How to Cut Injection Molding Costs Without Sacrificing Quality?

If you’re in the market for new injection molding parts, it’s time to start thinking about how to cut your costs without compromising quality. There are a few ways you can do this, including on-demand injection molding, larger production runs, and 3D printing.

On-demand injection molding

A good way to cut the costs of injection molding is to automate the production process. This can eliminate labor costs and reduce variable operational costs. The human workforce is important and flexible, but it also adds to the cost of the finished product.

Automation can take care of many tasks, including part removal and sorting, and it can also detect quality variations through visual management. While trained personnel should handle critical decisions, automation should handle routine, repetitive work.

Injection molding is a complex process, which involves the molding of liquid or malleable raw material into a specific shape. Each step in the process is influenced by the physical properties of the material being molded. Usually, a mold is made of metal, with one or more cavities.

Once the liquid is poured into the mold, it must cool and harden inside the mold to achieve the final configuration.

This process may take only seconds for a small part, but for larger parts, it may take minutes. The overall molding cycle time of injection molding can be decreased by adjusting the resin composition, or by reducing the number of steps.

Injection molding costs increase with the number of parts being produced. Each part requires a unique mold size.

As a result, manufacturers try to keep the mold cycle times low, as this means they can produce more parts in a given time. This reduces the cost of the mold but can mean additional repairs and unnecessary downtime.

While it’s impossible to eliminate all the factors that cause the cost of injection molding, it is possible to cut costs without compromising quality. Injection molding costs can be controlled through a good quality system and strategic plan.

The daily operations of the molding process can be optimized by using injection mold design best practices. A good design will help you minimize investment costs, and proper machining will lower the per-part cost.

Larger production runs

If you’re trying to cut injection molding costs without sacrificing quality, you have to be smart about your tooling decisions. Molds typically go through several iterations before they get the final product that you’re looking for.

Often, re-using a mold allows you to create the same part multiple times, saving you a lot of money in the process. For example, you could make a mold for a taller version of the same part, rather than having to develop a new mold for each.

One way to cut injection molding costs without sacrificing quality is to use a lower melt temperature. The lower the melt temperature, the lower the cycle time and energy costs will be.

High melt temperatures also mean longer cycle times, reducing throughput and lengthening production runs. In addition, parts coming out of the mold at high temperatures are often of lower quality and are less suited for long-term field service.

Injection molding is a highly efficient way to produce parts, but it can also be costly. Several factors contribute to the overall cost, including inefficiencies, user error, machine damage, and high scrap rates.

In addition, the process can be unpredictable, presenting unexpected risks and expenses when a part is not as expected.

Another way to cut injection molding costs without sacrificing quality is to use a shot-pot machine with an integral shutoff.

In this way, a molder can avoid long injection times. Another method is to utilize a second extruder for coinjection. This way, both extruders can use the same resin.

3D printing

When it comes to custom injection molding, one of the most effective ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality is by using 3D printing. By eliminating the need for molds and related tools, 3D printing can drastically reduce production costs. This technology is beneficial in many different industries.

In addition to saving money on molds, 3D printing can also eliminate the need for assembly labor. For example, 3D printers can be used to create assembly fixtures that eliminate the need for separate midsoles, uppers, and outer soles. This can result in environmentally-friendly footwear.

Another advantage of 3D printing is that it can provide greater customization. Because the finished product is not mass-produced, customers may want to customize the part with specific colors or have a non-functional area removed.

In addition, going digital can help companies meet any customer request, whether it is a simple color change, a new design, or a post-sale service. The downside of 3D printing is that it requires longer production times, which may decrease your manufacturing rates.

Regardless of the size of your business, there are ways to reduce injection molding costs without sacrificing quality. By using 3D printing technology, you can create customized plastic objects without hiring a mold-maker.

Although it is not the best solution for large-scale production, it can be a great option for hobbyists and small businesses looking to reduce their overhead costs without sacrificing quality.

The most obvious advantage is that 3D printing will eliminate the need to purchase new molds every time you make a design change.

This will save you money and production speed up the development process. You can also eliminate the need to use a sliding core and undercuts, which can greatly reduce tooling costs.

Drafting

Drafting is a critical step in the injection molding process. It helps the part eject easily from the mold, which results in a shorter cycle time and lower part costs. Without an adequate draft, parts may become stuck in the mold and have poor-quality cosmetic finishes. Lack of draft also increases the time required to produce the part, causing it to cost more.

The angle of the draft is critical when designing injection-molded parts. The angle of the draft should be approximately one degree higher than the part’s diameter.

However, the angle depends on the material, wall thickness, and ejection capabilities of the manufacturer. Generally, a draft angle of two to four degrees is suitable for most parts. Smaller draft angles are recommended for parts with light textures and low friction properties.

A high-quality mold can cost up to $5,000. The cost of making a mold can range from $3,000 to $5,000.

While tooling costs are independent of the production volume, the costs of a mold can add 50 to 70 percent to the overall molding cost. For small productions, design modifications can drastically reduce tooling costs.

Another way to reduce tooling costs is to make the design simple to produce. Avoid undercuts and other features that can complicate the injection process. By eliminating these features, you’ll reduce the number of mold cavities, which will save tooling costs. Additionally, use pass-through cores and sliding shutoffs to reduce the number of mold cavities and reduce tooling costs.

Using the most cost-effective materials and procedures can reduce your costs and improve quality.A good mold can also reduce tooling costs. With effective tooling, your plastic injection molding costs will be reduced while improving part quality.

Tooling is an essential step in injection molding and is an investment. It is important to keep in mind that you are seeking the lowest price for each part and you want the best return on investment.

By making the right decisions and using the most cost-efficient techniques, you can reduce your production costs while still getting high-quality parts.

Using a desktop SLA printer

There are several benefits to using a desktop SLA printer for your injection molding projects.

First of all, SLA printers are capable of printing solid, dense models. This is beneficial as it cuts down on the material requirements and printing time. However, there are a few tips to ensure a successful print.

Secondly, make sure to design your mold so there are no supports on the inner face. This will minimize the amount of post-processing needed. It is also important to make sure that the inside face of the mold has no marks from the support.

Third, a desktop SLA printer will save you money on tooling. If you use a desktop SLA printer to produce injection molds, you can save a lot of money.

This technology can print molds for both desktop and industrial machines. It also allows you to iterate on the design before making the mold.

Injection molding is a complex process that can be costly. One of the biggest drivers of costs is the cost of the mold.

The cost of designing and building a mold depends on a variety of factors, including the volume of parts you need to make, the complexity of the design, and the material and process used to make the mold.

Another advantage of using a desktop SLA printer is that it can produce many different textures and materials.
This is particularly helpful if you need to produce multiple versions of a product in a short time. This allows you to get your product to market much faster than if you were to manufacture the parts in batches.