By Ever wondered how different plastic parts are made? There are endless products out there, but what does it really take to conceptualize, design and create a plastic product? For the uninitiated, plastic molding is the technique used for the process of production. There are varied techniques used in plastic molding, depending on the requirements, but in all cases, plastic material is melted and placed in a mold, to get the desired shape. In this post, we bring a plastic molding guide that’s easy to understand.
Check on the techniques
- The first one is Compression Molding, where the heated plastic material is placed in the heated mold and compressed to get the required shape. Compression Molding finds usage in the auto industry, where many metal parts are now being replaced by high-quality plastic variants. Compression Molding is extremely precision oriented, but the cost of production can be high, especially for small orders.
- Also called rotational molding, rotomolding involves plastic liquid resin in a metal mold, which is then rotated on a heated oven, which helps in coating the material in the mold. When the mold has cooled down, the plastic product is removed. There is no material wastage, and the excess can be used again. The use of rotomolding is more common for making hollow parts, like tanks and bins, and it has found immense credibility among new-age manufacturers.
- Injection Molding. Next, we have Injection Molding, which has been in use for the longest time. In this case, the plastic material is injected into the mold, then cooled and the final product is taken out. When a huge volume of plastic items is required, Injection Molding works best, and it is considered to be a flexible choice for making custom products. The manufacturing time with this kind of plastic molding is huge, and the molds tend to be expensive.
The other options
There are also other forms of plastic molding, such as blow molding, extrusion molding, and thermoforming. What works for a particular kind of product will be decided by the manufacturer. Many of them now prefer rotomolding as a more effective and useful way to product more products in a short time. Check online to find more on plastic molding and look for manufacturers, who can offer help with conceptualization, design and final production. If you are need for specific products, you can even choose to about mold costs.
