You may have heard the terms Commodity and Engineered Plastics when searching for the right materials to use for your plastic product. Both of which have specific characteristics that cement their place in custom injection molding. The differences are broken down in the latter half of this blog, but first it’s important to understand the basics of thermoplastic materials.
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In the second half of the 20th century, the quest for lower and lower manufacturing costs led many businesses to move their manufacturing processes overseas. In more recent years, the pendulum has begun to swing back in the other direction; better wages overseas, pandemic complications, higher tariffs, and more sophisticated cost estimation methods are bringing manufacturing jobs back to the United States.
Short-run plastic injection molding, also known as small-run or low-volume injection molding, is a specialized process that uses molds made from less expensive aluminum or lower-grade steel to facilitate “small” production runs. Short-run injection molding is a cost-effective way to get all the same cost, quality, and efficiency benefits of standard injection molding. Typically keeping each production run under 10,000 units, but it’s not uncommon to see runs as low as a few hundred or even runs under 100 units for certain markets.
