While countless hours go into PU coating services on plastic, there is a specific way plastic injection molding companies move from the design process to production.
So, let’s start by asking where injection mold services begin.
The long and complex process might look intimidating at first glance but there are a few strategies that help avoid mistakes and make it a smooth transition. First things first, move beyond the dedicated seconds per cycle. Injection mold fabrication usually takes about 4-20 weeks, depending on the complexity involved. Let’s break it down into types of molds:
Producing a zero draft on vertical walls or sharp internal corners? The first step is where the complexity is determined. For instance, if the part has walls ranging from 1.2 mm to 4.0 mm, DFM fixing is required.
What will happen in this case?
Basically, product design and DFM review take care of the following factors:
On the other hand, without DFM, the design will face sink marks, warpage and long cooling times.
Once the designer submits a part with vertical walls and no draft, there is a risk of parts sticking in the mold or causing severe damage or ejection marks.
Here, DFM suggests the following solution:
What will happen in this case?
With an optimised cooling machine, the cycle lasts 22 seconds, which saves hundreds of machine hours.
A trial run is necessary to validate both the tool and the process. For example, if a flat plastic panel curls after ejection, it requires adjustment of packing pressure or modification of cooling channels.
What will happen in this case?
This step helps plastic injection molding companies eliminate the danger of uneven cooling and fibre-filled material orientation.
Here, FAI confirms that parts meet the required specifications consistently.
What are the typical documentation requirements?
For example, if the part meets dimensions but shows flow lines on the cosmetic face. In this case, either the buyer accepts it as is or requests gate relocation and reapplies surface texture.
An important stage for enhancing function and appearance which might add some complexity to the process. The best example of secondary finishing is PU coating impact, wherein a housing requires PU coating service on plastic for scratch resistance.
What does added time look like?
Moreover, the common secondary processes involve PU coating, painting, laser marking, hydrographic water transfer printing and assembly which extends the process up to 1-3 additional weeks.
Production ramp-up promises stability over time. For instance, a multi-cavity variation wherein one cavity produces heavier parts can be fixed with a balanced runner system and adjusting venting.
What is optimised at this stage?
To sum up all the stages, a good partner is required who understands how to build processes.
Building processes is more than just manufacturing parts; it is about identifying risks early, designing tools for future bulk volume, coordinating secondary operations and explaining trade-offs clearly. Rustagi Polymers, an injection moulding company in Greater Noida, has years of experience in delivering successful plastic injection molding services.
Usually, it takes about 2-4 weeks for design validation and early testing to complete.
For basic molds, the total time consumed is about 6-16 weeks or up to 20 weeks in case of difficult production.
Often, 1-3 weeks is added to the original duration, which usually depends on approval cycles.
The following documents and files speed up even the most complex processes:
To protect the design against lead time risk, it is recommended to freeze designs early, work with experienced molders, avoid delayed changes and build schedule buffers.
While countless hours go into PU coating services on plastic, there is a specific way plastic injection molding companies move from the design process to production. So, let’s start by asking where injection mold services begin. The long and complex process might look intimidating at first glance but there are a few strategies that help […]
