If you have a high-volume custom plastic products project that requires injection molding, then you should consider the following factors before starting your project.
- Parts quantity
- Tooling budget
- How the part is made
- Size of parts
- Material used
Determining your Parts Quantity
For a high volume, custom plastic products project, you will need to plan for at least 100,000 parts or greater. This is the minimum quantity required by many custom product manufacturers. Consider your product plans and how you will make use of the parts in your design to determine whether this is a realistic number for your project.
Creating and Evaluating a Tooling Budget
Your budget for tooling, which includes designing and creating your mold, is an important factor to consider carefully before you proceed with your project. The more complex your design is, the more your mold production is likely to cost. Make a list of all the costs you anticipate for creating the initial design and having it modified for final production, as this will be a major factor in your overall production costs. It may also determine whether you can use injection molding for your custom plastic products.
CNC tooling at The Rodon Group
Design Production and Size Considerations
Not all part designs can be reproduced using the injection molding process. Before a design is approved for use, the manufacturer will evaluate the design and make changes to adapt it to produce the most structurally sound part. There are also cost considerations that will make it beneficial to change how a part is made using your design.
Smaller size parts are generally preferred for the injection molding process. In any case, your design should be smaller than a 10x10x10 inches. Consider ways that your design can take advantage of a greater number of smaller parts as opposed to fewer large parts that may be less practical to produce using the injection molding process.
Choosing the Right Material
The material used for your product is an important consideration. Some designs will have specific requirements for a particular material, while others will allow more flexibility. Your manufacturer can help you choose the right material for your intended use, and they will be the best source of information on how a particular material will work in their injection molding process.
Neway can help you with creating your part design, evaluating it for use in production, and producing your mold.
After completing mold production, your mold will be used in the actual injection molding press to make production parts. This process usually takes 8-10 weeks.
If you want to make a mould for your design, it’s time to contact us!