Plastic injection molding, also known as injection moulding, is injection molding process where the molten plastic is formed in to the mold by ejecting the liquid material, the whole process is complex, expensive and infrequently used due to its inability to produce many objects quickly. Please injection molding can create complex shaped better than any other manufacturing process, especially for the high volume requirement of plastic parts, the advantages are fast production, low injection molding cost, accurate dimension and shape, the disadvantage is the injection mold cost is very expensive, if you only need a few hundreds of products this process maybe not the best solution, below are some items for your to know more about injection molding process and injection molding cost.
Getting started
Before you can start acquiring mold and materials for injection molding, you need to know what your project is and have some visual aids to describe your project, without 3D drawing or samples or prototype, you are likely to overestimate or underestimate what you need or give your suppliers and mold manufacturers impression, but this is still possible, you could explain your idea, your purpose of the products, and a picture, then find a China mold company, they still could solve this issue for you, today some of Chinese mold companies that could offer you one-stop service, so you only need to force on your market, and leave all of technical issues to your Chinese partner.
Getting plastic mold cost quotation
With your prototype or samples, or 3D drawing, or part designed by your China mold company, the mold manufacturer will be able to give you an estimated plastic mold cost and injection molding cost. The estimate cost will be based on below a few element.
- Cavity number for the mold
This basic element of the mold describes how many cavities you need in the mold, this is based on requirement of the part. The number of products you can simultaneously make one mold depends on the cavities. The more cavities required on mold, the bigger the mold becomes and the more expensive the mold cost, but the injection molding cost will be accordingly reduced. If you can provide the manufacturer with the estimated products you need per year, the China mold company can determine the most cost effective way to create the cavities in the mold
- Steel quality of the mold
The mold is usually made of important steel materials in the manufacturer’s quote. Mold price can normally range between usd1000 to usd50,000. Most molds consist of aluminium or steel. However, steel alone has several different types. Like S50C, P20, 718, 738H, S136, NKA 80, and more steel available. Also, then mold will need to last If you need to create more injection molded parts. So, the material needs to be durable too, with the estimated number of products required per year, and in the future, then plastic mold company can choose something efficient.
- Material for the injection molding parts
The material you need to use for the plastic product, your raw material, will also factor in the price. Sure, please seems like the obvious answer, but what type of plastics do you need? A few commonly used types materials are PP, PS, PC, Acrylic/PMMA, PVS, PU, PET, HDPE, LDPE, and more, you also need to have a color selection for your Chosen materials, With all of those, the China mold company can give you the right plastic mold cost and injection molding cost.
Plastic injection molding device
Getting a plastic injection molding device will take up a large chunk of your budget. Those machines range in price from usd2000 to as much as usd500,000. It could probably go higher, so your choice must be carefully made. Consider your estimated output per day and year and how much material you intend to use at each part, with that in mind, you can choose a machine that best meets your needs.
Conclusion
With those in mind, getting an estimate on plastic injection molding should be not easy. The process may not be ideal, to find plastic molding company to solve this issue for you, that could be easy thing, and over more, if you think the price is issue for you, find a China plastic mold company to support you maybe the best options for you, especially at today’s high competition on the world, most of companies are trying to reduce the cost and buy things from China, in today’s market, for manufacturing industry, I could say China has advantages on both low price and high quality.
Hope all of those could help you to make right choice.
