Custom Plastic Injection Molding
Custom Plastic molding offers a versatile and wide range of applications, from food storage to medical supplies, and beyond. However, the manufacturing of each part or tool is just as unique as the part itself. Two of the most prominent manufacturing methods are injection molding and thermoforming. Here, we’ll highlight how each works, as well as the advantages and best use of each.
As we mentioned, thermoforming and injection molding are the most widely used manufacturing processes. Both offer advantages depending on the application and production run. Thermoforming is commonly used for shorter production runs of large-scale parts and injection molding is best for large production runs of parts that are more intricate in nature.
How Does Injection Molding Work?
The idea behind injection molding is fairly simple. A stainless steel or aluminum mold is created for a specific part, or tooled, as we say in the industry. Polymers are heated, then liquefied and sprayed or poured into a mold. The plastic hardens and the part is released from the mold. Any seams or tags are then removed from the part. This process can be done in rapid succession, even with extremely detailed part designs.
Advantages Of Injection Molding:
- Rapid manufacturing, once a part is tooled
- Efficient use of material
- Low Scrap rate
- The option of multi-cavity molds
- The option of highly detailed molds and parts
- Large volumes of parts can be manufactured quickly
Injection molding is ideal for mass production and large quantity production runs. A manufacturer can create thousands, even millions, of the same part with just one mold, depending on the complexity and class of the mold.
How Does Thermoforming Work?
Thermoforming consists of heating a plastic sheet and forming it around a “male” or “female” mold. The male or female mold the inward and outward interlocking sides of a mold. In thermoforming, only one side of the part is molded at a time. Vacuum forming and pressure forming are the most popular types of thermoforming. They work very much like their name suggests, one uses a vacuum to form the heated sheet over the mold, and one uses pressure to form the heated sheet over the mold.
Advantages Of Using Thermoforming Over Injection Molding:
- Fast prototyping and development
- Lower mold tooling cost
- Easier to apintejinust and adapt on a smaller scale
- Different color and texture options
Thermoforming is best for small production runs (between 200-2000 parts). It also works best for parts that do not have intricate details. Parts that need to be seamless should not be thermoformed.
By China mold maker
About PTJMould Industrial Company Limited:
PTJMould is one of the best plastic injection molding manufacturer that offer great services to their clients when it comes to manufacturing advanced molding tools. They export their tools to different parts of the world and have become one of the most famous names in the industrial sector.
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