“What kind of materials can be used in plastic injection molding?”
PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING
What is the plastic injection molding process?
GR Precision: This process is similar to that of metal die casting. In this process, molten plastic is injected into a die under pressure and held until it cools. Once it becomes solid, the die is opened and the plastic casting is taken out. Plastic injection molding is an extremely versatile, precise, fast, and inexpensive method of mass-producing plastic products.
What materials can be used?
GR Precision: This process mainly uses both thermoplastics and thermoset plastics, each of which has its own advantages and limitations. The primary difference between the two is that thermoplastics can be melted back into liquid form or recycled while thermoset plastics cannot.
Thermoplastics
GR Precision: Recyclable, cost-efficient (because waste during the manufacturing process can be reused), increased impact resistance because of flexibility.
Thermoset：
GR Precision: Higher chemical and thermal resistance and higher mechanical strength and dimensional stability.
Cons: Cannot be recycled, lower impact resistance. Also, thermoset plastics are more difficult to work with so you might find it difficult to find suppliers for them.
What will I need in terms of design input?
We must have 3D files in STEP or IGES formats.
Where in China can you find plastic injection molding factories?
GR Precision: Depending on what kind of plastic you want to use for your product, these suppliers are focused on the Guangdong Province and Zhejiang Province, the quality of Guangdong Province will be great better than other areas. Just like GR Precision, it is in the center of mold manufacturing and it is a mature self-contained complete Industrial.
How much does tooling cost?
It can cost from a few thousand dollars for simple tooling to hundreds of thousands for more complex multi-cavity tools. It depends on the mold life and the steel of the cavity and core, as well as the machining processing and tolerance requirements.
How long does tooling last?
It depends on the material, but most likely 200,000 pieces is not a problem. It will be from 100,000 shots to 2,000,000 shots to different customers’ requirements.
What is the average lead time for tooling?
7-45 days to three months depending on complexity. If the prototype molds, for some urgent projects, we finish it within one week. But for some large-size molds, it will process 45-65 days according to the machining works.
Do plastic injection molding products or their tooling need any final finishes?
It is not unusual for injected parts to need final machining. This may also include the addition of inserts (that can also be inserted during casting) or thread cutting. Final surface finishes may also be needed such as powder coating or paint application. As usually, most people will choose the local standard texture to do the part surface treatment due to the cost issue. Also, the different texture has a different requirement for the steel.
What are the pros and cons of plastic injection molding?
Pros:
Consistent measurements.
Quick production rate.
Low cost per unit.
Good surface finish.
Products can often be recyclable.
The manufacturing process can be quite cheap because scrap can be recycled/reused.
Cons
Tooling cost.
Warpage and shrinkage.
Some thermosetting plastics or rubbers cannot be recycled.
The recycled material will not give as good performance as new material.
What are the known challenges of the plastic injection molding process?
Some suppliers will use recycled material without telling you. The material type used is critical if you are looking for specific physical properties or performance. Additionally, shrinkage can be problematic across larger surface areas. There will have different issues during the molding processing and GR Precision Mold has very rich experience working on it and we have been in this industrial more than 18 years. Our skilled colleagues will help you solve different questions.
If you have more questions on plastic injection molding, I am sure we can help you greatly.
Bruce
