It’s ideal to know the key advantages of injection molding in order to have a better understanding of the process as well. Read on.
Injection molding is one of the most prominent processes for manufacturing identical parts in very high volumes by injecting material into closed molds.
Plastic injection molding is virtually all around us. Its popularity as a manufacturing process is heavily backed by the numerous advantages it offers.
What is Plastic Injection Molding?
Plastic injection molding refers to the highly efficient manufacturing process involving the injection of molten plastic into a mold in order to create a wide variety of plastic parts of different shapes. It is one of the most utilized – and reliable – manufacturing processes in the modern world today, especially when it comes to mass-producing plastic parts.
This technology may appear somewhat recent but has been in use as far back as the 19th century, i.e., 1872. This was the year John Wesley Hyatt patented the world’s #1 plastic molding machine.
The plastic injection molding machine – including the latest versions – has completely revolutionized the entire world of injection mold making. This process works with utmost precision, irrespective of whether the part is a vital automobile unit, a fancy button, or a piece of medical equipment.
Beyond the efficiency and versatility of plastic injection molding, manufacturers enjoy several essential advantages it offers.
Advantages of Injection Molding
1. Handling Extremely Complex Parts Efficiently
Plastic injection molding is one of the few processes that can easily handle the production of highly complex parts. This process is well-known for its remarkable uniformity as well as its capacity to generate hundreds of millions of nearly identical parts.
2. Flexibility (Material/Color)
One of the vital aspects of manufacturing involves choosing materials and the right color. These are crucial factors that must be considered when creating a wide variety of plastic parts.
The advances in polymer – as well as the wide variety of colors and materials – make the possibilities almost limitless. This has contributed significantly to the overall development of large sections of resins that manufacturers can choose and use.
An injection molder with vast experience with a wide range of resins is super-important. Applications that involve resins must comply with the NSF, FDA, REACH, and RoHS.
Selecting a suitable resin for an injection molded project is almost impossible without considering these variables:
- Tensile strength
- Heat deflection
- Impact strength
- A flexural modulus of elasticity
- Water absorption
Plastics can be colored via several coloring systems with their own unique benefits, properties, and even drawbacks. Four of the most utilized coloring techniques in plastic injection molding projects include Liquid Color, pre-colored resins, Masterbatches, and ‘salt and pepper blends.
3. Superior Strength
One crucial factor that is nearly always determined during the design of plastic injection molded parts is ‘strength.’ Designers need to know if the molded part will be rigid or flexible. This enables them to adjust the gussets or integrate ribs accordingly.
This is why it is essential to understand how customers intend to use the plastic injection molded part as well as the type of environment it will be exposed to.
A perfect balance of design considerations helps address the plastic injection molded part’s need for stability and strength. Of course, the material selection also plays a crucial role in the overall strength of the injection molded part.
4. High Efficiency
The popularity of plastic injection molding is tied to its efficiency. It is currently the fastest process of molding plastics, and its high production output rates make the process cost-effective and even more efficient.
The speed of production typically depends on the size and complexity of the plastic mold. Approximately 15-120 seconds pass between every cycle time in most cases.
Thanks to this incredibly short period between cycles, more significant quantities of molds can quickly be produced within a limited time. This, in turn, significantly boosts revenue and profit margins to the roof.
5. Minimizes Waste
It is always remarkable to look for – and work with – high-volume plastic injection molding companies that make green manufacturing initiatives a high priority. Companies that commit to these initiatives are all about optimal safety, sustainability, as well as quality.
The plastic injection molding process often generates excess plastic. But environmentally-friendly manufacturing companies always have cutting-edge systems in place for recycling these excesses.
This action considerably minimizes waste, packaging, and even transportation, which leads to the next benefit of plastic injection molding.
6. Low Costs of Labor
Labor costs in plastic injection molding are relatively low, especially when compared with other molding forms. The capacity to produce simple and complex parts at an incredibly high level – and high output rates – significantly helps with its effectiveness as well as cost-efficiency.
The plastic injection molding equipment generally operates with an automatic, self-gating tool in order to streamline ongoing operations. This requires very minimal supervision, which results in lower labor costs.
7. Smooth Finished Appearance
Plastic injection molding is a unique process in which produced parts require little or no end finishing. This is mainly because every part that comes out of the mold is often the closest to finished appearances. This makes the combination of low gloss and high gloss surface finish achievable right from the mold.
8. Longer Service Lives
Nearly every product created via plastic injection molding has a longer service life than its metal counterpart. The reason for this is not far-fetched: plastic reacts far less with chemicals than most metals do.
This is why plastics are perfect or excellent solutions in any hazardous environment. The use of plastic also eliminates all threats of corrosion and rust.
9. Global Acceptance
Plastic technology is growing astronomically day by day, making injection molding the most prominent manufacturing process nowadays.
Nearly every industry in today’s world is constantly changing its manufacturing processes. They are also considering the replacements of substantial metal parts with plastics.
Precise designs, high durability, and strength make plastics excellent choices in many process solutions these days. This is why plastic injection molding is now widely accepted globally, and there is no sign this will change anytime soon.
Conclusion
Plastic injection molding has received global acceptance and massive popularity for many reasons. The multiple key advantages of this technology mentioned above attest to this.
Plastic injection molding remains one of the most versatile – and efficient – techniques available in modern plastic manufacturing processes. It is reliable and significantly eco-friendly, especially since it is possible to reuse minimal scraps produced during the process.