The advantages of injection moulding
Posted on: 9 January 2019
Many industrial parts are produced using a process called injection moulding. In this process, molten material is injected into a prepared mould, then cooled. A range of materials can me used in this process, including metals, thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers. The initial product is designed by an engineer or industrial designer; then a professional mould maker will create the mold for the product.
There are a many applications of injection moulding, including the manufacturing of metal parts, plastic parts, musical instruments, toys and packaging. Injection moulding is mainly used to mass produce these objects. This process allows mass production in smaller time frames, resulting in increased productivity for businesses with less labor costs. The product is also the same each time. This is an important aspect of injection moulding as it allows brand consistency in high-volume production. For these reasons, injection moulding is gaining popularity as a manufacturing process.
Considerations of injection moulding
One of the disadvantages associated with injection moulding is the initial cost. This is the cost associated with accurately designing the product and getting the tooling requirements right. The mould created needs to be precise in its design, and hence requires expertise. This expense can be quite high as repeated testing is required to ensure the design is refined to perfection. The design also needs to be prototyped using a 3D printer before production can go ahead. All of these processes result in high upfront costs.
These disadvantages may be overridden by the numerous advantages that this method offers. One of these advantages is that injection moulding allows more parts to be housed in a section of a product. For instance, if a drill is being manufactured using injection moulding, then the handle can be used to house and organise the parts of the drill and therefore reduce the number of overall parts used. This results in cost savings that can help make up the initial costs.
This efficient method of production allows complex and intricate shapes are able to be designed more easily in comparison to other methods. Injection moulding in plastics also manufactures parts that are stronger as a result of adding fillers as the plastic is being moulded. Other methods of moulding do not offer this advantage.
The final product from injection moulding is complete and does not require any further modifications. This, along with other reasons, make this the preferred manufacturing method for many companies.
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