Calculating Injection Molding Costs: Tips and Facts You Need to Know
The injection molding cost is a common focus of plastic product manufacturers who use the process. It is an agglomeration of …
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The extremely high level of precision needed within the aerospace industry makes CNC machining a suitable manufacturing process for the sector.
This article provides you with a complete guide to aerospace machining and its importance.
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If you want to produce high-quality machined parts with a sleek appearance, it’s essential to consider some critical factors related to CNC machining.
Here, we’ve gathered some basic information and important considerations to help you achieve the desired results.
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Quickly move from plastic molded prototypes to high-quality custom production parts. Get bulk pricing & DFM in 1 day. 30+ thermoplastic, thermoset materials.
Injection Molding Machine
MOQ
Mold Tolerance
T1 Sample
Utilizing RapidDirect’s injection molding solutions in China, we shape plastic parts based on part size, intricacy, and volume requirements. On-demand prototypes and production runs are made possible with machines ranging from 30t to 1800t, ensuring every design’s accuracy. Benefit from free design consulation on each injection molding order. Expect quick turnarounds with lead times as short as 15 days.
Injection molds are crucial for mass-producing precise plastic molded parts. Made primarily from steel or aluminum, their creation involves intricate design, precise machining, and assembly.
Plastic injection molding is a technique where molten thermplastic is forced into molds, solidifying into parts. Enabling efficient, and large-scale production with consistent quality.
Overmolding combines different plastic materials by molding one over another, enhancing functionality, aesthetics, and grip, while reducing assembly time and costs.
Insert molding encases a pre-set insert with plastic, merging metal and plastic, enhancing strength, simplifying assembly, and ensuring precision integration.
View the plastic prototypes and on-demand production parts we’ve manufactured for our customers.
Upload your design on RapidDirect’s online platform and request for an injection molding quote. Within a day, get precise pricing and DFM insights after our 3D CAD review. We identify machining challenges and analyze mold flow, guaranteeing impeccable product quality. Navigate complex projects with our clear, user-friendly platform.
Get in-bulk injection molding quotes, allowing you to make a pricing comparison between different specs, quantities, raw material, and surface finishes, and helping you choose the solution that best suits your needs and budget.
Upload your design and instantly annotate areas of concern. No more back-and-forths; real-time live chat ensures our engineers address and resolve queries instantly, elevating your injection molding project’s efficiency.
Say goodbye to scattered management. From quotes to orders, everything is unified in our platform, providing you with easy access and clear insights into your project’s status.
Streamline your injection molding tasks by forming dedicated teams, sharing vital order details, and facilitating prompt payments. It’s about ensuring everyone is on the same page, driving efficiency and transparency.
Explore our on-demand injection molding solutions to seamlessly transition from prototyping to high-quality production.
Benefit from our rapid injection molding, delivering 1K-100K units quickly at a low cost. Using aluminum or steel molds, we ensure fast turnaround, directly addressing your production challenges and reducing time-to-market.
Low volume injection molding elevates your output, delivering 100K-1M units using resilient steel molds. This ensures high quality and consistency, effectively addressing your need for sizable yet precise production runs while maintaining exceptional standards.
RapidDirect offers common metals for injection molding tooling, and a variety of popular plastic materials.
Before injection molding process starts low or high-volume production, a high tolerance CNC machined tooling is needed. Most commonly used materials include:
Tool Steel: P20, H13, S7, NAK80, S136, S136H, 718, 718H, 738
Stainless Steel:
420, NAK80, S136, 316L, 316, 301, 303, 304
Aluminum: 6061, 5052, 7075
Plastic injection molding service comes with a wide range of materials with different properties, including impact strength, rigidity, thermal resistance, chemical resistance, etc.
ABS HDPE LDPE PP
PPA PS POM PC
PU Teflon (PTFE) Nylon
PC PMMA PA PEEK
PET
Several thermoset materials for distinct applications due to their unique bonding properties.
Liquid Silicone Rubber | Epoxy |
Polyurethane | Phenolic |
Note: You can learn more from our eBook on plastic materials.
We primarily offers SPI finishes for plastic injection molds. For VDI textures, specify your requirements when submitting your quote on our platform.
