What are the pros and cons from Injection Moulding?

Injection moulding is among the most widely used methods for producing identical plastic products in large quantities. But it is, as with any other process it is essential to know the particular limitations on design that need to be followed for the obvious advantages of creating high-quality and cost-effective components.

To make things easier, we’ve simplified described the advantages and disadvantages of each.

However, please be aware that these guidelines can be applied to what we consider to be standard injection molding (quantities of 80,000or more) and could seem at first to be quite prohibitive for those looking to create products with quantities that are not in the normal range.

Production possibilities in low volume

The good news is that Plunkett Associates have spent many years developing strategies and methods to alleviate some of the challenges listed below, especially with regard to parts typically thought of as difficult or untypical to mould.

We are also experts at making injection moulding more efficient and cost-effective for smaller quantity of components than is generally thought of. Using a hybrid of techniques, our low volume production tooling allows us to customise to client/geometry/quantities. The result is an mould tool that meets the requirements and provides the possibility of creating premium quality, but low volume parts.

Being an ISO:9001 2015 Quality System certified supplier, We are sure that we can assist with your needs So, please do not hesitate to contact us.

pros injection moulding

Rapid production and extremely efficient.

Injection moulding is able to produce amazing quantities of components per hour. The speed is determined by the size and complexity of the mould that can vary from 15 to 120 second for each cycle time.

Lower costs for labour.

The process of plastic injection molding is an automatic process in which most of the process is carried out by robots and machines, which only a single operator can oversee and control. Automation can help reduce manufacturing costs as costs of production are greatly decreased.

Design Flexibility.

They are exposed to extreme pressure. In the process, the plastic inside the moulds gets made stronger and allows for an enormous amount of detail to be printed on the piece and allows for intricate or intricate shapes to be produced.

High-output production.

Many parts can be made before the tooling is required to be maintained.

Large material selection.

There’s a wide choice of polymer resins available to select from. Many plastic substances can be combined For instance, TPE can be molded over PP components.

Scrap rates are low.

Injection moulding creates minimal post-production waste compared to conventional manufacturing processes. All scrap plastic usually comes from sprue or runners. Anything that is unused or discarded plastic however, could be recycled and reground to make use of it in the future.

Possibility to include inserts.

Plastic or plastic inserts are able to be insert into moulds.

Excellent colour control.

Plastic components can be made in any color you want with compounding or masterbatches.

Consistency of the product.

Injection Moulding is an repeatable process, in this sense, the next product you create is likely to be exactly the same as the previous one, etc. This is a major advantage when it comes to producing parts with high tolerances and reliability in large quantities.

Reducing requirements for finishing.

There is typically minimal post-production work to be done since the components usually are finished after ejection.

Enhanced Strength.

If you are plastic injection moulding is being done, there is the option to include fillers within the moulding material. These fillers decrease the density of the plastic while the mould is in process and they can also add durability to the final product.

cons of injection moulding

The high cost of tooling and lengthy setup time.

The initial costs are expensive because of the design, testing and tooling that is required. The first design, followed by prototyping (probably using CNC (or 3D printing) followed by the design of an initial mould tool to make replicas of the parts in large quantities. Once an item has undergone extensive testing through each stage, it can finally be injected moulded.

Part design restrictions.

Parts made of plastic should be created with injection moulding in mind and must comply with the basic guidelines of injection moulding. For instance:

Avoid sharp and undercut edges whenever is possible.

Make sure that the wall thickness is uniform to avoid inconsistent results in the cooling process that can cause imperfections such as sink marks.

Draft angles are recommended for better molding and de-moulding.

Remember, since the majority of tools are made of aluminum or steel It isn’t easy to alter the design. If you’re looking to include plastic to the tool then you can increase the size of the cavity bigger by removing the aluminium or steel. To take away plastic it is necessary to reduce the size of your cavity of the tool cavity by adding metal or aluminium to it. This is a very difficult process and can often require cutting off the tool (or the component from it) and re-starting it.

Additionally, the dimensions and weight of the component will determine the tool’s size and the size of the press required. The bigger the piece is, the more difficult and costly it will be.

Small quantities of parts could be expensive.

Because of the complexity of tooling and the need to clear the mould of all the previously used material prior to the next part can be produced and set up, the time to do this can be quite long. So, parts that are small in quantity are usually considered too costly for injection mould.

In an overview

Injection moulding is a fantastic procedure! The selection of colours and materials available is vast and there’s not a single “abs like’ we see in 3D printing, it’s authentic. Parts can be reproduced and have a with a high tolerance. The only issue is the tooling however, as we mentioned in the beginning of this post We’ve got it done, with options to suit the majority of needs.