How is a injection mold made?
We are frequently asked how we manufacture injection molds, and more specifically how do we do it .To answer this, it helps to put our services into context. The cost and time required to produce traditional high-volume production injection mold tooling are a consequence of needing to maximize productivity and minimize per part costs for large production volumes. Very high volumes and high production rates dictate hardened steel tooling with full automation, multiple cavities, and advanced runner and cooling systems. Such tools are complex, time consuming to produce and test, and even more difficult to modify once in operation. However, when the customer requires a few hundred injection molded components on a tight delivery schedule, and the rate of production is not required to be high, a completely different mold production approach can be employed.
Understanding customer requirements is the foundation for every successful injection mold project
From the very outset of every client engagement, we strive to understand the full context of the project we are producing molded components for, to be sure we are addressing the customer’s primary needs and are making the best decisions for the mold design. For example:
What is the end use of the product?
What do the components we are molding do?
Will components be used for form, fit, function testing?
Is the project only a model for a coming trade show?
Are the components intended as end-use production parts?
How was the requested material chosen and what were the requirements?
Do the components need to have a high-quality surface finish or special texture?
Will the customer need 25 components in a few days or 250,000 over the next few months?
Understanding and acting on the answers to each of these questions are the foundation of a successful injection molding project.