SPI Finish Standards | Surface Roughness RA (mm) | Finishing Method | Texture | Steels Recommended |
SPI A1 | 0.012 to 0.025 | 6000 Grit Diamond | Super High Glossy finish | S136 (54HRC) or 8407(52HRC) |
SPI A2 | 0.012 to 0.025 | 3000 Grit Diamond | High Glossy finish | S136 (54HRC) or 8407(52HRC) |
SPI A3 | 0.05 to 0.10 | 1200 Grit Diamond | Normal Glossy finish | S136 (300HB) or 718H |
SPI B1 | 0.05 to 0.10 | 600 Grit Paper | Fine Semi-glossy finish | 718H |
SPI B2 | 0.10 to 0.15 | 400 Grit Paper | Medium Semi-glossy finish | 718H |
SPI B3 | 0.28 to 0.32 | 320 Grit Paper | Normal Semi-glossy finish | 718H |
SPI C1 | 0.35 to 0.40 | 600 Grit Stone | Fine Matte finish | 718H |
SPI C2 | 0.45 to 0.55 | 400 Grit Stone | Medium Matte finish | 718H |
SPI C3 | 0.63 to 0.70 | 320 Grit Stone | Normal Matte finish | 718H |
SPI D1 | 0.80 to 1.00 | Dry Blast Glass Bead | Satin Textured finish | 718H |
SPI D2 | 1.00 to 2.80 | Dry Blast | Dull Textured finish | 718H |
SPI D3 | 3.20 to 18.0 | Dry Blast | Rough Textured finish | 718H |
Standards | Description |
Maximum Part Size | 1200×1000×500 mm
47.2×39.4×19.7 in. |
Minimum Part Size | 1×1×1 mm
0.039×0.039×0.039 in. |
Part to Part Repeatability | +/- 0.1 mm
+/- 0.0039 in. |
Mold Cavity Tolerances | +/- 0.05 mm
+/- 0.002 in. |
Available Mold Types | Steel and aluminum tooling. Production grade we provide: Under 1000 cycles, under 5000 cycles, under 30,000 cycles, and over 100,000 cycles |
Machines Available | Single cavity, multi-cavity, and family molds,
50 to 500 press tonnage |
Secondary Operations | Mold texturing, pad printing, laser engraving, threaded inserts and basic assembly. |
Inspection and Certification Options | Quality reports like FAIs, ISO 9001, ISO 13485 |
Lead Time | 15 business days or less for most orders,
24/7 quotation response |
We adhere to the five standard categories of SPI mold classifications from Class 101 to 105, aligning expectations for customers and suppliers alike.
Mold Class |
Production Level |
Cycles |
Applications |
Tolerance |
Cost |
Lead Time |
Class 105 |
Very low |
Less than 500 cycles | Prototype testing |
± 0.02mm |
Inexpensive to produce a very limited number of product prototypes |
7-10 days |
Class 104 |
Low |
Less than 100K cycles | Good for limited-production parts with non-abrasive materials |
± 0.02mm |
Fall within low to moderate price ranges |
10-15 days |
Class 103 |
Medium
|
Less than 500K cycles | For low to medium-production parts | ± 0.02mm |
Fall within common price ranges |
10-15 days |
Class 102 |
Medium to high | Less than 1M | Good for parts with abrasive materials and/or tight tolerances | ± 0.02mm |
Fairly high price and made with materials of high quality |
10-15 days |
Class 101 |
Extremely high | Over 1M cycles | Extremely high production and fast cycle times | ± 0.02mm |
Highest price and made with only the highest quality materials |
10-18 days |
The injection molding process involves feeding raw plastic materials into an injection molding machine, melting them down, and then injecting them into an aluminum or steel mold. Upon cooling, a production-grade thermoplastic part is formed and ejected for further use or assembly.
See how RapidDirect processes your orders, from quotation, high-quality injection mold making, to production-grade plastic parts, ensuring timely delivery with our skilled team and machinery.
Request your quote from our online quotation platform and our dedicated engineers will provide a response within 24 hours, ensuring the process goes on smoothly.
To ensure we can produce functional molds, we offer feasibility reviews of your design to ensure we can fulfill requirements before starting production.
Predictive modeling software helps us look at the way molten material moves and acts within the mold, which helps us deliver improvements.
Start the production of mold tooling according to your specific application needs by using the materials and finishs of your choice.
T1 sampling will be delivered for you to review prior to manufacturing plastic parts to ensure precision and quality.
