mold, find professional mold manufacturers in China that will solve your issues quickly, correctly, and at a at a competitive price.

What Is Plastic Molding Technology?

Plastic molding technology is the process of pouring liquid plastic into a mould or die cavity so that it hardens into a customized shape. These plastic molds can be used for a wide range of purposes. and it is a cost-effective process to produce millions of uniform-shaped plastic products.

There are typically five types of molds: compression moulding, extrusion moulding, injection moulding, blow moulding, and rotational moulding. We look at the details pertaining to each of these techniques so that you can decide which one will be the most successful for you to use.

injection molding service

Extrusion moulding

With extrusion molding, warm, melted plastic is pressed via a shaped hole to make a lengthy, shaped plastic part. This customizable shape that the liquid plastic gets pressed into is known as a die. This die is custom-made for the particular outcome that is wanted. It is almost like pressing dough through a press to make cookie-shaped cookies.

Compression moulding

This technique involves liquid plastic being poured into a warmed mould and then being compressed to form the desired shape. The high temperature of the full process ensures the best strength in the end product. The process is finished off by chilling the liquid plastic so that it keeps it from being trimmed and removed from the mould.

Blow moulding

With blow moulding, the custom plastic parts come out thin-walled and hollow. This technique is perfect for when the plastic part has to have a uniform wall thickness. This is extremely similar to the process of glass blowing.

Injection moulding

Injection moulding is quite similar to extrusion moulding. The difference here is that with injection moulding, the melted plastic is injected straight into a custom mould. The injection is done under high pressure so that the mould is packed with a powerful force. As with the other technique, after the mould is packed, the plastic is chilled to keep its new shape, then the mould is opened and the ejector system is used to eject the part out of the mold cavity, then the next cycle continues.

Rotational moulding

Also sometimes known as rotomoulding, this technique involves the liquid or resin being placed inside the mould and then being rotated at high speeds. The liquid then evenly covers the full surface of the mould to create a hollowed part with all the walls evenly thick. After the mould is chilled and the liquid plastic has taken on its fresh form, it is taken out of the mould.

The future of plastic injection molds

The industry of making plastic parts continues to grow thanks to the latest ideas and processes. These creative plastic injection moulding techniques give manufacturers and businesses new ways to mass-produce plastic parts. Here are some new innovations in plastic injection molding that may help your business and make production more efficient.

Micro-injection molding

As technology advances, our equipment and devices grow smaller for easier storage and handling. Many firms and industries keep innovating by creating new designs every year with more compact dimensions. Little plastics are famous in many fields, and using micro-injection molding is the best way to fulfill that need.

The phone and computer industries benefit from micro-injection molding since they use smaller plastic molds for newer phones and computer gadgets. The medical field also uses small medical devices for patients, such as portable IV pumps.

Injection transfer molding

Transfer molding process process involves of making similar injection-molded items simultaneously. Injection transfer molding takes it a step further by using the typical injection molding process and a plunger to press the resin into two or more molds.

The mold would cool simultaneously and eject for a quicker rate of production. This process gives the extra benefit of creating a uniform look across different molded items, such as plastic tube plugs.

Structural foam molding

A big innovation for injection molding is structural foam molding. This process gathers injection molding and gas-assisted injection molding by creating foam comprised of gas-like nitrogen and plastic resin. The combination turns into foam upon injection and expands. The result is an interior of foam and a shell of hard plastic material.

This foam combination makes it easier to make hard shapes and reach small portions of the mold. Plus, it creates powerful plastic. The inside of the plastic is hollow, while the exterior is powerful and detailed, depending on the mould.

Gas-assisted injection molding

Certain injection molds have hard designs and little space to fill. These little spaces make molding a full plastic piece hard since the resin may not reach it. Gas-assisted injection molding makes sure that resin reaches the small portions of the mould by injecting pressurized gas into the fluid while the resin cools.

The gas will release after chilling finishes, and the part will eject from the mold. This innovation in plastic injection moulding is a remarkable way to make hard plastic parts and make sure the plastic surface is powerful since the gas causes it to expand.

Polypropylene injection molding shop

What type of materials are used in plastic molding technology

Plastic injection molding is compatible with lots of plastic materials, so its products are common in every industry and household. It is virtually impossible to cover all of them in one write-up. We have hand-picked the most famous ones.

Acrylic (PMMA)

Poly, better known as acrylic, is a thermoplastic material that has perfect mechanical strength, is lightweight, and has a clear, view-through look. Although not ductile, it has the best shatter resistance.

Additionally, one of its largest strengths is its ease of mechinability. After injection molding, acrylic parts are easy to finish and alter. go to PMMA injection molding to lear more.

PMMA has a few issues worth noting. Firstly, it is prone to scratching, which not only affects its clarity but also its full look. Additionally, PMMA has a tendency to accumulate greases and oils, further impacting its surface and clarity properties. Lastly, it exhibits bad performance in high-temperature conditions.

acrylic injection molding

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

ABS is one of the most famous injection molding materials. It has the best toughness and strength, chemical resistance, impact resistance, oils, and bases. It is fully opaque and can be injected-molded in many colors. On top of this, ABS is pretty cheap compared to other plastic injection molding materials on this list. learn more about ABS injection molding.

what is ABS material

abs platics

Polycarbonate (PC)

PC has remarkable toughness, impact resistance, and shatter resistance. It has a transparent look. Additionally, it has the desirable standard of maintaining its mechanical features and looking for a wide temperature range. Thus, it runs well in high-temperature atmospheres.

It does have remarkable optical clarity, oftentimes better than glass. This makes it a very famous injection molding material for producing helmet visors, goggles, and protective machine shields. learn more about polycarbonate injection molding.

PC injection molding

Polystyrene (PS)

PS is one of the few injection molding materials that is very famous. It is amazingly lightweight, has chemical reactions, resists moisture, and is very perfect for injection molding due to its uniform thermal shrinkage inside the mold.

PS is used to make items like appliances, toys, containers, etc. It also enjoys a unique position in the medical equipment industry as it does not degrade with gamma radiation, the initial technique to sterilize medical equipment. Thus, equipment like culture kits and Petri dishes is injection molded with PS. check more about PS injection molding.

Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)

TPE stands out among injection molding materials in the sense that it is a plastic-rubber blend. It gathers the benefits of both materials. It is flexible, can be stretched to strong, long lengths, and is recyclable.

Additionally, its big benefit is that it’s affordable among most rubber alternatives. Lear more about TPE injection molding.

It is, anyway, not perfect for use in high temperatures as it loses some of its material features. Additionally, it should not be stretched too much for too long, as it is susceptible to creep.

TPE injection moulding

What is the cost of plastic molds and plastic injection molding products?

The cost of injection plastic molds and the cost of injection molding products can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, including the size and complexity of the mold, the type of plastic being used, the production volume, and the lead time for production.

These elements, as well as any additional costs for finishing, packaging, and shipping, have an impact on the price of the finished plastic injection molding product. It’s important to work closely with a manufacturer to understand all the costs involved and to get a clear estimate before beginning production.

Below, we will give you some guides on how to get a plastic mold price and a plastic molding price from your mold supplier.

1. How do I get a price for export plastic mold or tooling?

What is an export plastic mold? Which means you will buy the mold only; once the mold is completely finished and ready for massive production, you will take the mold back to your country or your specified manufacturer to mold the parts.

To get a price for export injection plastic mould, there are a few things that you are going to provide to your mould supplier. In order to make sure that you have given the manufacturer all of the information that they need to check the price accurately, below are some key points for mold price estimating. This is the most important information for export molds.

  • First of all, send the 3D drawing (STP or IGS format is better) to your mold suppliers. If you do not have the drawing, then you need to have some pictures of a sample with an approximate part size and show your supplier that part structure.
  • Second, you need to know how many shots of the mold you require, for example. 0.5 million shots of a lifetime or 1 million shots of a lifetime requirement, because those two requirements will cause a different price.
  • Third. The number of cavities: you need to specify how many cavities you need for your mold. Because one cavity and multiple cavities have totally different prices, the single cavity is cheaper than the multiple cavities mold. Because this will affect the mold price as well, if you are not sure, you can ask your supplier for some suggestions.
  • Forth. Is it a cold runner or a hot runner that you require for your mold? If a hot runner, what brand of hot runners? YUDO, INCOE, etc.—all of that information will have different prices, so you need to specify your requirements. You could still ask your mold supplier for some suggestions as well.

The above items are very import information to get tooling costs for export mold because all of the information will change the mold price. You are welcome to contact us if you need any support.

Plastic Injection Mold

2. How to get a price for injection molding products

If you only need plastic molding parts, then you only need to tell us (or another plastic molding company) what the plastics will be, how many parts you need per time, what the surface requirements are, and the colors of the parts, and they will take care of the rest for you.

To get the cost of plastic injection molding products, it is much easier than getting the cost of exporting plastic mold. Simple steps as below make getting the plastic injection molding service price easy.

  • What will plastic be? for example, PP, PA66, ABS, PC, PMMA, PC/ABS, PEEK, PPS, etc.
  • What color do you require for your molding parts? There are lots of colors; you could take a color reference from pantone color.
  • What is the part surface requirement? Texture (graining or matte) or high polishing? The texture code could take references from VDI 3400.
  • 3D part design (STP or IGS format file will be great for all of the companies); if you do not have a 3D part design, then send your sample pictures with part size and part weight, or an idea picture and explain it to us, and we can still get the price for you.
  • How many parts do you need per time?
  • Do you have any special function requirements?

With the above information, you will get a very competitive local mold/tooling cost (at least 40% lower than others) and unit injection molding cost from our side. That information is an important factor in estimating the plastic injection molding cost. Otherwise, any price will not have any references.

Plastic Molds, Molding Defects and Troubleshooting

The quality of the plastic mold is as important as the molding process. The plastic molding company you choose to help you with your product will eventually fight common molding issues. If you have high-quality plastic molds and a good plastic injection molding process, that will bring out the kind of results you expect from the end product.

Molding defects appear in the plastic mold; they can be attributed to the type of raw material used in the plastic injection moulding process, as well as the quality of the plastic mould, injection molding process skill, injection molding machine, etc.

