What is injection molding? Injection molding is a manufacturing process commonly used for fabricating items from plastic trinkets and toys to automotive body parts, cell phone cases, water bottles, and containers. Essentially many of the plastic parts that we use in every-day life are injection molded. It is a quick process to create a mass amount of identical plastic parts. The flexibility in shape and size achievable by the use of injection molding has consistently widened the boundaries of design in plastics and allowed substantial alternatives of traditional materials due to design freedom and light weighting.

Moulders from Southeast Asia will be invited to examine some of the world´s newest machinery and equipment for injection moulding, as well as raw materials. Nearly all major international suppliers of machinery and material are moving into the Southeast Asian market in response to the growth opportunities here, amplified by emerging new markets of Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Kampuchea.

Industry analysts are forecasting strong performances in the automotive, construction, packaging, and electrical/electronics industry, all of which are heavy users of plastic and rubber finished products and parts.

The largest contingent of exhibitors come from Germany, followed by Italy, Singapore, Austria, and the U.S. Other exhibitors are from Switzerland, Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Canada, U.K., Denmark, France, Sweden, Korea, and India.

As Bernd Aufderheide, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf Asia, explained to IMI, this will be the biggest plastics exhibition ever held in this region. Some 10,000 visitors are expected mainly from the Asean countries, but also from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.