After completing the trial production phase, we proceed to low volume production, utilizing advanced machining techniques to manufacture parts quickly and efficiently.
A strict inspection process, including the inspection of function, dimension, and appearance, ensures that the parts meet the required specifications and are of high quality.
After a thorough inspection, we will deliver your products to you as quickly as possible while ensuring their safety.
With custom injection molding, RapidDirect supports diverse industry requirements.
No minimum order requirement helps move plastic molded parts from design to production in a fast turnaround and supports your on-demand injection molding needs with reduced cost.
Owing ISO certified factories, conducting in-process inspections and dimensional verification after production, guarantee the custom molded parts consistency regardless of the complex shape with high precision.
With certified domestic factories and a strong supply chain system, we accelerate the product development cycle and bridge plastic parts production as fast as 2 weeks, or less.
Collaborate with our experts, boasting 10+ years in injection molding, for mold design guidance, material and finish choices, ensuring a smooth transition from prototyping to production.
Injection molding is a manufacturing process used to produce parts in large volumes. It involves injecting molten material, often plastic, into a mold, which then cools and solidifies into the desired shape. This process is extensively used in various industries due to its ability to produce intricate and complex parts with high precision and consistency.
Clamping: The two halves of the mold are clamped together by the injection molding machine. This ensures that the mold remains shut during the injection process.
Injection: Molten plastic is injected into the closed mold at high pressure. The injected plastic is generally packed and held under pressure to ensure all mold spaces are filled.
Cooling: Once the mold is filled, the plastic begins to cool and solidify, taking the shape of the mold’s cavities. Cooling rates are carefully managed to avoid defects and ensure the part’s dimensions and properties are consistent.
Ejection: After the part has cooled and solidified, the mold opens, and an ejection mechanism pushes the finished part out of the mold. The cycle then restarts for the next part.
High-Quality Production: Consistently produces precise, high-quality parts.
Efficiency: Ideal for mass production and large quantities.
Versatility: Suitable for both prototyping and low-volume production.
Cost-Effective Tooling: Aluminum tooling is economical, especially at higher volumes.
Material Diversity: Compatible with a wide range of materials.
Varied Surface Finishes: Allows for different aesthetic and functional finishes.
Complexity: Expertly crafts intricate and detailed components.
Injection molding is a versatile manufacturing process used across various industries, like automotive, medical, consumer, and aerospace. Here are some of typical parts:
– Dashboards
– Bottle caps
– Sterile
– Casings for smartphones, televisions, and other gadgets
– Precision parts for aircraft
Our mold-making process includes 6 steps:
Step 1: Production arrangement: Determine all of the requirements and arrange the production.
Step 2: DFM report analysis: Provide free but detailed production DFM report for further feasibility analysis.
Step 3: Production the mold: Put the mold into production and provide the Tooling Schedule form for the whole cycle for clients to check the process at any time.
Step 4: Free sample to test: Put the mold into production and provide the Tooling Schedule form for the whole cycle for clients to check the process at any time.
Step 5: Mass production:Client confirms the samples are qualified, then officially proceed with the subsequent production.
Step 6: Mold saving: Production is completed and delivered after quality inspection. Mold will be cleaned and properly stored for the next round of parts production.
Tolerances are crucial in injection molding; without proper specification and control, assembly issues can arise. At RapidDirect, we adhere to the ISO 2068-c standard for molding tolerances, but can accommodate tighter specifications if needed.
We have no minimum order requirement. However, larger quantities will yield more competitive pricing.
Once an order is placed, mold design and creation typically take around 35 days, with an additional 3-5 days for the production of the molded parts.
The cost of our services varies based on several factors such as component size, mold complexity, number of cavities, material type, and post-processing requirements. We provide quotes after analyzing these factors on our platform.
At RapidDirect, we offer a wide range of thermoplastic and thermosetting materials suitable for various applications. Some common materials include ABS, Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, and TPE. For a full list of materials or custom material requests, please contact our customer service.
Yes, RapidDirect offers rapid prototyping services. This allows you to test and verify your design before committing to large-scale production.
The injection molding cost is a common focus of plastic product manufacturers who use the process. It is an agglomeration of …
Thermoplastics are some of the most common materials used to create parts and components we use in our day-to-day activities. …
Injection molding is the most common manufacturing process for making plastic products composed of multiple parts that must be assembled …
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