Plastic Injection Molding Cost Breakdown: What You Need to Know

injection molding cost

The most recent EPA data saw Americans generate close to 36 million tons of plastic in 2018. Plastics form the core of many American businesses, so solid knowledge of how manufacturers make plastic goods can help with almost any project.

Injection molding has become one of the most common forms of plastic production. How much does injection molding cost, though? What factors can drive the costs of making a product up or down?

Do you need to build a budget for a plastic project? If so, keep reading for the basics on plastic injection molding expenses.

Molds and Tooling

The main factor unique to injection molding comes from the cost of the mold, also called a tool. The tool consists of one or more pieces of metal, carbon fiber, or other material that the plastic flows into during injection. Different tool creation processes affect injection molding pricing.

The most common process, CNC machining, removes material from an aluminum or steel block. This process requires trained workers and expensive machinery. Most manufacturers outsource this type of tool creation to another company and focus on other molding cost factors.

The second method, electrical discharge machining, uses electrodes to work the material into the desired shape. The tools lead to accurate injection-molded parts with little to no need for post-processing. Electrical discharge machining can cost more money than other methods.

The third method, 3D printing, uses additive manufacturing to create the mold. While this technology remains in its infancy, it allows for fast, inexpensive production of tools. Many organizations use this to prototype tools at a low cost before investing in another method for mass production, which can save plastic production costs later.

Labor and Injection Molding Cost

When designing for injection molding, you must consider factors like the skill necessary to construct your mold. CNC and EDM machinery come with higher service costs.

For parts with exacting specifications, monitoring the process increases the cost further. Equipment operators have to keep a careful eye out to avoid expensive failures. Quality control can identify aesthetic and mechanical issues before they reach the market.

Material Costs

The type of plastic you use affects the cost of the product. High-end, durable plastics for use in cars and eyeglasses double the cost compared to the sort of plastic used in disposable utensils and children’s toys.

While you might consider skimping on materials cost, make sure that the new material meets the standards for your use case. At the same time, you should also consider the possibility that a higher-end plastic may have properties that don’t meet your needs. Polycarbonate, for instance, remains vulnerable to chemicals, so a plastic part needed for a chemistry lab could perform better with a cheaper material.

Cash Injection

Injection molding cost responds to the same things as any project, but methods play a big role. Consider how much quality assurance you need and what difficulties your design faces if you want to avoid sticker shock.

Do you want to start a plastic project? If you want an injection molding partner with rock-solid communication and 27 molding machines, contact us. Request a quote from Nova and we’ll help with projects of any size.

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