How to cut down on plastic injection molding costs

It is vital for low volume injection molding manufacturers and business owners to constantly look for ways to improve the manufacturing process to cut down on unnecessary expenses.

It can be extremely hard to cut costs while maintaining the integrity of the product. This is especially true for complex parts that have intricate design and design features as well as many color specifications. However, it is still possible to improve the efficiency of a few steps to reduce the overall costs.

Here’s a few ideas that will help you cut down some plastic injection molding costs:

1. Improve efficiency

Multiple simple steps can help you maximize efficiency. Plastic injection molding is a multi-step processthat involves mold designing, prototyping, injection molding, production, finish and many more.

Using the best practices in creating and optimizing the other processes can help create a cost-effective PMMA injection molding project. Furthermore, using local suppliers can reduce total lead time and cut down on expenses like shipping.

Making sure that each stage that is part of the cycle in isolation is a sure method of reducing costs.

2. Design Modifications

Various design modifications could be considered to decrease the overall cost of the product being manufactured. Meet with the plastic injection designer and think about your options for design. Simple solutions such as using a hollow section instead of a solid component (where it’s not needed in terms of the application) can help reduce the overall cost.

The lower the amount of material utilized, the lesser is the total price of the plastic component. However, design modifications should always be made without losing the structural integrity overall of the item.

3. Material selection

A significant portion of plastic injection molding costs is taken up by the type of plastic resin /material being employed. Each resin comes with its own cost associated with it.

Before you decide on the best plastic resin for your injection molding PLA product, consider the use of the plastic part. Assess the key features are required in the component to ensure optimal performance. After that, consider if can achieve it with lower-end plastic resin. Sometimes, lower-end plastics along with certain fillers and additives are just as effective as higher-end material.

Take your time weighing your options. Take into consideration the costs of resins used in conjunction with the additives required. It is essential to recognize that certain additives may add cost to your piece. Look for the most viable option that assures the high-quality of the product and is also the most cost-effective solution.

4. Make sure you limit the need for customizations

There are a variety of products that have various customizationand decoration requirements like the texture of the surface, color dyes, stamping, use of lasers, as well as other aesthetic specifications.

Of course, the less adjustments required in the molded component, the more you save on costs. It is therefore essential to consider the requirements of each aesthetic finish before implementing it within the project. Eliminating these factors can help decrease the overall cost of the project.

5. Use Family Molds

One of the simplest methods to cut down on the ABS injection molding costs per piece will be increasing the number of components being manufactured. Creating the family mold that fits in many parts in one go reduces time and effort and is hence very cost-effective.

However the use of the family mold can only happen only for parts that are the same size. Furthermore, for parts that are extremely complex in design, it is often best to choose single molds rather than family molds to preserve the quality of the item.

The higher the parts being created from a single mold and the more rapid the production speed. This implies that the mold needs to go through smaller cycles, which assists in maximizing efficiency.

Final Thoughts:

It is important to understand the amount of money spent on tasks in injection molding (designing and tooling, prototyping, finish, and production) are a significant investment you’re making. While it’s true that this investment is going to constitute the largest share of your project’s budget, it is also the most important aspects of the project’s success.

Walking the thin line between cost optimization and quality requires cautious considerations. Be sure that your cost reduction strategies don’t affect the overall quality of the end product.