Plastic injection mold is the primary process for manufacturing plastic parts. Although the tooling of plastic injection mold is expensive, the cost per part is very low. Today most of the companies are looking for China injection mold manufacturer & suppliers to reduce the mold cost.

 Plastic injection mold is a popular and economical industrial process for manufacturing a wide range of plastic consumer products. These include knobs, washers, valves, pulleys, gears, power tools, bottle caps, toys, car panels, computer monitors, keyboards, furniture and so on. These items are mass-produced using molding machines of various sizes and various specific requirements.

Benefits of Plastic injection mold Process for Plastic parts

There are many benefits when use plastic injection mold process for plastic parts:

1. High Production Rate: Plastic injection molding has a fast production rate, making it ideal for mass production of plastic parts.
2. Consistency: Plastic injection molding ensures consistent and uniform quality of the final product due to the use of molds and automated production process.
3. Cost-effective: Once the initial investment in the mold and equipment is made, the cost per unit of production decreases, making it a cost-effective method for producing plastic parts.
4. Complex Geometries: Plastic injection molding can produce parts with complex shapes and designs, including intricate internal structures.
5. Materials: A wide range of plastic materials can be used with this process, including engineering grade resins and recycled plastics.
6. Automation: Many modern plastic injection molding machines include automation features that further increase production efficiency and accuracy.
7. Versatility: Plastic injection molding can be used to produce a wide range of parts for various industries, including automotive, medical, and consumer goods.

Cost of Plastic injection mold Process for Plastic parts

The cost of plastic injection molding can range from a few thousand dollars for a simple, small mold to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a complex, large mold. The cost of the plastic injection molding process depends on several factors, including:

1. Complexity of the part design: The more complex the part design, the more expensive the mold will be to manufacture.
2. Size of the mold: Larger molds are generally more expensive than smaller molds.
3. Number of cavities: Molds with multiple cavities can produce more parts per cycle, but they also increase the cost of the mold.
4. Material: The cost of the mold can vary depending on the type of plastic used for the part and the type of steel used for the mold.
5. Volume of production: The cost per unit decreases as the volume of production increases, making mass production more cost-effective.
6. Lead time: The lead time required to produce the mold and the parts also affects the cost, as a longer lead time will increase the overall cost.

The plastic injection mold process usually begins with an industrial designer or engineer who designs a product. This is followed up by the work of a toolmaker or mould maker who makes the mould to fit the design created. These moulds are metallic and usually made using either steel or aluminium. Using machines, they are made to acquire the exact shape desired by the design. Once this is done, the process of actually making the plastic follows.

Plastic injection mold involves taking plastic in the form of pellets or granules and heating this material until a melt is obtained. Then, the melt is forced into a split-die chamber/mold where it is allowed to “cool” into the desired shape. The mold is then opened and the part is ejected, at which time the cycle is repeated.

Choice of plastic type used in plastic mold depends on the kind of product being made, its requirements and the overall budget. Of the hundreds of available plastics, only a few are safe for consumer use. Some of the ones used in the plastic injection molding process include polystyrene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, Teflon®, Delrin®, and acrylic.

Mainly, two materials that are involved in the plastic injection mold process are thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. Examples of thermosetting plastics are Epoxy and Phenolic, while nylon and polyethylene are examples of thermoplastics. The plastics are liquefied and placed into the heated barrel where they are mixed and form a mold cavity, which is cooled down and hardened.

The machine used in the plastic injection mold process consists of reciprocating screws that are required to mix the granules. There is also a moveable pattern that is responsible for molding the plastic into the shape desired. All of this takes place in the clamping part.

plastic molding parts

Anyway, the production of plastic injection mold can be done through cheap tooling. Production can be made from bottle caps, containers, home appliances and plastic combs among many others. It is great to take advantage of the cheap tooling feature of this manufacturing technique.

The only things required would be the proper selection of materials based on the strength as well as overall function expected on the final part. Different parameters for production should also be taken into account.

Plastic molds is the only way you can do if you want to produce products in large volume. Using this method, you can avoid entailing pricey labour costs and the materials you need are relatively inexpensive. You can also minimize your scrap losses and there will be the development of high tolerance during the manufacturing.

Indeed, plastics are non-degradable and therefore not environment-friendly. However, the plastic injection mold process plays a positive role in reducing waste. Plastics used in the process can be reused as often as required.

If you have a project in hands that is ready to run plastic molds, you are welcome to send us, we will offer quote you a price and will review your drawing and bring some technical issue, welcome to send us an email