Key Considerations When Selecting an Injection Molding Company
The manufacturing process can be a tad complex and there are a range of factors to take into account when selecting an injection molding partner that best suits your production requirements, unique products, and your industry.
The best place to start is by gaining a rudimentary knowledge of the plastic injection molding process. This process uses plastic resins or polymers — they’re heated and injected under high pressure into a custom mold, producing high-quality plastic parts to be used in product manufacturing. Although this process seems simple, most manufacturers require an injection molding company that doesn’t just make intricate parts but caters to their time/budget constraints, end uses, specifications, and unique industry needs.
As one of the leading injection molding manufacturers, we discuss some key considerations when choosing an injection molding company.
Value
When determining the best injection molding partner, one of the top factors to consider is price. While ROI and budgetary calculations are a part of doing business, a ‘bargain’ deal may sometimes lead to costly repairs down the line. This means, price shouldn’t be your only consideration — instead of going for the lowest quote, you should think about building a long-term relationship with the right company. There’s no doubt that the lowest-priced option seems very attractive, but it may end up costing you more money a few months later.
Missing a product launch, issues arising during production, and not selecting the right design/material are all issues that may lead to more costs. So, consider your partner’s ability to be an important resource to you and your team, the quality of work they provide, and the overall value of the service they offer.
Many manufacturers have specific and unique needs. Finding a supplier that understands your unique challenges, common materials, and industry is critical to the success of any plastic injection molding project.
Available resins
For a project to be successful, selecting the right resin/material is important. With the right injection molding partner by your side, end uses will be kept in mind during the process of selecting material and design.
Besides the base material that can be the best option for your product, additives and filler materials can be included to enhance the part’s properties. By offering recommendations to lower the amount of material used without compromising quality, experienced injection molding engineers can help you reduce costs.
Communication and customer service
Without top-notch communication and customer service, maintaining long-term business relationships isn’t possible. Since complex projects and parts require a high level of skill, working with a good injection molding company that’s responsive to your needs will give you peace of mind.
If your needs are unique or specialized, finding a supplier that understands your challenges, materials, and industry is critical to your project’s success. You’re free to get in touch with customers as they’re not biased and can help you decide if you should do business with the supplier. They do this by shedding light on the company’s turnaround times, product quality, financial stability, communication style, and business practices.
Quality standards
If your parts need to meet high safety and quality standards or pass strict inspections, you should partner with an ISO-certified injection molding company like PTMS. Such companies will guarantee that parts will be molded with specified, correct materials.
Expanded services
Sometimes, part design and prototyping are two functions that fall outside of the scope of services an injection molding company offers. However, even if they’re offered, they’re introduced too late in the process, preventing you from taking advantage of time or cost efficiencies. Since design is one of the main factors that reduce overall manufacturing costs, you should keep expanded services in mind when choosing an injection molding company.
With the evolution of technology, best practices for part manufacturing and tooling have also evolved considerably over the last few years. The work that happens during the design phase (the earlier stage in the development cycle) is what leads to real efficiencies with respect to project budget and time.
When an injection molding company prioritizes the design and development cycle, a customer may expect that their requirements have been understood and they wouldn’t receive unexpected surprises. Such injection molding companies are invested in design for sustainability, design for assembly, design for functionality, and design for manufacturing.
Technology and production capabilities
Talk to your molder and see if they have the capabilities you need. When you work with an injection molding company that provides multiple presses in various sizes, expect it to undertake the whole project while using the right colors and materials.
Understanding any capacity constraints your supplier may have with respect to project timing is also important. A partner who uses the latest technology and has modern machinery will be able to help you swiftly scale production up/down to meet market demand. This versatility can save you time and money because you won’t have to search for and hire a new manufacturer.
Automation and technology set injection molders apart around the world. Injection molding companies that incorporate the latest production and design capabilities will offer competitive prices compared to overseas alternatives.
The advancements in lights-out manufacturing processes and automation have affected the plastics industry over the years. These advancements have allowed businesses to improve their turnaround time and profitability. In addition, plastic part manufacturers are now in a better position to increase the quality of their products and mitigate the probability of defects.
Reflect on these considerations to streamline the process of choosing an experienced, knowledgeable plastic injection molding company and guarantee positive outcomes like a better time-to-market budget, and long-term relationships.
PTMS is a leading plastic injection molding manufacturer that makes custom injection molding with advanced injection machines
As the finest plastic injection molding company in China, PTMS can mass-produce plastic injection molding parts for customers all around the world.
We’re an ISO 9001-2008 certified company and are extremely strict with product quality.
Get in touch with us for more information on our plastic injection molding services!