Fortunately, by processing and preventing injection molding defects and using these approaches, mold manufacturers can create high-quality injection plastic molds. Once you have a high-quality mold, all other issues are easy to solve.

To make high-quality plastic mold, you must know how to solve this molding issue. Of course, find good mold suppliers; they will indeed solve this issue for you. Blow are some troubleshooting tips to solve the common molding defects, such as weld lines, etc., and ultimately get high-quality molded parts. There are some key defects that most happened during the mold manufacturing and molding process.

Flow marks

Flow marks

1. Flow Marks

This molding defect normally happens close to the gate area and the joint area (joint line or weld lines), which some people call flow lines, common in narrow sections of components and may be considered minor or serious defects depending on the part wall thickness and expected use.

In order to solve appearance flow line defects, during the molding process we need to increase the injection speed pressure, molten material temperature, and mold temperature. Increasing the gate size or changing the location of the gate is also helpful (last option). Below the right picture of flow mark defects, we increased the gate size to improve flow marks because the wall thickness was too thick (7mm).

Dull areas

Dull areas

2. Dull Areas

The most common is a dull concentric ring that can appear around a halo-like sprue. This usually occurs when the material flow is poor and the viscosity is high. Contrary to what many think, this is not a packaging defect, but a defect that occurs at the beginning of the billing cycle.
To minimize the possibility, the injection rate profile should be adjusted to ensure a uniform flow front speed throughout the filling phase.

It is also helpful to increase the back-pressure and barrel temperature of the screw to reduce dull surfaces resulting from lower melting temperatures. Increasing the mold temperature can also reduce this issue. But there must be a cooling system in the feeding area, especially if it is a hot-runner system; otherwise, it is not easy to solve this issue. For dull surfaces generated by design-related issues, this can be improved by reducing the radius between the part and the gate.

3. Burns Mark defects

The burn marks are defects often seen on plastic injection molding parts and look like a light yellow or black discoloration. This may be a minor defect due to excessive melting temperature, overheating in the presence of trapped air, and excessive injection speed.

Burn marks

Burn marks

Corrective actions for this type of burn mark issu: include reducing temperature, reducing cycle time, and reducing injection speed. Plastic mold manufacturers must also ensure that they have the proper gate size and gas vent gloves to resolve the trapped air problem that leads to this defect.

Because the air trap issue is the most common reason for this burn mark issue and could never be completely solved by adjusting the molding process, To mark defects, adding venting is the best solution, like increasing the venting grove, adding venting inserts to the deep ribs, etc.

4. Gloss difference defects

Gloss differences on textured surfaces tend to be more pronounced, and even if the surface texture is uniform, the gloss of the part may appear irregular. This is a problem that occurs when there is insufficient replication of the mold surface in some areas, and sometimes there are lots of ribs at the core side that can increase the gloss change issue on the textured surface.

It can be corrected by increasing the melting temperature, mold temperature, or holding pressure. The longer the holding time, the more likely the mold surface will be replicated accurately. If the design of the ribs caused this issue, to improve this issue, we can add some radius to all of the ribs. This will reduce the internal stress so that the textured surface can be improved as well.

5. Warping defects (deformation) 

Plastic molding parts have warping defects that are normal, especially the long-size molding parts; distortion defects are hard to solve. Improving the mold design is the mean solution, but it is very limited to solving this issue by adjusting the parameters of the molding machine. The reasons and solutions to improve warping and distortion are listed below for reference.

Deformation issue

Deformation issue

  • When the deformation is caused by the residual stress of the molding process, it can reduce the injection pressure and increase the mold temperature to improve it.
  • If the deformation caused by parts sticking can improve the ejection system or add more draft angle to solve this issue,.
  • If the warping defects are caused by a poor cooling channel or a poor cooling time, we can add more cooling channels and increase the cooling time to improve this. For example, we could add more cooling water to the deformation area to improve the warping defects, or we could use different mold temperatures for the cavity and core.
  • If the distortion issue caused part shrinkage, to solve this warping defect, we must adjust the mold design. Sometimes we need to measure the distortion size from the molding part and do the pre-deformation design on the part. The resin has a large shrinkage rate; usually, crystalline resin (such as POM, PA66, PP, PE, PET, etc.) has a higher warping rate than amorphous resin (such as PMMA, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), ABS, AS, etc.).
    Sometimes the gloss fiber material has more deformation issues as well. This is the hardest solution because you may need to adjust the part design two or three times to completely solve this issue, but this is the only way to solve the distortion issue.

6. Short shot defect

A short shot means not completely filling the mold; this molding defect normally happens at the end of the filling area, the end

Short shot issue

Short shot defects. after adding venting inserts, the defect completely solved

of the rib, or some thin wall area. There are some reasons to cause this defect below.

  • The mold temperature is too low. When material fills in the mold cavity since the mold is too cold, the liquid material is not able to fill to the end of the part or some deeper ribs. An increase in mold temperature could solve this molding issue.
  • The material temperature is too low. This issue could also cause the short shot issue; this reason is similar to the issue of low mold temperature. To improve this issue, we can increase the melt temperature of the material to solve this molding defect.
  • The injection speed is too slow. The injection speed is directly related to the filling speed. If the injection speed is too low, the liquid material filling speed will be very slow, and the slow flow material will be easy to cold. This will cause the material to get cold in advance. To solve this issue, we could increase the injection speed, injection pressure, and holding pressure.
  • Venting issue. This is the most common molding defect we meet during the mold trial; all other defects could be solved by adjusting the molding parameter. If short-shot issues are caused by a venting issue, the best solution is to find a way to release the air out of the cavity. Sometimes reducing the clamping force can help a little, but it is not able to completely solve these defects.
    If the air is stuck in the cavity or in the dead-ending area (the end of the ribs, for example), the short-shot issue will happen in that area. To troubleshoot this issue, we need to increase the venting grooves on the parting line and add a venting insert to the dead-ending spot to guide the air out.

7. Sink mark: It is a sink mark on the molded part caused by unbalancing plastic material shrinking in the mold cavity. It looks like there is a lack of material in that sink area that does not match the part geometry. This issue happens to the thick wall area or lack of cooling system in the mold. The mean reason to have this sink mark issue is the uneven wall thickness on the part design.

  • If some ribs or some area have a thicker wall than the other place (rib thickness should be around 1/2–7/10 max of the mean wall), then this thicker area will be easy to have a sink mark issue. Below are some suggestions to improve this defect.7. Sink mark: It is a sink mark on the molded part caused by unbalancing plastic material shrinking in the mold cavity. It looks like there is a lack of material in that sink area that does not match the part geometry. This issue happens to the thick wall area or lack of cooling system in the mold. The mean reason to have this sink mark issue is the uneven wall thickness on the part design.
Sink mark

Sink mark

  • Change the gate location to be close to the thick wall.
  • Add more holding pressure and holding time, and inject more material into the mold cavity. When using this method, you need to double-check that the part dimension is still within the tolerance requirement.
  • Increase the cooling time and the cooling channels to improve this issue. Plastic shrinkage rate is normal. If the cooling time is too short and the part is still warm after the mold is opened, then the part shrinks quickly without any cooling system. This will make it easy to have a sink mark. Increase the cooling time until the plastic injection molding part completelycoolsl in the mold cavity, and this defect will be solved.
  • If the part design has a serious thick wall on some of the ribs or bosses, to solve this issue, we need to improve the part geometry and add some inserts to the thick area to reduce the wall thickness. This issue could be solved. For this unbalanced wall issue, we could use software to analyze it and prevent it in advance. Before mold manufacturing, we will make a fully DFM report and send it to our customers for approval. Below are sink mark analysis report samples.

Are you ready to start working on your new project and search for your plastic molding facotry? If yes, then let’s go. For your plastic molding project, finding a reliable Chinese mold company is more important. Because this will bring your market up very quickly, and you will win more profits on your project with less cost,

Today, over 80% of big companies are sourcing goods from China. Like the iPhone, some other famous companies buy things from China. So what are you worried about? If you are ready, then speed up to open your market immediately and share your profits.

SINCERE TECH is a one of top 10 plastic injection molding companies in China that offers all in one service worldwide, those service include products development and design, prototype, testing, PCB design and soldering, mold/die casting design and manufacutring, massive production, surface finish, certificate, assembly, final inspection, and packing, we have  manufacutring comapny and compeletely goods assembly facotry. We guarantee you will be 100% happy with our service and quality.

We have a very professional technical team to handle your project very carefully and make the perfect plastic molds and parts for you. Some of our customers have moved the molds to our factory for troubleshooting since their current plastic mold supplier is not as professional as us. We can send you some of our current customers for you to verify our service, quality, and price.

Send us an email at info@plasticmold.net to get a price. We will never share your design with others. We are willing to sign an NDA to protect your project.

The Future of Mold Making and Plastics

Mold Making and Plastics is injection molding process which is a simplistic and efficient manufacturing process that involves injecting heated material into a plastic injection mold to shape plastics or rubber.

Currently, plastic injection molding is used in several industries such as aerospace, packaging, and injection molding toys. The injection molding and plastics industry is consistently evolving owing to technological breakthroughs, market disruptions, and certain economic and social factors.

Significant Breakthroughs

Tool formation, sharpening, heat treating, metal machining, and drilling out the design were carried out by hand, requiring an enormous time commitment. Since humans performed almost the entire process manually, conformity issues became inevitable, with no two molds exhibiting similar properties.

However, with the advancement of technology, two mold-making techniques contributed immensely to the shift from manual to computer-assisted machining –

CNC Milling Machines

These machines initially assumed the form of 2D Bridgeport milling machines, which were integrated with CNC attachments. These machines took the market by storm and transformed the way toolmakers created parts since they offered swift processing speeds paired with greater accuracy and minimal manual oversight.

Modern-day CNC milling machines offer expeditious processing speeds while achieving high accuracy even when working with complex molds.

injection molding cost

CAD Programs

CAD programs have had a crucial impact on the evolution of the mold-making industry by streamlining the process of mold designing. These programs enabled industry professionals to form 2D and later 3D renderings, which could be quickly and easily edited, tested, and altered.

