Top 5 Advantages of Injection Molding You Should Know
If you have ever purchased an item that is plastic from a store, that item was likely manufactured using injection molding. There are many advantages of using injection molding. Injection Molding is a manufacturing process used to produce plastic products and components. The process involves injecting molten material into molds that form the product. Injection molding can use many different materials, but thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers are the most common. There are many products made using this process, and some of those are bottle caps, electronic housings, toys, and many more.
There are some substantial advantages of injection molding, and we want to share 5 of these advantages in this article. If searching for a flexible manufacturing process, read more to learn how these advantages can benefit your business.
Products Made from Injection Molding
The injection molding industry has exceeded all projections and shows no signs of slowing down. Current projections show that the market will grow by over 476 billion by 2028. New items are manufactured using the injection molding process daily. Plastic injection molding manufacturers have partnered with many industries, enabling companies within those industries to produce cheaper and more creative product designs.
Household Appliance Industry
Household appliances are in every home in the world. When we think of kitchen appliances, we think of stoves, refrigerators, and dishwashers. Each of these items includes many molded parts. But we often forget things like heater shells, hand warmers, rice cooker shells, handheld fans, humidifier shells, stirring machines, air conditioner shells, hairdryer shells, TV shells, and so many more. It is difficult to identify a product that does not have molded plastic as a part of its design.
Cosmetic Packaging Industry
The cosmetic industry is also a massive user of injection molded products. Specifically, cosmetics need packaging, where injection molding comes into the picture. Historically, glass was used for packaging cosmetics, but other options were sought due to cost, weight, and damage potential. Some typical packaging for cosmetics are tubes, powder boxes, eyebrow pencils, makeup bottles, and most cosmetic product packaging found in stores worldwide.
Toy Industry
It wouldn’t be easy to find a single child without a toy. The makeup of toys has evolved over the years from being made with metal materials to various plastics. The change in toy materials has enabled designers and manufacturers to be more creative, resulting in more advanced and innovative creations. Some toys include cars, trucks, barbie dolls, balls, remote-controlled cars, and small playsets. Plastic injection molding manufacturers and designers have also learned that this innovative process can make smaller components necessary to build a toy. Some smaller parts are wheels, buttons, clips, screws, bolts, nuts, and other small pieces needed to assemble a toy. These examples are a portion of toys and components but give us a taste of the advantages of injection molding.
Medical Industry
The medical industry is a large consumer of products using injection molding. Due to the need for sterilization, many items used by hospitals, doctors, and staff must be thrown away. This would be very costly using metal or cloth products. New possibilities are available now that plastic injection molding manufacturers use this new process. Examples of items used in the medical industry are tubes, syringes, connectors, clips, vials, bottles, containers, housings for small and large equipment, blood pressure cuffs, and so on.
Household
Injection molding has many advantages, and it is easy to see by just looking around your surroundings. We can’t overlook the average home and the products we use daily. I look around the rooms in my house, and there are so many plastic products within reach. Food containers, forks, knives, spoons, bottles, bottle caps, cups, drinkware, plant pots, television housing, computer housings, toothbrush handles, toothpaste tubes, and more.
There are numerous advantages of injection molding, evident in the previous examples. However, some specific advantages of injection molding benefit manufacturers and designers. This article will cover five benefits plastic injection molding manufacturers can leverage to grow their business.
5 Advantages of Using Injection Molding
Injection molding has numerous advantages:
- The Ability to Make Products Consistent within Tolerances
Historically, we could hold two of the same product side by side, and almost always, each item would be somewhat unique. I could always find some variation in size, shape, or weight. Injection molding advancements have revolutionized Plastic injection molding manufacturers’ approach to producing consistent parts. The injection molding process and the machines used can hold tolerances to +/- .125 mm (.005 in). The reason is that steel molds are made to the exact dimensions and shape of the product. If the pieces are small enough, a mold is created that can produce multiple parts with each injection. This results in each piece being 100% exact and uniform. This process thoroughly removes inconsistencies in the manufacturing of parts and components. An inherent advantage of injection molding is that by using molds, there is little to no effort in forming pieces and maintaining tolerances, lowering injection mold costs.
- Increased Production of Parts
In the past, machines would stamp out metal parts, or humans would manually make components using templates. Not only did consistency suffer, but so did productivity. A machine producing a single piece or a human making a part one by one is labor intensive and, therefore, expensive. A significant advantage of injection molding is increased productivity with less human work resulting in lower injection mold costs. Plastic injection molding manufacturers’ can mass produce parts and pieces. These components are made with 100% accuracy in one pass by simply injecting material into the molds and allowing the required cooling time. Other processes like CNC machining and 3D printing require more time and expertise. Mass production at lower injection molding costs is a clear advantage.
- Compatible with Many Materials and Colors
Plastic injection molding manufacturers’ are no longer limited on the materials and colors available to produce products. It is estimated to be over 18,000 different materials available that are compatible with the injection molding process. Further, suppose a part or piece needs to be manufactured using specific additives and compounds. In that case, finding materials that match your need is more accessible. When it comes to colors, almost every color is available. This allows for great flexibility for plastic injection molding manufacturers.
- Low Labor Costs
Yet another advantage of injection molding is lower labor costs. Plastic injection molding manufacturers use mostly machines to mass produce parts and pieces. The only human labor required is supervision and staff to perform quality checks. This is another clear advantage for plastic injection molding manufacturers as the less staffing, the lower the injection mold costs.
- Material Recyclability
In current society, people are more conscious of protecting the earth, and recycling is now a part of our everyday routine. One of the main advantages of injection molding is that the material used in the process is 99% recyclable. Plastics can be repurposed many times and make manufacturers and consumers more conscious of the environment.
Conclusion
The advantages of injection molding range from lower labor and higher productivity to lower injection mold costs. Plastic injection molding manufacturers can benefit from these advantages and so many more. There are very few products not able to use the injection molding process.
Out of the numerous plastic injection molding manufacturers available, one is set apart from the rest – Abery. Our mission is to keep customers successful on all our critical projects. Exporting to all parts of the world, we are well positioned to be the game-changing strategic partner. Abery has deep experience working within all sectors and industries, and our portfolio is broad.
Abery’s facilities are state-of-the-art, leveraging advanced equipment. Abery incorporates complete quality control into every aspect of its manufacturing process resulting in precise manufactured parts and pieces. Click to Learn More.