Injection Molding
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PRODUCING PLASTIC PARTS WITH INJECTION MOLDING
Injection molding is an elegant and simple manufacturing process that can quickly produce intricate shapes for custom parts and products. Injection molding is the process of choice for companies looking to produce repeatable parts with strict mechanical requirements.
Injection molding is a popular manufacturing option for high-production runs, not only because of the consistent quality of the manufactured plastic parts, but also because the price-per-part decreases with higher quantity manufacturing runs.
Additionally, Fast Radius offers injection molding production runs as small as 100 parts.
Custom Production, Catered to Your Product & Vision
At Fast Radius, we’re always striving to do our jobs more efficiently. That means working closely with each of our customers — from design and prototyping through to post-production and fulfillment — to ensure that they receive high-quality parts that are made affordably and delivered on short timelines.
Benefits of Choosing Fast Radius for Injection Molding Services
With Fast Radius’ injection molding service, companies can expect:
- Product design and engineering assistance
- High production speeds and volumes
- High-quality parts and finishes
- Minimal post-processing
- Low labor costs
- Low scrap rates
Fast Radius Industry Certifications
Fast Radius maintains the following industry and quality certifications to ensure our customers get the highest quality parts that meet industry standards.
- AIAG certification (automotive)
- AS9100 certification (aerospace)
- ISO 9000 certification (quality)
Future of Manufacturing with Fast Radius
- Finalize your design files: Our engineers will help you make sure injection molding is the right process for your project. If you need help finalizing design, book a product consultation with our team of designers and engineers.
- Submit a quote request: Our simple-to-use quoting portal will quickly connect you to our customer service team.
- Determine production, delivery timeline, and cost: Our customer service team will work within your timeline to ensure parts or prototypes are done on time.
- Virtual Warehouse™: Many injection molding products can be stored for a reorder in our virtual warehouse.
Injection Molding Applications
Highly reliable and efficient, plastic injection molding is one of the most cost-effective methods for producing large numbers of precise, consistent components.
High-volume production runs
Produce nearly identical parts quickly with low tooling costs.
Consumer-facing products
Materials available with high-quality finishes.
Let’s make your injection-molded parts. Right now.
Injection molding details and options
General process information
Max. part size | • 2000 x 1500 x 800 mm • 78.7 x 59.0 x 31.5 in |
min. feature size | • 5 x 5 x 5 mm • 0.2 x 0.2 x 0.2 in |
best achievable tolerance | • +/- 0.05 mm • +/- 0.002 in |
LEAD TIME | • As low as 2 weeks for T1 samples • After T1 sample approval, lead time for < 10,000 parts is as low as 1 week |
Tool validation | • Standard process is to produce a small set of T1 samples for approval before initiating full production |
Max. press size | • 1400T |
Min. order size | • 100 parts and $5000 |
Setup fee | • $500 per mold per order (applies to sample runs after initial T1 samples or engineering changes) |
Tooling details for injection molding projects
RAPID TOOLING | • Molds with aluminum cavity and core with a shot life of 5,000-10,000 shots • Typically machined in 2 weeks |
PRODUCTION TOOLING | • P20 steel tool with shot life up to 1M shots • Ability to integrate side-pulls or cam-actions • Typically machined in 3 weeks |
Multi-cavity or family molds | • Multiple identical cavities or family of parts machined into a single tool • Allows for more parts to be produced per shot, minimizing unit costs |
INSERT molding | • Inserts are placed into the mold and molding occurs around them to extend tool life for critical features • Allows for inserts such as helicoils to be molded in your design |
OVER-MOLDING | • Premade parts are placed into the mold and molded over • Allows for multi-material injection molding |
Materials used in injection molding
Selection of the material used for your project depends on the application. The materials used when creating parts and products with injection molding vary in mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, and optical properties.