The Future Scope of Injection Mold Making and Plastics

The injection molding industry has continued to thrive over the years and has exhibited massive potential for enhancements in terms of efficiency, such as creating direct-to-metal molds at a faster pace while staying within budget.

Here are some crucial industry trends that can potentially define the path of evolution of plastic mold making and plastics, injection molding, and plastics for years to come –

Composite Materials

Since 2020, composite materials have gained momentum as one of the leading trends in the aerospace and automotive industries. A composite substance is a heterogeneous blend of two or more materials performed to obtain a stronger end product. 

Composites are considerably stronger despite being lightweight than high-performance substances such as steel. Such properties make them an ideal choice for aerospace, automotive, and construction industries.

Composites are flexible, durable, and cost-efficient substitutes for the materials used for injection molding and mold making. In the upcoming years, composite materials will make their way into the medical sector and manufacturing military-grade equipment.

Increased Automation

Implementing automation and software, advanced analytics, and machine learning in manufacturing processes is surging rapidly with the latest technological breakthroughs. Programming has become considerably simpler, which has led to minimized downtime, sped-up production cycles, and efficient maintenance.

Automation enables manufacturers and engineers to exercise a higher degree of control of the injection molding process. It can also help designers and product developers maintain a competitive edge in the market.

A form of automation called mold flow analysis is gaining traction in the manufacturing sector. It uses software to simulate the injection molding cycle and provide insights into the mold filling process. This simulation is notably effective when making alterations to the product design in the design phase. Mold flow analysis can also test for warpage, shrinkage, improper fill patterns, and more before prototyping.

If you run a small business and are operating on a budget, invest in a vertical mill as it is relatively cost-effective and offers decent levels of accuracy.

Sustainable Development

Manufacturing industries are shifting toward sustainability, and consequently, the plastics industry must also make a move in this direction. Eco-conscious buyers have grown in numbers, which has inspired manufacturing firms to make their operations more efficient and significantly trim down wastage.

The mold-making industry has devised ways of operating injection molding machines with greater efficiency to curtail power consumption, switch to sustainable power sources, use recycled raw materials, minimize material wastage, and more.

While sustainability is rapidly advancing, manufacturing firms must meet critical project specifications to ensure optimum quality parameters. This is because recycled products often fail to satisfy the physical and mechanical specifications of the final commodity.

Bioplastics

Bioplastics are a direct derivative of sustainable development as several manufacturers have begun exploring its benefits and implementation in injection molding and mold making.

Bioplastics are petroleum-based plastic substitutes derived from biomasses like sugarcane, corn, seaweed, and others. Bioplastics are unique since they exhibit biodegradability and carbon neutrality.

Manufacturing and packaging products using bioplastics can push mold-making firms towards being more eco-friendly and minimizing negative environmental impacts.

However, it is vital to note that bioplastics are not entirely pollution-free. Bioplastics often get mixed with non-recyclable polymers as a means to improve upon their strength. If these hybrid bioplastics end up in a conventional landfill, they can take about 100 years to decompose, which can be toxic to the environment.

PA6 injection molding shop

Lightweight Alternatives 

Manufacturers and consumers are on the lookout for lightweight products. In the aerospace and automotive sectors, lighter components lead to more mileage throughout the journey and efficient consumption of charge in batteries.

For medical device manufacturing, stents and joint replacements made using lightweight materials can significantly boost the patient’s recovery. Lightweight materials also cost less during transportation.

Final Words

The above-mentioned trends can help engineers and manufacturers achieve better results by minimizing the scope of error and time consumption. Besides the two breakthroughs, namely the CNC milling machines and the CAD programs, there has been a significant advancement in the plastic molding sector with the latest technology.

Some promising future trends include lightweight material substitutes, automation, and a commitment to sustainable manufacturing that will jolt up the mold-making industry.

About the Author:

Peter Jacobs is the Senior Director of Marketing at CNC Masters. He is actively involved in manufacturing processes and regularly contributes his insights to various blogs on CNC machining, 3D printing, rapid tooling, injection molding, metal casting, and manufacturing in general.

If you are looking for mould suppliers to make your plastic injection molding project, welcome to contact us. We are one of the top 10 plastic injection molding companies in China that offers custom plastic injection mold and moldings, die casting, CNC machining, part design, testing, prototyping, assembly, and delivery, all in one service here.

TPE injection moulding

Plastic injection molding is a widely used manufacturing process. In today’s world, this method has become essential for producing large-scale plastic parts. Its popularity is due to its fast, accurate, and highly efficient operation.

Plastic injection molding typically allows you to create countless plastic items. Most of these plastic parts are your daily items, from your smartphone casting to the handle on your toothbrush.

Plastic injection molding allows you to make thousands, even millions, of identical parts. Of course, these plastic parts come with tight tolerances up to 0.01mm. This level of precision creates accurate designs and products that make the product effective and look good. Injection-molded products are widely used in the car, consumer goods, and electronics industries. 

Plastic injection molding involves several key stages. Each stage here is critical. In this article, we’ll dive into these stages so you can see how products go from raw plastic to ready-to-use parts. Moreover, you’ll learn about the plastic injection molding services offered in a factory. This article will be a comprehensive guide, so let’s get started.

What Is Plastic Injection Molding?

Injection molding is a prevalent manufacturing method. The term is divided into “injection” and “molding.” As the name indicates, this process entails injecting material into a mold. Plastic injection molding refers to the use of plastic.

This method shapes parts of various designs by injecting the molten material into the plastic injection mold. It is widely used to make plastic parts quickly and accurately. Once the mold is ready, you can create hundreds or millions of plastic parts. The process is highly efficient and offers consistent quality. As a result, people prefer this method to create complex shapes and precise details.

This procedure is not limited to plastic toy pieces or containers. Plastic injection molding is critical to numerous industries. Take the auto industry, for example. Almost every vehicle on the road today features injection-molded components, such as dashboards.

Electronics such as laptops, smartphones, and more depend significantly on this process. Most of their internal components, casings, and joints are injection molded.

In the medical industry, accuracy is essential, and injection molding delivers just that. The process yields precise tolerances for surgical tools, syringes, and other medical items.

Then there’s the consumer goods industry. Injection molding mostly makes our everyday items. Typical examples are kitchen utensils, plastic jars, bottles, furniture, food containers, and more.

plastic injection molding company

Benefits of Plastic Injection Molding Compared to Other Methods

There are various types of plastic-forming methods. Some popular ones are extrusion molding, compression molding, blow molding, and rotational molding. Now, what are the benefits you can get from the plastic injection molding method?

Precision and Complexity

One of the best things about plastic injection molding is precision and complexity. Extrusion molding or compression molding typically deals with simpler shapes. Therefore, these methods are not suitable for complex shapes.

Plastic injection molding, on the other hand, can handle more complex geometries with related mold structure. This method also allows you to work with thin walls, tight tolerances, and small and fine details. You can get the highest quality plastic products compared to any other methods.

High Production Speed

Time is valuable, especially in manufacturing. Plastic injection molding is built for speed. Once the injection mold is set up, it can produce parts rapidly, much faster than traditional or blow molding. This speed makes plastic injection molding process a go-to option for high-volume production. It’s one of the fastest methods out there.

You will be surprised to learn that plastic injection molding can make thousands of plastic parts in an hour. This method can save time and money simultaneously.

Minimal Waste

Plastic injection molding is efficient in material use. If you can make the mold correctly and precisely inject the plastic, you can minimize excess plastic—extrusion molding, where continuous material flow often leads to scraps.

In plastic injection molding, the extra plastics can be used further, reducing injection molding costs and contributing to a green environment.

Consistent Quality

Plastic injection molding also ensures uniform products. One plastic injection mold can produce millions of plastic products with the same shape and properties. It’s tough to achieve exact uniformity with compression and blow molding, but you can do it precisely with injection molding. It reduces the cost and meets the demand for high-quality products.

Versatile Material Choice

There are many types of plastics out there that are widely used in many applications. They are not all the same, and each type has its unique application. Injection molding can easily accommodate a wide range of materials. This flexibility allows you to meet a specific need. This means you can meet exact strength, durability, and flexibility properties.

Superior Finish

Injection molding creates parts with smooth surfaces and a clean finish. This method eliminates or reduces the need for post-processing. Rotational molding, on the other hand, is pretty tricky and requires extra finishing.

plastic injection molding

What is an Injection Molding Machine?

A plastic injection molding machine is a simple piece of equipment. It has several vital components that work together to produce plastic parts. In general, there are three central units in a plastic injection molding machine. Each element plays a crucial role in the plastic injection molding process.

Clamping Unit

The clamping unit holds the mold tightly in place during the injection process. It acts as a grip so the mold doesn’t slip, allowing you to change it based on the final product design.

When the machine begins, the clamping unit closes the mold halves. It uses high pressure, primarily hydraulic pressure, to prevent plastic from leaking during injection.

After the part cools, the clamping unit opens the mold to release the finished product. Without this unit, the process would be a mess.

Injection Unit

The injection unit, on the other hand, is the heart of the machine. It melts the plastic granules and injects them into the mold. The injection unit has a hopper that feeds the plastic into a heated barrel. The material is melted inside the barrel until it reaches a liquid state. Then, a screw or plunger pushes the molten plastic into the mold.

Control Unit

Note that this whole process must be appropriately controlled. Otherwise, the final product might get messy. For example, temperature control is critical in this process. You must set the temperature at the right level so that your final product doesn’t have defects. On the other hand, injection time, ejection time, and pushing force should also be adequately controlled.

What is Injection Mold?

As mentioned in the previous section, the clamping unit typically holds the injection mold. The injection mold is part of the clamping unit and shapes molten plastic into specific forms.

Injection molds are commonly made of tool steel. A variety of tool steels can be used to make injection molds. P-20 28-30 RC, S-7 pre-hardened tool steel 56 RC, H-13, and 420 are noteworthy. These tool steels are strong and durable, and the material must be strong enough to withstand millions of plastic products.

An injection mold comprises two essential parts: the cavity and the core. The cavity is the hollow space that the plastic occupies. It determines the outward form of the component. The core, on the other hand, determines the interior details. Together, they create a complete part.

