- Use Multiple Materials
- The injection molding process can be used with numerous different materials. There are hundreds of plastic materials that can be used on their own each with different properties and purposes. There are additives to change the properties such as strength or uv resistance. Two or more different materials can even be molded together in the same part. There is also the benefits of molding with non plastic materials such as metal over molding. All of these benefits give the options to meet almost any demand.
- Tight Tolerances
- A mold can be machined with very high precision. This allows parts to be packed out to reach that same level of precision. These tolerances can be recreated part after part with relative ease.
- Efficient Cost per part
- Due to the relative low cost of plastic and low overhead to keep a mold running, injection molding can be a low cost manufacturing process for large quantities. Once a molding machine has been started, it can usually be left unattended which lowers the cost.
- Complex Geometries
- An injection mold has the benefit of making complex shapes such as under cuts using slides and core pulls. These cuts may not always be easy to machine with traditional manufacturing methods. Parts can have various types of threads in multiple directions due to rotating cores. Plastic can even be molded to make living hinges where the hinge for a top is molded right into the part.
- Low Cycle Times
- Compared to many other manufacturing processes, injection molding has very low cycle times. Injection Molds can create the complex geometries that normally take multiple machining maneuvers to create. Using traditional machining methods a part may need to be worked on in multiple machines to reach the final product.
- Automation
- Molding machines can easily be automated to run continuously with no man power. Robots can remove complex parts and automatically sort good and bad pieces. Parts can be packaged by automation so they are ready to be shipped to the customer.
There are many benefits to injection molding not listed here but this list gives a quick example of why injection molding should be consider for your manufacturing process. Subscribe for more posts about the benefits of injection molding and other plastic related articles.