Product description

What is injection molding?

Plastic injection molding is a solution for mass production of plastic parts, which melts the plastic and injects it into the mold cavity under high pressure. After the part cools and solidifies, it can be completed. In the past, most of our clients hesitated to choose injection molding when launching projects. Some of them are in the prototype production stage, while others have completed the prototype and are ready to start production. But they are unsure if the processing solution is suitable for their product or sales capabilities. They will worry about the cost of decorating surfaces or tools. After the design is completed, it is easy to compare the price of injection molding with other processing solutions. You can send the drawings to the supplier, and then you will receive a lot of prices. But by the time you know the price, it may be too late. Suppliers may tell you that the design is not suitable for injection molding or needs to be adjusted, otherwise the cost will be high. In this way, the work and money spent on design or prototype production in the past may be wasted. In this article, we will teach you how to predict the cost of plastic injection molding before design.

Horizontal Injection Molding Machine

Processing Technology

Generally speaking, injection molding services will be applied to the final prototype or large-scale production of end use products. Thermoplastic is most commonly used in plastic injection molding.

Plastic injection molding can be divided into six main stages. Clamping stage - injection stage - retention stage - cooling stage - opening stage - discharge stage. This is a complete and consistent process that also determines the quality of the product.

Injection molding process

The above process will be repeated time and time again, and a large number of identical products will be produced in large quantities. The molding process of thermosetting plastics and rubber is the same, but the barrel temperature is lower than that of thermoplastic plastics and the injection pressure is higher. At the same time, the mold will be heated. After injection molding is completed, it needs to be cured or vulcanized and pushed out when the product is hot.

Injection molded plastic

There are several options in the injection molding plastic industry:

What are the advantages of injection molding?

1. Short production time

The injection time is as short as 2 seconds to 5 seconds. The injection molding cycle can be less than one minute.

Output is important.

2. Less material waste

Compared with CNC machining, plastic injection molding has higher efficiency. Very few plastic materials are wasted.

3. Suitable for complex parts

Complex parts can be molded using plastic injection molding. Complex structures or features can be applied to products during the manufacturing process. For example, logos and designs.

4. Consistent quality

Injection molding can produce thousands of products in one day, and their quality is highly consistent.

5. Low unit cost.

As long as the production of injection molding continues, the unit cost of each product will become lower and lower. In most cases, suppliers will divide the cost of molds into the unit price of the product. Then they will receive competitive prices.

Automatic injection molding workshop

What are the limitations of injection molding?

1. Design is a challenge

The design details of plastic parts will determine the cost of molds. Sizes, unnecessary features, undercutting, and decorative finishes will increase costs. If you want to change the design after the mold is completed, the cost will be quite considerable.

2. Prototype needs to be finalized

The prototype of the product needs to be completed before plastic injection molding. The prototype can be manufactured through CNC, vacuum casting, or 3D printing. Some suppliers also make prototypes for molds.

3. High mold cost

The cost of molds is enormous, ranging from $1000 to $200000. There are many factors that affect tool costs. If the structure is unreasonable or special, the dimensional tolerance is strict, the mold frame standard is strict, the tooling delivery time is short, and the product surface finish is high.

4. Testing

Allow for some minor changes during the testing phase. However, the accuracy and difficulty of the mold will affect its cost. The more precise the mold, the more labor and material costs need to be invested. Adjustments need to be made based on the performance of the mold.

5. Long delivery time

Usually, the delivery time for molds takes 1-2 months. If some problems are found during the testing process, the time will be longer. If the mold needs to be completed in a short period of time, the cost will also increase.

Last but not least, having a checklist can help us understand costs.

We assume that the tool is used for very small and simple products.

The mold cost is $2000, with a quantity of 5000 pieces, and the supplier's quotation is $1 per piece. The total price should be 7000 US dollars. The average price you spend on each product is $1.4.

Application field

Injection molding is widely used in industries such as mobile phones, laptops, various plastic casings, communications, micro motors, computers, appliances, electronics, toys, clocks, lighting, locomotives, etc.