You can realize the importance of a high-quality mold in making plastic injection-molded parts. The quality of the injection mold also determines the quality of the final parts. Therefore, you must first ensure the quality of the injection mold.

A well-designed mold leads to fewer defects and reduces production time and costs. Poor design may result in warping and inconsistent quality. So, seeking professional help when designing your first injection mold is wise. 

what is plastic injection mold

How Does Injection Molding Work?

You have already gone through a comprehensive study of injection molding. You are also familiar with the various components of an injection molding machine. In this section, you will learn how injection molding works.

Clamping

The first step in the injection molding process is clamping. Here, the two halves of the mold are brought together. This is the crucial stage. If the mold isn’t clamped tightly, molten plastic can escape, which may create defects in your final parts.

The clamping unit holds the mold halves together with significant force. The force or pressure must be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the injected material. If it’s too weak, the mold will open during injection, causing a mess. Too much force can damage the mold.

So, how do you determine the correct clamping force? Consider aspects such as the part’s size and the plastic utilized. For example, bigger pieces need more force. The goal is to get a tight fit without overdoing it. Once the mold is firmly closed, we proceed to the next step.

Injection

The plastic material is fed into the injection molding machine at this stage. The raw plastic, usually in pellet form, is heated until it melts into a thick, gooey substance.

It is pouring syrup into a mold. The molten plastic is poured into the mold cavity under high pressure, ensuring that it fills every nook and corner. If the pressure is too low, the mold cannot fill. It is important to note that improper pressure might result in weak or incomplete portions.

Speed is also critical during injection. The faster the material is injected, the less time it has to cool before filling the mold. But there’s a problem. Doing it quickly can create turbulence, the main cause of a few defects. Therefore, you must carefully balance speed and pressure.

Dwelling

The dwelling phase is also critical in the plastic injection molding method. As you know, you must maintain appropriate pressure while filling the mold. When the plastic is injected, it doesn’t always fill the mold evenly. There might be air pockets or gaps. To avoid this issue, you must hold the pressure steady. This way, you can ensure no trapped air inside. This is where the dwelling phase comes in.

The dwelling time can vary depending on the material and part design. Too short a dwelling time can lead to incomplete parts, while too long can waste time and energy.

Cooling

Once the dwelling phase is complete, it’s time for cooling. This is where the real transformation happens. The molten plastic begins to solidify as it cools. The cooling stage must be maintained properly to set the shape of the part.

This stage usually takes longer than the dwelling stage. In this case, the mold’s temperature generally plays the leading role. You could use an air or water cooling system. Warping might happen if the mold is too cold, so be careful!

Mold cooling system

Mold Opening and Removal of Products

After cooling, it’s time to release the final part. Usually, the ejector pin does this. The clamping unit releases the pressure, generally allowing the two halves to separate. If you do it incorrectly, it can damage the mold or the finished part.

Once the mold is open, you can remove it using tools or hand. Once removed, the part is inspected again. It might undergo further processing, such as trimming or surface finishing.

Plastic Injection Molding Materials

One of the best benefits of plastic injection molding is its versatility. You can generally work with various plastic injection molding materials in injection molding manufacturing. Selecting the suitable material from this diverse list depends on your project needs. Remember, each material here has its unique strengths and weaknesses. Do you need flexibility? Go for PE or PP. Want Toughness? Try ABS or PC.

injection molding material

Polyethylene (PE)

This plastic is incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is also very resistant to chemicals and moisture, making it a popular choice for containers and bottles.

Polyethylene is one of the most widely used plastics globally due to its incredibly lightweight, flexible and cost-effectiveness. It is also very resistant to chemicals and moisture, making it a popular choice for containers and bottles.

There are various type of PE materials, including Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), each one uses to different applications but very similar.

Properties: Lightweight, flexible, moisture-resistant, and resistant to many chemicals. PE is relatively soft but has good impact resistance. It can handle low temperatures but has limited resistance to high temperatures.

Types of PE materials:

  • LDPE: Known for its flexibility, commonly used in film applications like plastic bags.
  • HDPE: Stronger and more rigid, used in items like milk jugs, detergent bottles, and pipes.
  • UHMWPE: Extremely tough with excellent wear resistance, often used in industrial applications, such as conveyor belts and bulletproof vests.

Applications: Due to its variety, PE is used across industries for containers, piping, and even high-wear applications. In the food industry, it’s ideal for food containers, food packaging due to its moisture resistance. Go to PE injection modling and HDPE injection molding page to know more about this PE material.

what is TPE material

Polypropylene (PP)

Polypropylene is another popular choice. It is prevalent for being strong and very resistant to fatigue, it provides excellent temperature resistance.It’s available in homopolymer and copolymer forms, with each variation suitable for specific applications.

Properties: Strong, durable, fatigue-resistant, and excellent temperature resistance. PP can endure repetitive bending, making it suitable for applications like living hinges.

Advantages: PP offers high chemical resistance and is lightweight, yet stronger than PE. It’s also resistant to absorbing moisture, making it ideal for long-lasting products.

Applications:

  • Automotive: Frequently used in automotive parts like bumpers, dashboards, and battery cases.
  • Consumer Goods: Found in reusable containers, furniture, textiles, and packaging. Its fatigue resistance makes it useful for hinges in household products and storage containers.
  • Medical: Sterilizable and resistant to bacteria, PP plastic material is also common in medical syringes and vials. Go to polypropylene injection molding page to know more.
PP injection molding

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

ABS is a plastic used for injection molding. It is known for its toughness, making it great for parts that need to endure impact. It has a glossy finish, so it’s often used in electronics and toys. ABS might be your best bet if you want something that looks good and lasts.

Properties: ABS is tough, impact-resistant, and lightweight with a glossy finish. It’s also relatively affordable, combining strength and visual appeal.

Advantages: Known for excellent impact resistance, making it ideal for products that must withstand rough handling. ABS is also highly machinable and easy to paint, providing aesthetic and functional versatility.

Applications of ABS plastic products:

Electronics: Used for casings, keyboards, and monitor housings due to its aesthetic finish and durability.

Automotive: Instrument panels, wheel covers, and mirror housings.

Toys and Consumer Products: Especially popular for toys (such as building blocks) that require durability and a pleasing appearance. Go to ABS injection molding and what is ABS material page to know more about this material.

ABS materials

Polycarbonate (PC)

This plastic material is relatively heavier than other plastics. This material could be your best choice when you need a durable solution. It is virtually unbreakable and highly transparent. This material is used in safety glasses and light fixtures. It’s a strong option when transparency and resilience are needed.

Properties: Polycarbonate is heavier than most plastics but is virtually unbreakable and highly transparent. It can withstand high impact and heat, making it suitable for safety applications.

Advantages: It’s one of the strongest transparent plastics available, with excellent heat resistance. It’s also easily molded, allowing for intricate designs in parts and components.

Applications:

Safety Equipment: Used for safety glasses, helmets, and shields due to its shatter-resistant quality.

Optical Media: Common in lenses and DVDs because of its clarity.

Construction and Lighting: Used in skylights, lighting fixtures, and bulletproof glass for durability and transparency. Go to polycarbonate injection molding and Polycarbonate vs Acrylic pages to know more about this PC plastic material.

Polycarbonate Injection Molding

Nylon (PA)

Nylon is a plastic material with excellent strength and flexibility. It is also very resistance to wear and abrasion. Available in different grades (Nylon 6, Nylon 6/6, etc.), each with specific properties, it is widely used in industrial applications requiring toughness. It can also handle high temperatures.

Properties: Excellent strength, flexibility, abrasion resistance, and wear resistance. Nylon can withstand high temperatures and provides good chemical resistance.

Advantages: Nylon’s high durability and heat resistance make it a top choice for mechanical parts, while its low friction makes it suitable for gears and bearings.

Applications:

Mechanical Components: Often used in gears, bearings, bushings, and other wear-prone parts due to its strength and durability.

Textiles: Common in fabrics due to its strength and resilience, often used in outdoor gear and apparel.

Automotive: Used in engine components, fuel tanks, and under-the-hood parts due to its heat resistance. Go to nylon injection molding page to know more.

Every single plastic provides specific advantages that make it ideal for particular applications. Selection depends on factors like strength requirements, environmental conditions, aesthetic preferences, and manufacturing costs. This guide helps in understanding which plastic might be best suited for various product requirements across different industries, from consumer goods to industrial components.

PA66-GF30 plastic

Plastic Injection Molding services

A typical plastic injection molding factory can offer you unique services. Each of these services might benefit you in your business. This section will familiarize you with a few plastic injection molding services.

plastic injection molding service

Service #1 Design and Engineering Support

Designing and engineering support are crucial parts of mold and product design. A perfect injection mold can ensure effective injection and the highest quality of the products. Every mold manufacturing company specializes in this to meet specific customer demands. The engineering team collaborates with clients to optimize part designs.

This way, they can ensure good manufacturability and the efficiency of the whole process. They also evaluate the initial design and suggest changes to save time and reduce costs.

DFM is a term used to manufacture plastic injection molds. Design for manufacturability focuses on how easy or difficult a design is to manufacture. It helps identify potential issues early in the process. By implementing DFM principles, designers can reduce production hiccups. You will know this when you deal with the actual injection mold design process.

Service #2 Custom Mold Making

Custom mold making is another primary service of an injection molding company. To launch new plastic products, you must start by creating a custom plastic injection mold.

The mold-making process starts with the design and engineering steps. What shape do you need? How thick should the walls be? These questions guide the mold design steps.

Several other factors also play a crucial role here. First is the material choice. As mentioned already, injection molds are typically made of high-quality tool steels. When making the molds, tolerance is the most critical parameter. Therefore, the manufacturing method must be wisely chosen.

The two most popular injection mold-making methods are CNC machining and casting. CNC machining can be of various types. Based on your design, the CNC method varies. Sometimes, you may need multiple CNC machining methods. For instance, CNC milling creates grooves, holes, and inner shapes. Other CNC methods include CNC turning, boring, drilling, and more.

Metal casting is another method of making injection mold cavity or core, this is specially used in plastic doll toys related products. It is pretty complex and requires careful consideration to make any type of plastic injection molds. CNC machining and EDM (electric discharge machining) are two popular manufacturing process of creating plastic injection molds.

