The thermoplastic injection moulding process at Protolabs is a standard process involving an aluminum mould with no heating or cooling lines running through it, which means cycle times are a bit longer. It allows our moulders to monitor fill pressure, cosmetic concerns, and the basic quality of the parts.
Resin pellets are loaded into a barrel where they will eventually be melted, compressed, and injected into the mould’s runner system. Hot resin is shot into the mould cavity through the gates and the part is moulded. Ejector pins facilitate removal of the part from the mould where it falls into a loading bin. When the run is complete, parts (or the initial sample run) are boxed and shipped shortly thereafter.
The principal advantage of injection moulding is the ability to scale production en masse. Once the initial costs have been paid the price per unit during injection moulded manufacturing is extremely low. The price also tends to drop drastically as more parts are produced. Other advantages include the following:
Injection Moulding produces low scrap rates relative to traditional manufacturing processes like CNC machining which cut away substantial percentages of an original plastic block or sheet. This however can be a negative relative to additive manufacturing processes like 3D printing that have even lower scrap rates. Note: waste plastic from injection moulding manufacturing typically comes consistently from four areas: the sprue, the runners, the gate locations, and any overflow material that leaks out of the part cavity itself (a condition called “flash”).
Manufacturing knowledge with current best practices and technology, we offer a variety of injection moulding services and value-added processes to meet all of your needs, from single components to full custom turnkey manufacturing.
Our state of the art plastic injection moulding and assembly facility in China provides affordable tooling and moulding while meeting the United States’ manufacturing practices and quality standards. We take pride in our socially responsible and environmentally friendly facilities.