Plastic injection molding service near you

Once a tool is made, plastic injection molding is the fastest and most cost-effective way of manufacturing hundreds of thousands of finished plastic parts. Molded parts have excellent surface finishes with reliable and repeatable dimensional tolerances. And there are resins available to suit most common applications.

Raw plastic pellets are first dried and, if necessary, mixed with coloring agents. Inside the machine the pellets are heated and mixed until the resin is semi-liquid. This liquid is then injected under high pressure through a nozzle and into the gate and runner system of the mold. Resin fills the cavity, forming the shape of the part. It’s then cooled, the part ejected, and the process begins again.

Depending on the complexity of the design and possible heat treatment, a plastic injection mold tool can be made in five days to two weeks.

The cost of a plastic injection mold tool can be a significant percentage of the total order for small volumes. However, this cost can be amortized over larger volumes so that it doesn’t become an issue. Rather, plastic resin and cycle times become the main cost drivers for larger volumes.