Service #3 Custom Plastic Parts

You might not have the facility to install custom molds. On the other hand, making such facilities might need high costs. Because of this, most injection molding manufacturers also offer to make various custom plastic parts. This way, you can save a lot of investment costs and make money faster, you only need to buy the injectino molds and send your molds to your plastic injection molding supplier, they will make all of custom palstic products base on your customized injection mold.

This process also starts with a clear design. Once the mold is ready, plastic is injected at high pressure into the mold. As the plastic cools and solidifies, the part takes shape. You already know the benefits and detailed manufacturing process.

Service #4 Quality Control and Testing

A plastic injection molding company offers testing and quality control services in addition to the above three services.

Quality control is crucial in injection molding. It’s the safety net that catches upcoming issues when they happen. Various quality control processes might be needed depending on the mold and its products.

Dimensional checks are one of the first lines of testing. This process measures parts against specified tolerances. Are they the right size? Do they fit together as they should? If not, the engineers make necessary adjustments before mass production. Strength testing is the next testing method. This testing method ensures that parts can withstand their intended use. Besides, there are other tests like surface finishing, pressure testing, spur testing, defects testing, and many more.

Frequently Asked Question

How Much Does Injection Molding Cost?

The cost of injection molding generally varies based on design and size—the average ranges from $1000 to $5000. If you need larger molds, the cost might be higher. The cost of injection-molded plastic parts, on the other hand, depends on the type of material. PC plastic is generally more expensive than PVC or ABS. 

What Is The Problem With The Injection Molding Process?

Every process has its hiccups, and injection molding is no exception. Common problems include warping, which occurs when the part cools unevenly.

Flash is another problem with the injection molding process. It is the excess material that seeps out of the mold. Have you seen unwanted edges on your plastic parts? If yes, then it’s a sign of flash. In contrast, shorts happen when the mold doesn’t fill completely.

How Long Does It Take to Make A Plastic Mold?

The time it takes to create a plastic mold can range from a few weeks to several months. The specific time is not fixed. It all depends on the complexity and the specifics of your project.

How Do I Add Texture to The Mold?

Adding texture to a mold can improve your product’s look. It’s all about aesthetics and function. There are several methods to do it. One of the popular ways is etching, which creates patterns on the mold’s surface before it’s used. Another option is laser engraving.

Electronic Product Design And Manufacturing

Final Words

Plastic injection molding is one of the most popular plastic manufacturing processes. It is an efficient way to make complex, high-precision plastic parts. Throughout this article, we talked about this process, especially plastic injection molding.

We are among the top 10 plastic injection molding companies in China, specializing in plastic injection mold and injection molding manufacturing, and we export plastic parts from China to various contries of the world. Over 40 happy customers have provided us with the best quality, and they are fully satisfied by our quality and service. You are welcome if you need our support. We sincerely hope we could service you in the near future, and you will be surely happy as well as our other happy customers.

The production of thermoplastic plastic products involves a variety of commercial methods. Each has its own specific design requirements as well as limitations. Usually, part design, size, and shape clearly determine the best process. Occasionally, the part concept lends itself to more than one process. Because product development differs depending upon the process, your design team must decide which process to pursue early in product development.

This section briefly explains the common processes used for thermoplastics from Bayer Corporation. Today, many companies purchase injection-molded parts from injection molding companies in China. If you need injection molded parts for your business, you need to really think about this.

The above-described injection molding process uses an injection molding machine to manufacture plastic products. There are two main parts to the machines: the injection unit and the clamping unit. Please visit our injection molding section for further information.

Are you in need of injection molding, or are you seeking a China-based injection mold partner to create plastic molds and manufacture your plastic molded parts? Send us an email, and we will reply to you within two working days.

Plastic medical part

What is Injection molding cleanroom

Injection molding cleanroom refers to a controlled environment specifically designed and maintained for the manufacturing of plastic components using injection molding processes. These cleanrooms are essential for industries that require high levels of cleanliness and precision, such as medical, pharmaceutical, electronics, and aerospace sectors.

Key characteristics and features of an injection molding cleanroom include:

  1. Cleanroom Classification: Medical Injection molding cleanroom adhere to specific cleanliness classifications based on international standards, such as ISO 14644-1. These classifications determine the allowable limits of airborne particles per cubic meter of air, ensuring a controlled environment with low levels of contamination. Cleanrooms are typically classified as ISO Class 5 or higher for injection molding applications.
  2. Environmental Control: Injection molding cleanrooms incorporate advanced environmental control systems to maintain the desired cleanliness levels. These systems typically include high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, air pressure differentials, and temperature and humidity control to minimize the presence of airborne particles and ensure optimal manufacturing conditions.
  3. Gowning and Personnel Hygiene: Strict gowning procedures and personnel hygiene practices are enforced within injection molding cleanrooms to prevent contamination. Cleanroom personnel are required to wear specialized garments, including cleanroom suits, gloves, masks, hairnets, and shoe covers. Handwashing and sanitization protocols are rigorously followed to maintain cleanliness.
  4. Material Handling and Preparation: Raw materials used in injection molding are handled and prepared within the cleanroom environment to prevent contamination. Controlled storage and transportation of materials are implemented, and specific protocols are followed to maintain material cleanliness. Material drying, conditioning, and mixing may also be conducted in dedicated cleanroom areas.
  5. Cleanroom Equipment and Machinery: Injection molding machines used in cleanroom environments are designed and maintained to meet the cleanliness requirements. These machines may feature additional enclosures, laminar flow hoods, or barrier systems to minimize the risk of particle generation during the molding process. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the equipment are essential to uphold cleanliness standards.
  6. Mold and Tooling Preparation: Molds and tooling used in injection molding are prepared and maintained within the cleanroom environment. Proper cleaning procedures, including solvent cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, or specialized cleaning agents, are employed to eliminate contaminants. Mold storage and handling are carefully managed to prevent particle accumulation.
  7. Process Control and Quality Assurance: Injection molding cleanrooms implement stringent process control measures to ensure consistent quality and minimize defects. Critical process parameters, such as temperature, pressure, injection speed, and cooling time, are closely monitored and controlled. In-process inspections, dimensional measurements, and quality checks are performed to verify product quality and compliance with specifications.

Injection molding cleanrooms are crucial for industries that demand high-quality, precision-molded components. By providing a controlled and clean environment, these cleanrooms minimize contamination risks, ensure product integrity, and meet stringent regulatory and industry standards. The combination of environmental control, personnel hygiene, material handling, and process control measures in an injection molding cleanroom contributes to the production of reliable and high-quality plastic components.

Sometimes a Plastic mold company is looking for good niche products that related their business and they could earn more profits. Such was the case for SINCERE TECH a well-known plastic mold manufacturer that is now inverted molding shop in a 5,000 -sq Class 10,000 injection molding cleanroom which is especially for medical injection molding service.

injection molding cleanroom

injection molding cleanroom

Located in Dong Guan China, a small town in the Dong Guan City of China near the Shenzhen airport, SINCERE TECH has a reputation for complicated, high-precision molds, medical molding, automobile mold and a particular specialty in multi-component molds. After 2000 China has become mold manufacturing country on the world and lots of tool-making companies started their mold business, in 2005 the SINCERE TECH started plastic mold manufacturing business to make export molds, primarily of shorter runs for customers of its tool-making business.

Staying with what worked, when SINCERE TECH was set up as a plastic molding facility by a wall divided from the plastic mold making shop, it was designed around what the mold customers were doing. That way it could handle customers’ short lead time, benefits for mold maintaining, and so on. Since molds were mostly made for technical and multi-material or colored parts, the molding company configured with high-precision injection molding machines and multi-component technologies. Molding presses range from 60 to 2000 tons and include two-shot injection molding machines. you can go to our double injection molding parts page.

Medical Plastic Injection Molding Products Needs Injection Molding Cleanroom 

Several of our customers were in medical equipment which needs medical molding parts, automotive industry, health care industry and pharmaceutical manufacturers. to provide a custom solution for all of our customers, ST decided to set up an injection molding cleanroom manufacturing (for medical injection molding service) operation at a Class 10,000 level with turbulent airflow. Plastic molding parts made include dialysis machine components, medical machinery components, closures for PE infusion bottles, and medical plastic caps and some of other medical injection molding parts

medical plastic parts

medical plastic parts

The ways of using injection molding machines in a cleanroom environment are too numerous to count. There are hoods over individual machines, machines completely in the cleanroom environment, and machines partially in the molding cleanroom itself.

ST decided to put only the clamp end of the machine in the clean room injection molding, “We considered the particular characteristics of the machines in all our planning.” ST chose some of the high precision Series injection machines, including 65-, 80-, and 110-ton machines to cover its product range, this machines seems working perfectly as we thought at the beginning,

Full-service Plastic mold making, normally molding and Cleanroom

ST did not set up the injection molding cleanroom to simply molded parts. That would not have fit with the level of service expected by the medical plastic molding requirement of customers. Such customers generally specify medical degree for all of the molding equipment, packing, assembly, and shipments, to complete this task, ST operates an assembly room within the Class 10,000 cleanroom so that the finished product leaves in hermetically sealed packages ready for shipping.

For normal requirements, we have a range of machines from 80 tons to 2000 tons to produce a wide range of products for our customers.

This quality and service have led the business more growth, in both the cleanroom business and the rest of the molding operation referred to as the Technology Center. Today our plastic molding company area increased from 6,000 sq to 12,000 sq. The cleanroom is expanded from 2050 sq to 4400 sq

At Sincere Tech China mold manufacturer, we understand the importance of custom injection molding and its role in achieving manufacturing excellence. With our expertise in the field, we offer top-quality custom injection molding services that meet the highest industry standards. Our team of skilled professionals, state-of-the-art equipment, and commitment to innovation ensure that we deliver exceptional results for your specific needs.

When you partner with us, you can expect a seamless and efficient manufacturing process. From the initial design phase to the final production, we pay meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that every product meets your exact specifications. Our experienced engineers work closely with you, providing valuable insights and recommendations to optimize the design for injection molding, resulting in cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality.

