Customers and manufacturers will be aware of the benefits of choosing plastic injection molded parts. There are many great reasons to use the injection molding method: it’s efficient; can make products stronger; accommodate complex designs; enable multiple plastics to be used at once; and harness automation for optimum efficiency.

1. It’s an economical process

Depending on what’s being mass produced, the mold-making costs can be relatively high and, in the worst-case scenario, may need large lead times. However, the speed at which the parts can be produced in an injection molding machine, with multiple pieces being created in one press, the cost per part is reduced, making the process extremely economical overall.

2. It’s a flexible way to create parts

What if a manufacturer decides that a different material better suits a product’s needs? Or a customer wants a different color for a product? With plastic injection molding, making changes like these are simple. With many different injection options, injection molding gives you the flexibility to create variations of a product, change characteristics or adapt properties.

3. It produces great finishes

When it’s done right, the plastic injection molding process can produce a great finish with high tolerances. A typical design accuracy for injection molding is to within 0.0005 inches. An experienced manufacturer can set tight parameters, meaning that the finish quality is high and that no extra processes are needed. When the product comes out of the mold, it’s done.

4. The labor costs are low

With the latest robot and automation technology, much of the process can be done within a closed system, with little human intervention. This means that the labor costs for running plastic injection are low, particularly if there are no finishing processes. Complex geometry is also no problem, so the process can reduce the number of components needed to make a product and, consequently, reduce assembly time.

5. It produces less waste

Injection molding’s accuracy means that only the volume of plastic that is needed is used. Scrap rates are incredibly low. When there is waste, which might be the result of leakage, it’s not a problem. It can be ground up and recycled to use again, which makes plastic injection molding resourceful as well. If an injection molding machine has a hot runner system, the plastic is also kept in a liquid form, making reuse even easier.

6. It’s possible to replace metal with plastic

Plastic materials and additives have come a long way in terms of their strength and the characteristics they can provide. Plastics can now be used to do the job metal used to handle. With the ability to combine different materials to modify their properties, plastic injection molded products can gain the same qualities as metal parts, with the added benefit of a flexible, cost-effective process.