14/11/2023
7 Ways Plastic Injection Moulding Can Benefit Your Company
We are surrounded by products made from plastic injection moulding. From the pens you use at work to the spatula you cook with at home, injection moulded products are a part of our daily life. Injection moulding is a great manufacturing process and one of the main benefits is the ability to produce large quantities efficiently and cost effectively. Here’s 7 ways injection moulding can benefit your business:
1. Cost Effective
Plastic injection moulding is arguably one of the most cost effective ways to produce large quantities of products. Although the initial tooling investment may be a significant amount, after a few orders the cost savings will easily offset the initial expenses. You can also save a lot more money compared to buying products from a third party.
2. Timely Production
Producing your own plastic parts gives you greater control over the supply chain. You don’t have to depend on third parties holding enough stock or even encountering out of stock situations. You can align the production of your products with your own schedule, ensuring they are made to order exactly when you need them.
The turnaround on orders for plastic injection moulding are usually very quick, especially if the moulder is local to you. You could even have your parts delivered within a few days of ordering.
3. High Quality Finish
Plastic injection moulding delivers a high quality product every time. It is more reliable than casting techniques or cutting from solid materials. There should be no need to further trim, reshape or polish the product after injection moulding. The finish is easily managed in the design stage of the tooling with a number of different finishes available. This means that any human error will not cause any defects during production.
4. High Strength to Weight Ratios
The strength to weight ratio of plastic injection moulded parts is very high compared to other materials. Additives and fillers can be blended with plastics to modify their properties, making them more rigid, impact-resistant, and flame-retardant. These reinforcements are an option that many other materials do not have.
5. Tailored Finishes
There are a massive range of materials, surface finishes, colours and additives that can be used with plastic injection moulding. These are usually decided at the design process stage, but can also sometimes be left open to allow for flexibility in the future. This means that if you need to change the colour of your product due to branding updates, this could be done immediately without any complications.
6. Avoid Obsolescence Risk
There are usually specific parts required to make products per the specification. When sourcing these parts from third parties there is always a risk of parts becoming obsolete. Suddenly stopping parts could cause massive delays in production, significant redesigns and substantial costs. But, when manufacturing your own parts they will never suddenly go obsolete preventing potential issues in production, design and delivery down the line.
7. Reduce Carbon Footprint
Injection moulding is a very efficient manufacturing process that produces very little waste. Typically the only waste from a production run will be during start up, most of which can be reprocessed and put back into the moulding cycle. You also eliminate the need to import parts from overseas, typically from countries like China, saving a considerable amount of embedded energy in your product.
If you use a local moulder, you also have greater control over the manufacturing process. You can specify which materials you would like to use, including recycled materials, which can help reduce your company's carbon footprint.
At Bowles and Walker we can help you take advantage of these benefits of plastic injection moulding. If you have a project you would like to discuss, get in touch with us today. For more information about our services please call us on 01953 885294 or email info@bowles-walker.com. We would be happy to work with you on your journey to create products, reduce costs and support UK manufacturers.
