Plastic Injection Molding: Top 8 Advantages
Plastic injection molding is a popular manufacturing process, the advantages of which center around high repeatability and incredible precision, combined with a low cost per part, speed, and a massive choice of available plastics.
Read as our injection molding manufacturers highlight the top eight advantages of plastic injection molding.
1. Reduces waste
Industrial manufacturing processes must align with environmental considerations. This is especially true for the plastic industry, which generates heaps of solid, non-biodegradable waste. Plastic pollution or plastic waste accumulation has increased of late, destroying ecology and natural habitats.
Compared to traditional machines that extract plastic pieces from bigger blocks and leave huge amounts of waste behind, injection molding uses only what it requires. Thus, plastic injection molding isn’t just more efficient, it also produces far less waste compared to other traditional methods.
A number of plastic injection molding companies are dedicated to green, sustainable initiatives. During molding, the leftover plastic is recycled using state-of-the-art machinery, which minimizes the amount of waste produced and thus helps play a part in helping save the environment.
2. Cuts labor cost
The ability to produce multiple plastic parts with a high output ratio and minimal time input makes injection molding an extremely efficient process with respect to cost.
In addition, the molding equipment doesn’t require a lot of supervision from workers. Thanks to the self-gating tool, the production and operations are streamlined with minimal human intervention and are performed accurately every single time.
Automated injection machines, automized fabrication, and 3D design units work to produce high-quality parts while using minimal labor. Plus, automation considerably reduces the likelihood of human error, something that saves costs in the long run.
3. Uses different plastics simultaneously
Different types of plastics have different properties. With injection molding, using different plastics at the same time is very much possible.
This is required in cases when basic plastic properties such as texture, color, elasticity, density, etc. need to be modified.
Using different resins to create a material of choice is achievable with co-injection molding. Besides this, using different polymers together helps in reducing the total cost of the material, which saves us and our clients materials and their costs.
4. Offers flexibility in terms of finish, color, and material
In the plastic industry, having the right finish, material, and color is paramount. Plus, the choices are endless. With significant advancements in the world of polymers, different plastic resins have been discovered. Thus, there’s a lot to choose from.
Good injection molding companies like PTMS carry years of experience working with a huge range of resins. Thus, experiences like these have made them comfortable in selecting the right risen for a specific project. The selection of resins for a project depends on the following factors:
- Flexural modulus of elasticity
- Water absorption
- Heat deflection
- Impact strength
- Tensile strength
To add shades, various coloring methods are available. Also, numerous finish appearances including distinctive textures, matte, or surface finish are achievable with plastic injection molding.
5. Provides strength
Today, every industry requires durability, precision, and strength in its products. Robust, lightweight plastic parts are currently being used even in the most rugged environments.
Compared to typical machines, injection molding can add fillers within the injection molds. The fillers include different strengths, featuring materials like clay, glass, etc.
The fillers give stiffness to the material. These fillers reduce the plastic’s overall density during the process of molding. This leads to sturdier injection-molded parts. Plus, certain fillers offer heat resistance properties to plastics.
Several industries such as the automobile industry require small, durable, and strong parts. While traditional injection machines can’t offer such parts, plastic injection molding help mass-produce them at a lower cost.
6. Increases efficiency
CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) and CAD (Computer-Aided Design) are used to design injection molds. They’re designed according to the customer’s specifications, which then helps in the production of high-quality parts.
Once the molds are prepared, the actual production process is quite fast. Compared to traditional molding methods, injection molding is very quick, even when producing parts in bulk.
Since plastic injection molding isn’t a time-consuming process, parts can be mass-produced through a single mold, which translates to a high production output rate.
7. Offers precision
Plastic injection molding helps in the creation of intricate designs, allowing molders to add as much as details as possible. Since injection molds have to endure extremely high pressure, intricate designs can be created as the plastics get pressed harder.
Unfortunately, this level of precision is difficult to achieve through traditional injection machines.
The fabrication of different types of plastic parts can be created to a precision level within 0.001 inches. In addition, the entire process is driven by automation, which makes the manufacturing of complex parts easier and far cheaper.
8. Offers flexibility in terms of design
With plastic injection molding, you can be flexible in designs, which is a big plus. In fact, clients that require plastic parts prefer design flexibility.
The ability to be flexible regarding color choices, produce accurate designs, and choose several plastics (material selection) easily makes injection molding one of the best manufacturing processes.
This also enables the users to devise designs of their choice which is a substantial change when compared to the conventional molding processes.
Get top-quality custom plastic injection molding through PTMS — the finest plastic injection molding company in China
As one of the leading plastic injection molding companies, PTMS has been offering top-quality custom plastic injection molding to its customers since 2002. With experienced employees and advanced injection machines, PTMS knows how to control the costs in a reasonable range.
We have injection molders who provide one-stop service from plastic injection mold design, mold making, plastic injection molding mass production and product assembly for a holistic custom manufacturing experience.
Give us a call for more information on our plastic injection molding company!