We leverage the properties of plastics material to create products that are not only good surface finish but also tight tolerance. This translates to reduced waste rate costs, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced user experience. Whether you require consumer goods, automotive components, electrical enclosures, medical devices, or industrial parts, our custom injection molding capabilities cater to a wide range of industries and applications.

 

At Sincere Tech Plastic Mold company, we are committed to staying at the forefront of the industry and embracing future trends and innovations. We constantly explore advanced materials and composites that offer enhanced performance and sustainability. Our continuous investment in research and development enables us to offer cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. We are one of the best mould suppliers in China.

Furthermore, we are dedicated to environmentally friendly practices. We actively seek out sustainable alternatives, such as biodegradable polymers and recycling initiatives, to minimize the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes. By choosing our custom injection molding services, you can align your brand with sustainable manufacturing practices and contribute to a greener future.

Quality is our utmost priority, and we adhere to stringent quality control measures throughout the entire manufacturing process. Our state-of-the-art facilities and skilled technicians ensure that each product undergoes rigorous inspection and testing, guaranteeing exceptional performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

Partner with Sincere Tech China mold maker for your custom injection molding needs, and experience the highest level of professionalism, expertise, and innovation. We are dedicated to helping you bring your ideas to life, delivering superior products that excel in performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness.

Contact us today to discuss your project requirements and discover how our polypropylene injection molding services can elevate your manufacturing processes to new heights. Together, let’s unlock the full potential of polypropylene and create exceptional products that shape the world around us.

Still have a question? Welcome to contact us and send us an email.

plastic injection molding surface finish

What is injection molding surface finish

Injection modlign surface finish is the post surface finish process added to the plastic injection molded parts, those include painting, silk-screen, chrome plating, pad printing, thermal transfer printing,water transfer printing, laser engraving, and so on, all of those addtional process we call surface finish process.

When you start a custom plastic injection molding project, at first you need a plastic mold to produce plastic molding parts, after that you may have additional options for your plastic parts, like some secondary process to your plastic molding parts, these secondary processes need to add on after molding.plastic injection molding surface finish

 

There are some of the plastic injection molding surface finish to the molded plastic parts, this will make the plastic injection molding parts look better, or have more information or special surface finished requirement, before doing this you need to know each type of secondary process, to make sure if those process can meet your requirement, let us discuss below some of the most popular secondary processes which will be used to the injection molding parts.

We are not only offering plastic mold/molding service but also offer additional, value-added services to support you get your molded parts finished, assembled, packaged, and shipped directly to your storage house, then you can sort them on the market directly.

Plastic injection molding surface finish include:

Printing

If it is needed to print or pattern on the surface of plastic products, there will be several ways as follows.
1. Screen Printing
This Method is the most common and used method, which is generally suitable for printing with a small plane or radian.
2. Surface Printing
Principle of Curved Surface Printing
Curved surface printing is to first place the printing ink into the intaglio engraved with characters or patterns, copy the characters or patterns onto the curved surface later, transfer the characters or patterns onto the surface of the molded product by using the curved surface, and finally solidify the printing ink by means of heat treatment or ultraviolet light irradiation.
Process of Curved Surface Printing:

A. Debinding of shaped products
B. Surface treatment of molded products (if necessary)
C. Printing
D. Curing process of the printing ink
E. After-treatment such as excessive coating (if necessary)
Simple Process of printing as below
A. To put the printing ink into the intaglio
B. To scrape off excessive printing ink
C. To extrude the curved surface to obtain the printing ink
D. To transfer the printing ink with the curved surface to the surface of the molded product
E. To clean the curved surface and layout (if necessary)

Pad printing

The figure or pattern is printed on a rubber plate or rubber-covered roll by the plate first, and then it is transferred to the surface of injection mold parts on the rubber plate or rubber-covered roll.
Advantages: Several colors can be applied in one operation.
Disadvantages: Low productivity, inability to obtain stronger opaque marks, how to select the appropriate rubber plate or rubber-covered roll and oil quantity first, etc.

Hot Stamping

It relates to a method for manufacturing colorful package embossed patterns or fonts on the surface of the injection mold parts by using colorful foil and a hot mold engraved with patterns or fonts under the control of temperature and pressure. Its operation only needs to apply pressure to the required area of the product through the colorful foil by using the hot mold arranged on a fixed press machine.

Painting

The most common methods for surface treatment (color) of plastic products can be divided into:

A. For a common coloring, this kind of paint is mostly sprayed by hand and does not have strong friction resistance and is easy to drop.

B. For Grade PU gloss oil, this method is to spray a layer of PU gloss oil on the surface to achieve friction resistance and gloss after drying the primer. Many surfaces of general household appliances or daily necessities are treated with PU.

C. UV-grade gloss oil This method sprays a layer of UV gloss oil on the surface after the primer is sprayed, and the gloss, the hand feels and friction resistance can all achieve very ideal effects. This method is commonly used for mobile phone mould products and communication mould products.

Electroplating (Chrome plating)

Plastic Electroplating (Plastic Chrome plating) is just called the process of depositing metal or alloy on the surface of a workpiece by electrolysis to form a uniform, dense and well-bonded metal layer. Its simple understanding is a change or combination of physics and chemistry.

Chrome plating

Chrome plating, Electroplating

Purpose of plastic molding electroplating:
a. Corrosion protection
b. Protective decoration
c. Abrasion resistance
d. Electrical performance: It is provided the coating with conductive or insulating performance according to the working requirements of parts.
e. technological requirements

It is relatively complicated for the process of forming a uniform, dense and well-bonded metal or alloy deposits on the surface of the workpiece by electrolysis, but it has many advantages such as more types of metals deposited, various colors available and relatively lower price compared with similar processes. Go to plastic chrome plating page to know more about this injection molding surface finish.

Cause of FailureProcessing method
Insufficient material feed for moldTo increase feed
Insufficient amount of melted materialBe an appropriate feeding and a moderate increase of back pressure
Injection pressure is too lowTo increase the process of melting glue metering stroke
Holding pressure is too smallTo increase injection pressure
Injection time is too shortTo increase injection time
Injection speed is too slowTo increase the firing rate
Unbalance gate sizeTo adjust the size or position of the mold entrance equally
Blockage of nozzleTo make demolition and cleaning
Material temperature is too highTo reduce the material temperature
Incorrect mold temperatureTo adjust the appropriate mold temperature
Insufficient cooling timeTo increase the cooling time
Poor exhaust (venting)To arrange an exhaust hole at the shrinkage part.
The material barrel is too largeTo replace the smaller gauge material barrel
Abrasion of Screw Non-return valveTo make demolition and overhaul
Uneven wall thickness in the part designTo increase injection pressure

If you have any platic injection molding project in hand that needs make molds and injection molding surface finish service, you are welcome to contact us. We are one of top 10 plastic injection molding companies in China that offer custom injection molding and surface finish for molded parts, we will offer you the best price in 24 hours.

glass filled PA injection molding

What is Plastic Moulding

Plastic moulding is the plastic work through the Injection moulding machine, The melted plastic will automatically molten after erupting out in all of the plastic moulding methods, injection plastic moulding has been the most widely used. The method comprises the following steps: getting the thermoplastic plastic or the thermosetting plastic imported into the heating cylinder of the injection moulding machine, and when it is completely melted, it will produce heat and frictional heat by the pressure of the plunger or the screw, and is injected into the mould cavity of the closed mould, after curing, and then open the mould and take out the finished product.

Plastic moulding is the principal method of forming thermoplastic materials. Modifications of the plastic injection molding process are sometimes used for thermosetting plastics.

The problem with plastic moulding of thermosetting materials is that, under heat, these plastics will first soften, then harden to an infusible state. Thus it is essential that no softened thermosetting material in the heating chamber be allowed to remain there long enough to set. Jet molding, offset molding and molding using a screw-type machine overcome this problem by liquefying the thermosetting plastic material just as it goes through the injection nozzle into the plastic mold, but not before.

plastic mold technology

Type of plastic molding

There are many type of plastic moulding process, below we will briefly explain each type of plastic mouldings.

Blow Molding

Blow molding is a method of forming hollow articles out of thermoplastic materials.

Blow molding is a process of forming a molten tube of thermoplastic material, then with the use of compressed air, blowing up the tube to conform to the interior of a chilled blow mold. The most common methods are extrusion, injection, and injection-stretch blow molding.

The continuous-extrusion method uses a continuously running extruder with a tuned die head that forms the molten plastic tube. The tube is then pinched between two mold halves. A blow pin or needle is inserted into the tube and compressed air is used to blow up the part to conform to the chilled mold interior. Accumulator-extrusion is similar, however, the molten plastic material is accumulated in a chamber prior to being forced through a die to form the tube.

Injection molding

Injection blow molding is a process of injection molding a preform (similar to a test tube), then taking the tempered preform to a blow mold to be filled with compressed air to conform to the interior of the blow mold. Injection-stretch blow molding can be a single-stage process similar to standard injection blow molding, by adding the element of stretch prior to blow forming. Also, a two-step process is possible, where a preform is made in an injection molding machine, then taken to a reheat-stretch blow molding machine for preform reheating and final blow forming in a blow mold.

Thermoforming molding

plastic moulding

plastic molding company, injection molding machines from 60 Ton to 2000 Ton

Thermoforming of plastic sheet has developed rapidly in recent years. This process consists of heating thermoplastic sheet to a formable plastic state and then applying air and/or mechanical assists to shape it to the contours of a mold.

Air pressure may range from almost zero to several hundred psi. Up to approximately 14 psi (atmospheric pressure), the pressure is obtained by evacuating the space between the sheet and the mold in order to utilize this atmospheric pressure. This range, known as vacuum forming, will give satisfactory reproduction of the mold configuration in the majority of forming applications.

Themoset Transfer Molding

Themoset Transfer molding is most generally used for thermosetting plastics. This method is like compression molding in that the plastic is cured into an infusible state in a mold under heat and pressure. It differs from compression molding in that the plastic is heated to a point of plasticity before it reaches the mold and is forced into a closed mold by means of a hydraulically operated plunger.

Themoset Transfer molding was developed to facilitate the molding of intricate products with small deep holes or numerous metal inserts. The dry mold compound used in compression molding sometimes disturbs the position of the metal inserts and the pins which form the holes. The liquefied plastic material in transfer molding flows around these metal parts without causing them to shift position.

