Sponsored: A beginner’s guide to injection moulding
In the following post, Ronan Ye, a manufacturing specialist from 3ERP, goes back to basics to explain what producers considering injection moulding as a manufacturing method need to know about the process, its uses and the things to look out for in a contract manufacturer or service provider.
Injection moulding is the most popular method for manufacturing plastic parts on the planet, so it’s not surprising that the global market for the process was valued at almost 260 million U.S. dollars, with projections for continued growth in the foreseeable future.
The technology is used in a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, medical equipment, and automotive, where advanced techniques such as overmoulding and insert moulding are used to create even the most complex parts with impeccable precision.
And when you consider just the wide range of injection moulding benefits, understanding why millions of companies in some of the most demanding industries in the world are using it for bringing their part designs to life.
But why is injection moulding machine manufacturing so effective? And how does it work?
To find out, let’s dig into the subject and answer all of the important questions, including what it is, the process behind it, its main advantages, and how to choose the right service provider.
What is Injection Moulding?
Injection moulding is the process of using plastic to manufacture a wide range of parts and items. Even though the process was invented as early as the 19th century, it still remains one of the best ways to produce complex parts while keeping expenses under control.
The injection moulding machine uses custom-made moulds to fill them out according to specifications, creating identical copies that can be customised in a variety of ways.
What’s more, injection moulding is a very versatile process, allowing for a wide range of different materials and finishes, which makes it a popular option in countless industries with completely different goals and requirements.
Because of this flexibility, the injection moulding machine manufacturing is even used for some of the most demanding manufacturing projects in the world, producing parts in aerospace, medical fields, and the automotive industry.
Whether you’re looking to produce a small number of parts for testing or need a reliable method for producing large quantities of parts in a hurry, injection moulding can be an ideal choice, especially when working with plastics.
What’s more, the unique process when manufacturing part with an injection moulding machine also means that you can produce complex parts with intricate designs, which is not something that can be said about all manufacturing options out there.
The ability to manufacture large quantities of parts at an affordable cost also makes it ideally suited for the production of various commodities. In fact, it’s likely that quite a few of the household items that you have could have been produced using injection moulding.
How Does Injection Moulding Work?
Even though the injection moulding process is complicated, it can actually be broken down into a few essential steps that help understand how it works and why it’s so effective.
The injection moulding machine is made up of three main components, which are the feed hopper, the screw, and the heated barrel. This machine works by taking plastic powder or granules and manipulating it to shape it into a part according to the requirements and dimensions.
When the feed hopper receives the plastic granules, it then uses frictional action of the screw to create heat. Once the plastic reaches the correct temperature, it is then injected into the mould cavity, where it eventually cools and takes the shape according to the mould design.
If necessary, advanced injection moulding techniques such as repeated injection can be used to create parts out of multiple materials. It’s also possible to use insert moulding to add plastic parts over existing parts made out of other materials.
The basic principles behind the injection moulding process may seem simple, but in reality, it is a very complicated process that requires the right equipment and the right expertise. However, when it is executed correctly, injection moulding can consistently produce excellent results even for the most challenging manufacturing projects.
Pros & Cons of Injection Moulding
Even though injection moulding is one of the most effective manufacturing techniques that has many advantages, there are things that need to be considered before deciding whether it’s the right approach for you.
Just as with any manufacturing approach, there are advantages and disadvantages that can apply to different situations, and only by understanding them can you make an informed decision.
With that in mind, let’s go over some of the most significant pros and cons that injection moulding can offer.
Pros
First, let’s go over the pros of choosing to manufacture with an injection moulding machine.
Impeccable Precision
Because of the way that material is injected to and then shaped by the mould, the number of imperfections can be reduced to a minimum. That means that with every run, you can produce a part that is identical to the one preceding it, over and over again.
As you can imagine, this type of precision is important in almost all industries, and especially in those that can’t compromise on quality, which is why injection moulding is popular in highly demanding fields like aerospace and automotive.
Complex Details
As mentioned before, injection moulding enables companies to produce even the most complicated mould designs, executing even the smallest of details with ease.
You can add multiple details to your mould design and rest assured that each of them will be made a reality by the mould.
Durability
Unlike most other production methods, injection moulding provides advanced possibilities in terms of the durability and reliability of the plastic parts that are produced.
For instance, you can add fillers in the injection moulds that are created, which can help reduce the density of the plastic material and make each part stronger.
Automation
One of the primary reasons why injection moulding produces consistent results is that a lot of the actual manufacturing process can be automated.
