It shouldn’t be essential, but price is one of the primary considerations when looking for plastic injection molders to design and manufacture your components. It’s normal to want a price tag for your finished parts. However, it’s also important to understand all the factors that affect the price of plastic injection molding and see what makes some parts more expensive to produce. Having this information could also help you choose the professionals to hire.
What affects the price of plastic injection molding?
Being aware of all the factors that will affect the price of your end-product is very important, especially if you’re new to the world of plastic injection molding. Not only will this help your bottom line, but it will also allow you to work alongside your plastic molders and design a more cost-effective component. There are many different variables that affect the cost of your finished product, and the most important ones are:
Choice of resin
One of the biggest factors that affect the price of the plastic injection molding process is the type of plastic resin used in manufacturing. The choice of resin will change the price based on color, compounding, additives, quality, and availability. For example, resins that contain abrasive compounds such as mineral, glass, or carbon require different and more expensive molds.
Complexity
The more intricate the component, the more difficult it is to design the manufacturing process, and the more expensive the end product will be. Some aspects of part complexity are the tolerances, the number of undercuts, as well as the surface finish of the part.
Size
The size of the required product also drives the price forward. Larger parts and components require larger, more expensive molds, as well as more material to manufacture, which leads to a higher molding price. Also, larger components can take longer to make, which also increases the costs.
Mold material
Molds are an essential cost consideration in plastic injection molding, and the material of the mold can significantly affect the price of the entire process. Short production runs usually implement less-expensive aluminum molds. However, long production runs require molds made from more durable and expensive materials that will retain their characteristics across several years.
Cavities
The higher the number of mold cavities – the higher the production costs. Fewer cavities require far less time and tooling work, which leads to reduced production costs. Expert molders can maximize cavitations to enhance productivity and lower costs even for the most intricate parts and components.
Mold base
The base of the mold is essentially a case used for holding all the components, inserts, and cavities of the mold. The price of the mold base depends on the type of steel and the size of the mold.
Who are the leading plastic injection molders to hire?
Knowing the main factors that affect the costs of using plastic injection molding for your parts and components is only the first step into getting familiar with the process of designing a component for injection molding. You should also learn more about the main reasons for defects appearing in the process of injection molding and what experts do to minimize them. After that, you should start looking for a reputable molding company to partner with.
Luckily, you can always rely on Wunder Mold and receive all the advantages of partnering with a USA-based plastic injection molding company. We take the time to carefully design every single part for maximum durability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. We choose suitable materials for production that offer the characteristics you require and fast production cycles. You can contact us at sales@wundermold.com or by calling (707) 448-2349.