Reaction Injection Molding

Reaction injection molding (RIM) is a relatively new processing technique that has rapidly taken its place alongside more traditional methods. Unlike liquid casting, the two liquid components, polyols and isocyanates, are mixed in a chamber at relatively low temperatures (75° – 140° F) before being injected into a closed mold. An exothermic reaction occurs, and consequently RIM requires far less energy usage than any other injection molding system.

The three major types of polyurethane RIM systems are rigid structural foam, low-modulus elastomers, and high-modulus elastomers.

Reinforced RIM (R-RIM) consists of the addition of such materials as chopped or milled glass fiber to the polyurethane to enhance stiffness and to increase modulus, thus expanding the range of applications.

Compression Molding

Compression molding is the most common method of forming thermosetting materials. It is not generally used for thermoplastics.

Compression molding is simply the squeezing of a material into a desired shape by application of heat and pressure to the material in a mold.

Plastic molding powder, mixed with such materials or fillers as woodflour and cellulose to strengthen or give other added qualities to the finished product, is put directly into the open mold cavity. The mold is then closed, pressing down on the plastic and causing it to flow throughout the mold. It is while the heated mold is closed that the thermosetting material undergoes a chemical change which permanently hardens it into the shape of the mold. The three compression molding factors — pressure, temperature and time the mold is closed — vary with the design of the finished article and the material being molded.

Extrusion Molding

Extrusion molding is the method employed to form thermoplastic materials into continuous sheeting, film, tubes, rods, profile shapes, and filaments, and to coat wire, cable and cord.

In extrusion, dry plastic material is first loaded into a hopper, then fed into a long heating chamber through which it is moved by the action of a continuously revolving screw. At the end of the heating chamber the molten plastic is forced out through a small opening or die with the shape desired in the finished product. As the plastic extrusion comes from the die, it is fed onto a conveyor belt where it is cooled, most frequently by blowers or by immersion in water.

In the case of wire and cable coating, the thermoplastic is extruded around a continuing length of wire or cable which, like the plastic, passes through the extruder die. The coated wire is wound on drums after cooling.

In the production of wide film or sheeting, the plastic is extruded in the form of a tube. This tube may be split as it comes from the die and then stretched and thinned to the dimensions desired in the finished film.

In a different process, the extruded tubing is inflated as it comes from the die, the degree of inflation of the tubing regulating the thickness of the final film.

plastic injection mold tooling

Plastic Moulding Knowledge Guidance

1 The basic knowledge of plastic molding.
1.1 The characteristics and composition of plastic injection moulding.

Plastic Injection moulding is to fill the molten moulding material in a closed mould with high pressure. The pressure that the plastic molding cavity needs to be subjected to about 400 KGF / CM2, approximately 400 atmospheres. With such a high pressure to make a product is its characteristic which is not the only an advantage but also disadvantages. In other words, the mold always has to be made stable, therefore its’ price is always high. So must be mass-produced in order to buckle with high-priced mould costs. For example, the production of each batch must be more than 10000PCS to be reasonable. In other words, plastic molding work surely has to be a mass-production.

A few steps of the plastic molding process :
1.1.1 Closing
Close the security and then start moulding
1.1.2 Clamping mold
Moving forward the moving board in order to get the mould closed. When the mould is closed which means is also locked.

1.1.3 Injecting (including holding press)
The screw is quickly pushing forward, injecting the molten formed plastic material into the mould cavity to full fill it. Keeping the press at the same time after full filling it, this action is particularly named “holding press.” The pressing that the mold has to bear when it just gets full filled, generally called ‘Injection Press’ or ‘one press’.

1.1.4 Cooling off (and the next step of the plasticization project)

The process of waiting for the material getting cool formed in the mould cavity is called “cooling off”, At this time the injection device is also ready for the next step, this process is called “plasticization process. The moulded material is placed in the hopper, inflow into the heated tube to heat, it is based on the rotation of the screw turning the raw material into the molten status.

1.1.5 Opening the mould

Move the moving board to the backward and the mould will be opened.

1.1.6 Opening the security door

Opening the security door, then the machine will be in the standby status.

1.1.7 Picking up

Taking out the product, checking carefully if there is anything left in the mould cavity, and this whole forming operation is called moulding cycle time. The finished product is shaped by the shape of the mould. The mold is composed of the left mould and the right mould, These two sides of moulds are left with voids, and the material would flow into the voids and get compressed to finish the product. There are three main lines of the path of the molding material before it flows into the left side and right side, sprue, runner, gate, and so on.

1.2 Injection molding machine

Injection moulding machine is distinguished from two large projects, they are divided into two, clamping device and injection device.

1.2.2 clamping device

Closing the mould, the molding material would be cooled off and solidified in the mould cavity. Opening the mould cavity and take out the finished product is the action of the clamping device

1.2.3 Injection Device

Injecting the plastic material into the mould cavity called ‘Injection device’

The following describes the ability of the injection moulding machine, there are three provisions to distinguish the ability of it.

A. Clamping force

When the injection is made, the mould won’t be opened by the maximum clamping force, expressed as the number of TON.

B. Injection volume

The weight of a shot is generally expressed in terms of grams.

C. Plasticizing capacity

A certain amount of time able to melt the amount of resin, this is generally expressed in terms of grams. The most important part is the clamping force, the area of the moulded article is referring the mould perpendicular to the shadow of the opening and closing direction (basically the moud’s area). The average pressure within the mold added to the projection area is called the clamping force. If the mold “projection area × average pressure” is greater than the “clamping force” then the left and the right side moulds will be pushed out.

Clamping force = projection area × average pressure within the mold In general, the mold can withstand the pressure of 400KGF / Cm2, so base on this figure to calculate the clamping force, but the clamping force often based on the shape of forming materials and the shape of the product’s vary, the difference between the larger parameters such as PE, PP, PS, ABS materials, these raw materials are used to make the shallow box, the parameter is 300KGF / CM2.

If the depth of the box is deeper then the parameter is 400 KGF / CM2, If it is the small but high precision products. The projection area is about 10CM2 or less, its parameters are 600KGF / CM2. The smaller parameters such as PVC, PC, POM, AS materials, these materials are also used to make a shallow box, the parameters of 400KGF / CM2, if it is a deep box of its parameters is 500KGF / CM2, if it is a small and high precision products, projection area of about 10CM2 below, its parameter is 800KGF / CM2.

To working with Plastic Moulding is not easy, if you have a project that needs plastic molding service you need to find a professional plastic molding company to support you, to reduce your plastic mold and Injection moulding cost, find a Chinese molding company to support you will be one of the best options, plastic mould and moulding parts from China mold company has inexpensive price and short lead time, this is no reason that you do not choose your plastic molding supplier from China, on the world, over 80% or overseas companies that buy products from China, China is the biggest manufacturer country on the world, this is no doubt about this,

Plastic box mold

We are A Plastic Molding Parts Manufacturing Company

Finding the right source for all your injection molded thermoplastic parts is as easy as selecting DONGGUAN SINCERE TECH CO.LTD (SINCER ETECH). If you need quality injected-molded parts from an ISO 9001:2000 Certified supplier, and you need them on time, ACM is the answer.

Plastic Mold & Plastic Molding Parts Service: Your One-Stop Solution

Sincere Tech is a top 10 injection mold companies in China, offer injection mould, plastic moulding service to the world, 90% of our mold and parts are export to American, Europe, and the world, SINCERE TECH is a “one-stop, one-responsibility” company. our skilled, quality-minded thermoplastics professionals are committed to superior service, providing solutions to customers’ needs from concept to finished product. At our modern plastic molding facility you will be guaranteed:

  • Top quality products
  • The latest in technological equipment
  • Cost-effective manufacturing processes
  • Quality assurance procedures

We are capable of producing a wide variety of plastic parts and components, for industries of all types, including:

  • A / C Vents
  • Actuators
  • Bezels
  • Blood Testers
  • Boat Parts
  • Bobbins
  • Bottle Ties
  • Boxes
  • Brackets
  • Buckles
  • Cases
  • Clips
  • Component Boxes
  • Computer Peripherals
  • Connectors
  • Cosmetic Packaging
  • DVD / VCR Faceplates
  • Faucet Extrusions
  • Flower Pot Bases
  • Fuse Blocks
  • Gear Shift
  • Knobs
  • Gears
  • Housings
  • Junction Boxes
  • Key Fobs
  • Knobs
  • Lenses
  • Light Pipes
  • Motor Housings
  • Name Plates
  • Phone Parts
  • Push Buttons
  • Radiator Tops
  • Seat Belt Parts
  • Shields
  • Spacers
  • Spools
  • Switches
  • Tail Lamp Sockets
  • Toys
  • Trim Plates
  • Typewriter Parts
  • Vents
  • Vials
  • Wedges
  • Window Lift Parts
  • Wire Shields

SINCERE TECH’s Capabilitiesplastic mold manufacturing company

SINCERE TECH’s molding machines range from 60-ton to 2000-ton. We are equipped to mold products from many varieties and grades of resin, each with different properties, including:

  • Thermoplastic commodity resins
  • Engineering grade resins (filled and unfilled)
  • Elastomeric materials

Read more details about our Production Facility and Equipment.

Additionally, our facilities can provide a number of secondary operations, such as:

  • Assembly
  • Pad Printing
  • Painting
  • Drilling
  • Ultrasonic Welding
  • Milling
  • Ultrasonic Insertion

Read more details about our Production Facility and Equipment.

You are welcome to send us your new project, we will quote you with 24 hours, we will offer you the best solution for your new project to save you price, not only the injection molding process, but rubber molding, metal parts etc.

 

plastic injection mold

Looking for plastic injection molding service?

Contact us to get quote, we are A Custom injection mold maker in China that offers plastic injection molding services.

The excellent quality of our plastic molds and molded parts, coupled with our experience and the performance of our services give us today a high international recognition.  Indeed, the company is specialized in International Business and has customers all over the world. SINCERE TECH has very high standards of quality control and always runs long tests to make sure that our Plastic Injection Molding Service reaches all the expectations of our customers. We believe that the quality of a company and its products are seen through time and this is why we like to build strong long-term partnerships with our customer

What is plastic injection molding process?

