Five reasons why injection molded parts are cost-effective
With the injection molding market valued at $17.05 billion in 2017 it’s still one of the most popular ways to mass produce components, particularly plastic parts.
As the injection molding process and technology have developed to meet manufacturer needs and consumer demands, it’s been possible to create more precise and complex parts. We set out the five main reasons why this well-known method is still one of the most cost-effective choices for manufacturers.
Complex parts are no problem
Whether you want to add several different elements into one component, have a part with multiple layers or want to simply create a part with a compact and tricky design, injection molding is a great process to choose. Although the use of a mold is central to the process, this makes injection molding more flexible rather than restraining it.
For example, it’s possible to create small parts, such as polymer optics, using techniques such as micro-molding. Alternatively, you could create a sphere with a hard center and a soft, tactile outer layer using co-injection. With enough expertise and experience, a mold can be created and a process selected to create any sort of component, no matter how complex.
Tight controls create high-quality parts
Using sensitive materials such as plastics means that injection molding can often be a tricky process to get right. There are many parameters that have to be controlled to make sure that the perfect component is created. Temperature, pressure and water exposure can all have a detrimental effect on a component.
Too much or too little temperature can cause warpage in a part; too much or too little pressure can cause vacuum voids or a short shot.
This is why it’s important that engineers choose an experienced manufacturer to create their parts. Choosing an experienced manufacturer also means they can adjust and put tight controls on these parameters to their customers’ advantage. By having a good knowledge of how these parameters affect the final part, manufacturers can develop custom solutions to achieve a customer’s desired structure and finish on their components.
Lots of parts, quickly
Within one press, hundreds of parts can be created. Not only this, but they can all either be identical or unique. The molds and the design of the process also mean that the cycle time for each round of production is short in comparison to other manufacturing methods, such as 3D printing or blow molding. This means that thousands of parts can be made quickly.
Injection molding’s ability to produce this amount of components in a short space of time is one of the main reasons why it’s still one of the most popular methods of mass production. In comparison to other processes it’s also not particularly demanding in terms of maintenance, which means injection molding can produce lots of components quickly and cost-effectively.
Full automation means low costs
As Industry 4.0 becomes more prevalent across manufacturing, injection molding has adapted to take on the benefits of these technologies. Automation and robotics have now been integrated into the supply chain, bringing benefits for both businesses and their customers.
Flexible designs, stronger parts
One of the main benefits of injected molded parts is that they can be created by combining multiple materials together. Whether manufacturers and customers want to use two or more colors in a part or want to put two plastics together with different desirable characteristics, injection molding enables them to adapt their materials to their design.
This material selection, tight control over machine parameters and mold design mean that the parts created will be strong and of a high quality, giving customers the best value for their money. By selecting a manufacturer with a wide-ranging portfolio and process expertise, customers can be sure of getting a cost-effective component created by injection molding.
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