Common materials used in injection molding
Most common materials | Other supported materials | Additives and fiber |
| Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) | Nylon (PA 6) | UV absorbers |
| Polyethylene (PE) | Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS) | Flame retardants |
| Polypropylene (PP) | Polyurethane (PU) | Plasticizers |
| Polycarbonate (PC) | Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA/Acrylic) | Colorants |
| High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) | Carbon fibers | |
| Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) | Glass fibers | |
| Polystyrene (PS) | ||
| Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) | ||
| PEEK | ||
| POM (Acetal/Delrin) | ||
| Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) | ||
| Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) | ||
| Inquire for additional options |
Additional information | col 2 Row1 |
Colors | Finishing/Post-Processing Options |
| Pantone color matching | We can produce to any SPI standard (glossy, matte, rough, very rough) |
| RAL color matching | Pad printing |
| Physical sample color matching | Inserts (e.g. heat stake inserts) |
| Mold-tech textures also available | |
| Ultrasonic welding | |
| Silk screening | |
| Painting | |
| Light assembly | |
| Protective packaging / film |
Other materials used in injection molding
- Nylon (PA 6)
- Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS)
- Polyurethane (PU)
- Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA/Acrylic)
- High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
- Polystyrene (PS)
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
- PEEK
- POM (Acetal/Delrin)
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
- Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
- Inquire for additional material options
Pros and Cons of Injection Molding
Injection molding is an incredibly useful manufacturing method often leveraged to create large numbers of identical parts. The high cost of tooling the hardened metal molds means that the parts must be produced at high volumes in order for the project to prove cost-effective.
However, developments in manufacturing processes and technology now enable product teams to economically create rapid injection-molded parts in smaller quantities and to provide efficient bridge tooling solutions.
One reason injection molding is so prevalent is that a wide range of materials is available for the manufacturing process, making it possible to fabricate products to strict specifications.
For example, a design might call for rigidity or flexibility; UV stability; heat, chemical, impact, or fracture resistance; flame retardancy, or bio-compatibility. Hardness and weight are also considered, along with material cost. Designers and engineers take advantage of combinations and customizations to create unique parts to meet highly complex or unusual application needs.
ADVANTAGES
- Excellent production speed
- Low cost per part
- High precision
- Excellent surface finishes
- Exceptional strength
- Multi-material manufacturing
CHALLENGES
- High startup costs
- Design limitations
6 STEPS IN THE INJECTION MOLDING PROCESS
Read about the injection molding process here.
- Clamping: Injection molds are typically made in two, clamshell-style pieces. In the clamping phase, the two metal plates of the mold are pushed up against each other in a machine press.
- Injection: When the two plates of the mold are clamped together, injection can begin. The plastic, which is typically in the form of granules or pellets, is first melted down into a complete liquid. Then, that liquid is injected into the mold.
- Dwelling: In the dwelling phase, the melted plastic fills the entirety of the mold. Pressure is applied directly to the mold to ensure the liquid fills every cavity and the product comes out identical to the mold.
- Cooling: In the cooling stage, the mold should be left alone so the hot plastic inside can cool and solidify into a usable product that can be safely removed from the mold.
- Mold opening: In this step, a clamping motor will slowly open the two parts of the mold to make for a safe and simple removal of the final product.
- Ejection: With the mold open, an ejector bar will slowly push the solidified product out of the open mold cavity. The fabricator should then use cutters to eliminate any waste material and perfect the final product for customer use.
Achieved a 55% decrease in production cost.
Made possible with Fast radius
Every day we’re working with the world’s leading product manufacturers to make the parts that matter most to their businesses.
Learn more about injection molding
Learn more about the injection molding services we offer at the Fast Radius resource center.
Other manufacturing capabilities
While injection molding is an ideal process for large runs of plastic parts, other manufacturing processes, like 3D printing, CNC machining, or cast urethane might be better suited for your project. When you contact our team, we’ll help you determine the process that’s right for your budget and timeline.