Plastic manufacturing includes an array of efficient techniques to manufacture high-quality custom plastic parts. Among the various techniques, injection molding is one of the most efficient mass-manufacturing processes for creating custom plastic parts. The process of custom injection molding commences with a customized mold design and development.
Custom plastic molds enable manufacturers to create parts from simple to extremely complex geometries with precision and accuracy. It helps manufacturers to create unique designs for their products and offers design versatility, scalability, and durability. In this article, we discuss custom plastic injection molds in detail.
Custom plastic injection molds are tools that are specially employed to mold molten resin into a specific design in injection molding processes. Custom plastic molds are built as per the precise specifications and designs to manufacture plastic parts for an array of industries.
Let’s understand the various considerations for manufacturing custom plastic molds:
The very first consideration factor is part design and complexity. To build custom plastic molds, design experts must consider various aspects ranging from form, size, and shape to dimensionality.
The next factor to be considered is the production volume run. You should note that molds can feature multiple cavities for simple parts so that the same parts can be manufactured at once.
If the production volume run is low, then the molds can be manufactured from lighter and cheaper materials such as Aluminium, but if the production volume run is high, then the molds must be manufactured from high-quality steels.
The part material plays a significant role in designing custom plastic molds. Depending upon the properties of the resin, certain design features will need to be included in the mold.
You need to consider various factors such as shrinkage rate, cooling rate, thermal expansion, and flow characteristics to include the following essential aspects in the mold design:
The next factor that should be considered is the budget. The total budget that is available to build the mold significantly affects the mold’s quality and the features that can be placed within the mold.
Custom plastic molds are employed to manufacture an array of products for a variety of industries. Custom plastic injection molds can be designed to cater to any particular requirement.
Custom plastic molds enable manufacturers with design and functionality flexibility. Through custom plastic molds, manufacturers can design and build molds to meet exact specifications, thereby enabling them to include specialized functions and complex shapes. This versatility enables manufacturers to optimize the final product for efficiency and performance.
Custom plastic injection molds can comparatively lower the occurrence of manufacturing errors. Designing custom plastic injection molds for your part significantly improves the product consistency, thereby, lowering potential errors.
Custom plastic injection molds deliver a high level of accuracy, even for the most complex geometries.
Custom plastic molds enable efficient production by eliminating errors, which further creates more parts in reduced time.
Scalability affects production volume runs. Custom plastic injection molds can be designed to accommodate any product volume, and this particular flexibility helps to scale the operations as per the requirements of your project.
Since custom plastic molds reduce errors drastically during the manufacturing process, it is possible to automate more aspects of the manufacturing process. This further reduces costs.
Custom plastic injection molds optimize the manufacturing process to produce more products in the same amount of time, which helps to reduce costs. In addition, it also helps to automate processes, which further reduces costs.
Custom plastic injection molds are employed by an array of industries to create custom plastic parts that fit the industry and project requirements. Let’s understand some popular applications:
Custom plastic parts have found various applications with medical device manufacturers to create precise, accurate, and high-quality parts.
Custom plastic molds are employed in dentistry to enhance comfort or in medical device enclosures that require accurate dimensions. They can also be applied in prosthetics and implants to create patient-specific solutions to enhance comfort, safety, and functionality.
Since custom plastic parts are light-weight and durable, they are popularly applied in manufacturing custom plastic parts for the automotive industry. E.g., Custom plastic parts are applied in the exterior components such as bumpers, side mirrors, and door handles and the interior components such as dashboard panels and air vents.
Custom plastic molds create parts that are accurate and precise. This is particularly helpful in an array of products for the electronics industries, such as sensors and control modules for housing electronic components, lighting systems, switches, and instrument panel buttons.
Plastics can withstand moisture and UV exposure better than other materials, such as metals and wood. In addition, they don’t undergo corrosion, and the maintenance is low in terms of painting and sealing requirements.
Custom plastic parts are often applied for plastic roofing sheets, insulation panels, pipe fittings, and plumbing components
Custom plastic parts are extensively employed by the military and defence sector. The devices of this sector must be able to withstand extreme conditions, high impact, and severe temperature changes. Custom plastic injection molds can create plastic parts that can incorporate these properties without adding weight. They offer a lightweight yet durable substitute for heavier materials.
Custom plastic molds enable manufacturers to create unique packaging solutions that can meet the required project standards.
It is imperative to choose a manufacturer that has established reliability in the industry. Your manufacturer must have the experience and expertise in product and mold design, mold making, and other injection molding services.
It is crucial to choose the correct team for your project as your team will make all the difference. They will ensure that all aspects to select the most apt custom plastic manufacturing process have been evaluated.
The types of custom plastic injection molds are dependent upon various requirements and factors. Let’s understand the most common types of custom plastic injection molds in this section.
Single-cavity molds have a slower production rate as they can manufacture one part per cycle. The mold cost is, however, lower, and it is a preferred mold type for low-volume production runs or prototyping.
The upfront cost of multi-cavity molds is higher, but it has various advantages for high-volume production runs. Multi-cavity molds have a faster production rate as they can manufacture multiple identical parts per cycle. It is apt for high-volume production runs as the production rate is faster and per-part cost is lower.
Family molds are apt for manufacturing sets of parts. They can manufacture different parts in the same mold. The parts should, however, be of similar size and material. Family molds reduce tooling costs for multiple parts, but they demonstrate a higher risk of uneven filling and injection molding defects.
Cold runner molds incorporate channels or runners to direct molten resin into the cavities. The initial mold cost for cold runner molds is lower, and it works with various types of resins, but it does have a slower cycle time and causes more material waste.
Hot runner mold systems incorporate heated channels so that the resin stays molten. The initial mold cost for hot runner molds is higher, and they require more maintenance, but the cycle times are faster, and the material wastage is low. You can read more about hot runner systems here.
Plastic injection molding is an extremely advantageous technique as it is extremely versatile and demonstrates a high level of accuracy and production speed.
Overmolding mold enables molding a second plastic layer over an existing part. This type of mold improves the grip and durability of the part. It requires precise material compatibility.
You can read more about Insert Molding and Overmolding here.
Stack mold incorporates multiple levels of cavities to produce multiple parts in a limited space. You should note that this type of mold is expensive and has a complex design. It, however, increases production efficiency.
Custom plastic molds enable manufacturers to create unique and specific plastic products, but it requires expertise and technical knowledge to achieve an efficient and streamlined manufacturing process. We have design experts and experienced engineers who can help you manufacture custom plastic parts with precision and accuracy.
VEM Tooling has build molds for over 20 years and totals in over 8000 molds built. When it comes to custom plastic molds, VEM shines with its reliability and experience.