Plastic injection molding is a manufacturing process in which melted plastic is injected into a mold and then cooled to form a solid part. The mold is created from a metal or plastic tool (1.2344, H13, NDK80, etc.) and is typically made in two halves that are clamped together. The plastic material is heated in a barrel and then forced into the mold under high pressure where it cools and solidifies into the desired shape. This process is used to produce large quantities of identical parts with high precision and repeatability.

When do you need plastic injection molding service?

You may need plastic injection molding service when you require mass production of plastic parts with consistent quality and high precision. This process is ideal for producing large quantities of the same part, as the mold can be used multiple times to produce identical pieces. Additionally, plastic injection molding is well-suited for producing complex and intricate shapes that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with other manufacturing methods. This process is often used in various industries such as automotive, consumer goods, medical devices, and electronics.

plastic injection molding service

plastic molding services

Benefits of plastic injection molding service

The benefits of plastic injection molding service include:

  1. High volume production: Plastic injection molding is ideal for high volume production of identical parts, as the mold can be used multiple times.
  2. Consistent quality: The process is highly repeatable, which leads to consistent quality of parts produced.
  3. Complex shapes: Plastic injection molding can produce complex and intricate shapes that would be difficult or impossible to achieve with other manufacturing methods.
  4. Material flexibility: A wide variety of plastic materials can be used in the injection molding process, including thermoplastics, thermosets, and elastomers.
  5. Cost-effective: The process is efficient and cost-effective for producing large quantities of parts, as the cost of the mold can be spread over many parts.
  6. Precision: The process can produce parts with high dimensional accuracy and minimal tolerance variation.
  7. Automation: Plastic injection molding machines can be automated for increased productivity and reduced labor costs.

Plastic injection molding is a versatile and reliable manufacturing process that can provide significant benefits for producing large quantities of complex and high-precision plastic parts.

Plastic Injection Molding Service in China


We are the manufacturer of our own moulds (toolmaker or plastic injection tooling) and support the production of Injection molded parts allowing reducing your numbers of suppliers. Our injection machines have clamping forces going from 60 to 1050 Tons (2000 Tons outside). Plastic injection molding is the process of producing parts from thermosetting and thermoplastic materials.

Our qualified teams of Designers, Quality controllers and our Research and Development Department allow us to complete our policy: achieving Customer Satisfaction through Improvement and Innovation. The quality of our products and organization permits us to obtain quality certifications (ISO 9001, ) and be awarded numerous times of “Quality Supplier” from different customers. We integrate constantly new resources into our process in order to anticipate any future need of the plastic injection molds market and we became one of the most innovative companies in the sector. The modernity and the organization of our facilities allow us to adapt very quickly to the customer’s needs.

SINCERE TECH has always the objective to stay one of the innovative leaders of the sector and play an important role in our customer’s development. The firm can now propose a total solution from mould design to the semi-finished product (All in-house). SINCERE TECH is always willing to integrate new processes to the solution proposed by staying aware of new technologies. If a customer has a special requirement, we will do everything to fulfill its needs.

Plastic Materials /Commodities

We are used to working with all the classic and less classic plastic materials except PVC (PP, PE, PC, ABS, PC+ABS, PA 6, PA 6.6, PBT, PMMA, TPU, PC+GF, AS, PTFE, POM, PEHD, PEEK…). Our main suppliers are Sabic, Bayer, and Chimei.
About the steel used for our moulds, for export plastic molds we work only with the best steel suppliers like Assab (Sweden), Buderus (Germany), Daido Steel (Japan) LKM( the biggest one in China). For our standard component suppliers, we work with Hasco and DME.

We are used to working with our suppliers the same way we work with our customers. It means good long-term relationships with high-quality policy.

Complex moulds: SINCERE TECH has a rich experience in difficult plastic mould and parts, complex moulds and is an expert in finding solutions to your issues. SINCERE TECH is a real specialist in difficult tooling. To give a classic example: many design companies create plastic products without thinking about mould construction. Then, when the designs are sent to toolmakers, it can be hard for them to make the exact parts (Difficult design, many sliders, many lifters, double injection with materials non-bonding well together, many details in awkward places…).

Most of the classic toolmakers will accept the parts and say that they are able to do it. And then, they will have problems with the plastic injection mould construction, the lead time will be extended and the quality of the tool will not be as expected. Often, these companies have to contact SINCERE TECH to help them to resolve their problems. If you are not sure about the complexity of your part, be sure about your mould maker’s professionalism. SINCERE TECH works closely with its customers in order to resolve any issues.Plastic Injection Molding Service

Thin Wall injection molding: it permits a precise, very accurate molding of plastics and gives better details to the product. This is the name referring to products with a wall thickness lower than 2mm. Usually, the flow is quick, permits a short cycle time and a cost-saving.

Hot runner mold: the special process of injection of plastics where the plastic is kept hot when going through cavities of the mould while the rest of the mould is getting cold to solidify the plastic part and create the molded part: this permits to save plastic material. This is mainly used for parts with medium or large sizes. We are used to working with all popular companies like Yudo, INCOE, Synventive, Husky, HRS… We also have the technology to make our own hot runner systems if the production of the parts (Molding) is made in-house. This again allows our customers to save costs.

Optical Lens Molding: precision molding for glass plastic. This is the technique to produce transparent plastic molded parts (For example Security cameras parts such as the dome cover or also phone frames).

Gas-assist Injection Molding: the plastic parts are gas-assisted molded which means that gas (Most often is nitrogen) is injected at the final stage of the part creation process. It permits to reduce the cycle time, the product weight, the risk of deformation and also the pressure tons injection needed. Moreover, it makes the part’s structure stronger with a better look.

LED/LCD frame molding: injection of plastics used for example to manufacture television screen monitors, computer back-light modules, GPS frames…

IMD, IMF, IML, IMR Molding: In-mold decoration. The decoration of the part is made inside the mould through a film. The film is printed before the molding with the designs wanted. It permits better productivity and extends the decoration’s lifetime. If the customer wants to change the design/decoration of the part, it is not necessary to make another mould but only to change the film. SINCERE TECH is experienced with In-mould forming, in-mold-labeling, and in-mold by roller.

Overmolding: this technique permits to join several components together with a thermoplastic material. This reduces assembly and labor costs. Because the parts are made together, this allows less risk of improper termination or misalignment and increases the design flexibility. Moreover, thermoplastic provides better resistance to vibration or shocks. This technique permits to increase resistance, reduce costs and weights.

Insert Molding: this is a technique where a small part (Stamping part, optical part…) is added or inserted to the Injection molded part.two shot molding

Two-Shot Molding: 2 independent injection units using 2 different materials and/or colors. The first material is injected; then, the mould rotates and the second material is injected to make 1 part. It permits a 2-colour-molding or also called double injection, 2 shot molding, two-shot injection, overmolding, 2K injection, two colour injection, bi-injection, dual shot molding or multi-component molding.

CNC Technology. CNC is an abbreviation for Computer Numerical Control. This is a machine extremely accurately controlled by computer programs permitting a CAM (Computer-aided Manufacturing) through a CAD (Computer-Aided Design). Any plastic injection tool manufacturer uses it but the value-added of SINCERE TECH is the experience, professionalism, and training of the staff.

FMMS Molding or can be called RHCM (Rapid Heat Cycle Molding): excellence surface appearance: permits to take off the welding line. This process is integrated into the molding to save time. It is used for example for clear plastic parts.

US Welding: Ultrasonic Welding: process to weld/ join/ assemble plastic parts thanks to ultra-sounds.

Silk-Screen Printing:  this is to print logos or designs on parts.

Dip-Coating: this is the process of putting the component inside a liquid solution to apply a thin film on it. It permits to manage, change the hardness, the strength of the part by protecting it and expanding the lifetime of the product. Then, the excess liquid has to be drained and evaporation of the solvent is done to create the thin layer.

Laser Etching: this process is made for cutting a shape, a pattern, an image on the plastic part. It is also called laser graving.

Sputtering coating: this is the process of creating a very thin layer of conducting material on the component. It is also called Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) and can be done with most metals like aluminum, stainless steel, copper…

EMI shielding: protect parts from electromagnetic interferences. It is used to protect electrical signals from the outside world. For instance, we use it with marine radars for Garmin.

Waterproof technology: SINCERE TECH has the experience to make water-resistant parts and is able to ensure in-house tests thanks to the IP68 tests.

Sub-assembly: this is the pre-assembly of a component who will be later on being assembled in a larger product.

R&D: SINCERE TECH has its own Research and Development department in order to work with the customers on their projects, advise them on designs, resolve issues and study the feasibility of those.

Quality Control: We have very high standards of quality control in order to respect any requirements from our customers. We have a 100% quality control on our plastic molded parts, it means we control any part coming out of our production.

At Sincere Tech China mold maker, our unwavering commitment to staying at the forefront of the plastic mold industry drives us to embrace advancements and anticipate future trends. We continuously explore innovative materials and composites that offer enhanced performance and promote sustainability. By investing in ongoing research and development, we consistently deliver cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of our valued customers. As a trusted injection mold supplier in China, we take pride in our unwavering dedication to excellence.

Aligned with our sustainability goals, we place a high priority on environmentally friendly practices. We actively seek out sustainable alternatives, such as biodegradable polymers, and implement recycling initiatives to minimize the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes. By choosing our custom injection molding services, you can align your brand with sustainable manufacturing practices and contribute to a greener future.

Ensuring quality is our topmost priority, and we maintain rigorous quality control measures throughout the entire manufacturing process. Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and staffed by skilled technicians, we subject each product to thorough inspection and testing. This guarantees exceptional performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

When you choose Sincere Tech as plastic injection molding service partner in China, you can expect the highest level of professionalism, expertise, and innovation. Our dedicated team is committed to helping you bring your ideas to life, delivering superior products that excel in performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness.

Partner with Sincere Tech Mould suppliers for your custom plastic injection molding service, and benefit from our comprehensive capabilities, unwavering commitment to quality and sustainability, and our drive to exceed your expectations at every step of the process. Together, let’s bring your innovative ideas to life.