That means that you can not only reduce the chances of human error to a minimum, but also have the machine produce parts at a consistent rate and a high fulfilment rate.
Cost Efficiency
For the most part, injection moulding is one of the most cost-effective solutions for producing parts that you can find.
Even though the bottom line of your project will depend on the materials that you use and the complexity of the designs, when comparing it with other manufacturing methods, you will usually find that injection moulding will deliver more for the budget that you can allocate.
Wide Range of Materials
If there’s one thing that injection moulding really excels at, it’s the ability to customise the materials and finishes according to almost any type of requirements. You can choose plastic, thermoplastic rubber, chemical resistant plastics, biodegradable, and many others, so just be sure to figure out what you need from the part and you’ll have plenty of options.
You can also select almost any colour imaginable, and, can also choose from a wide variety of finishes, either for aesthetic or functional purposes.
Eco-Friendly
Finally, in a world where being conscious of the environment is more important than ever, injection moulding can be useful because it produces almost no waste.
Every bit of material that isn’t used in the mould can be repurposed and used in future projects.
Cons
Now that we’ve looked at why injection moulding is so effective, let’s look at some of its shortcomings to provide you a more well-rounded picture.
High Initial Cost
As we mentioned earlier, injection moulding can be very cost-effective, especially for bigger production runs, since the cost of one part is relatively low.
However, before you can actually manufacture, you will need to design and create the mould itself, and that can take many hours and a lot of manpower to execute correctly.
Still, even though this process can be complex, once it’s done, you can use the mould to produce thousands of parts quickly.
Takes Longer to Get Started
Because of the fact that the mould needs to be designed and created, it’s understandable that this process will take time, and can sometimes take months to complete, depending on how complex your project is.
But even though the project of mould development can take time, once it’s done, the process becomes extremely fast and reliable. And if you know what you’re looking for and have prior experience, you can cut down on the time significantly.
Size Limitations
Although an injection moulding machine can produce fairly large parts of up to around 60 cubic inches, if you need something bigger, you might have to choose another manufacturing method such as plastic fabrication.
Still, in most cases, it’s likely that your part will fall well within the parameters, so you should be fine.
Applications of Injection Moulding
When producing parts, precision and cost-effectiveness are two of the most important considerations that most companies are looking for.
That’s why it’s not surprising that a process such as injection moulding has become so popular and has been used both for smaller runs, as well as large-scale production of parts with tight tolerances.
We already talked about some of the high-tech industries that benefit from this manufacturing technology, but let’s look at a few more of the common applications that are very common, to see what types of items you could produce.
Food & Beverage
As we mentioned earlier, injection moulding offers companies the ability to produce parts from a wide range of materials. And that’s very important in an industry such as food & beverage because it needs to comply with a wide range of regulations regarding the safety of food containers. With injection moulding, you can use BPA-free and non-toxic plastics that are not only safe to come in contact with food but can also withstand temperature changes.
This, combined with the relatively low cost of production, makes injection moulding ideal for producing parts such as food containers, beverage caps, filtering components, and much more.
Construction Parts
Another industry that uses injection moulding technology is building and construction, where the custom-made and complex plastic parts play a vital role in the process of building houses and structures.
And oftentimes, these parts also have to meet strict requirements in terms of quality and fit.
For instance, when creating plastic parts for windows and doors, the parts must not only come out perfect but must also be durable and have unique qualities for withstanding environmental factors.
Today, injection moulding is even used to produce parts that can replace metal components, providing excellent performance for a much more affordable price.
Medicine
Because of injection moulding, medical companies are able to produce vital tools and parts cheaper, which helps make healthcare more accessible to people all over the world.
Many of the integral medical devices such as heart pumps, various monitors, as well as a range of medical instruments all depend on the precision of injection moulding, which makes the technology irreplaceable in the field.
How to Choose Injection Moulding Services
Even though injection moulding can be incredibly useful in a wide range of industries, in order for any of that to matter, you must choose a reputable and experienced services provider that can take your vision and turn it into reality.
But what are some of the things you should look for?
Well, for one thing, the company that you choose to work with should have the necessary experience of dealing with a range of injection moulding projects. As you now understand, the process of designing and creating the mould can be challenging, so you need experienced specialists that can help you overcome any hurdles that you encounter.
In addition to experienced staff, the provider should also have the most cutting-edge injection moulding machine technology because that plays a vital role in how precise the parts can be, how quickly they can be produced, and how long will it take to start the manufacturing process.
Finally, you should look for an injection moulding business that can handle big projects. When you need to scale up production, you don’t want to have to look for a new provider simply because the company turned out to be incapable of doing larger runs.