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Everything You Need To Know To Find The Best medical molds

Author: Fabricio

Mar. 17, 2025

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4 Things to Look for in Injection Molding Manufacturers

When you entrust your injection molding production to a manufacturer, you're entering a partnership. Justifiably, you want your manufacturing vendor to consistently meet your expectations, provide timely output, and add value to your projects. However, if you've found yourself in a lopsided partnership that has eroded your confidence in them ' through poor-quality part production, unfulfilled orders, or other unsavory activities ' it's time you seek a business elsewhere. But first, you need to know what to look for in injection molding manufacturers.

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1.     Appropriate Injection Molding Certifications

There are strict guidelines in the injection molding industry, considering how crucial it is to meet the standards of plastic parts in such areas as the medical industry. In particular, the following are certifications manufacturers should have:

  • Design and Production Certifications: The IQ/OQ/PQ process validation governs quality standards for the manufacturer's equipment. Also, having documented training with design software such as SolidWorks CAD is vital to determine their prototyping proficiency.
  • Quality Control and Assessment Certifications: A common certification in this category is the ISO series ' of which we meet the current ISO :. It's an important certification for manufacturers, as it signifies suitable quality management systems.
  • Material Safety and Sourcing Certifications: In some industries, like the medical field, traceability is important. It's crucial to ensure the manufacturer has documented knowledge of foreign and domestic laws and ethics, such we have with our Conflict Minerals Policy.

Looking for certifications under these categories will inform you of how reliable the manufacturer's quality control and commitment to industry standards are.

2.     Level of the Manufacturer's Quality Control

Since the stability of plastic injection molding requires an incredible amount of precision, your manufacturer should have a library of quality control and safety measures integrated into their process. A great way of determining a manufacturer's attention to detail is to see if they work with a range of thermoplastics and if they work in a variety of high-precision markets, such as medical, life sciences, and electronics. It's wise to have any potential partner describe their quality control practices in detail.

3.     In-House Mold Tooling

In-house tooling increases quality and production lead time while also decreasing the need for upfront planning and the time, effort, and finances required for rework. It's a testament to the company's dedication to meeting an investor's design specifications, and it allows your engineers to keep track of the entire development phase. Especially given the data displayed in this year's reshoring index and the US-Chine trade war, it's also more advantageous for one to pursue in-house over offshore tooling due to flexibility and a drastically shortened supply chain.

4.     Diversity of Markets Served

Not only is market versatility a good indicator of quality control, but it also signifies a stable and successful business. You may be inspired to pursue an injection molding manufacturer who is narrowly focused on your industry, but doing so limits their customer base, which can result in their business failing should they lose a major partner. Once the manufacturer topples, you'll be left without a supplier. Furthermore, a manufacturer that's involved in a range of markets shows their extensive expertise that can lead to creative solutions.  

Beginner's Crash Course On Injection Molding - Pioneer Plastics

Injection molding has been around for almost as long as plastic. John W. Hyatt, one of the first to patent a celluloid production method, was also the first to inject celluloid into a mold. In , Hyatt and his brother Isaiah patented a machine that injected celluloid plastic into a mold through a heated cylinder. Much like today, this process was used to create buttons and hair combs quickly and easily. 

'The original injection molding machine was slowly refined over the next 70 years as plastics improved. A major step towards modern injection molding was the invention of Bakelite by Leo Hendrik Baekeland in . Bakelite was the first entirely synthetic plastic. Unlike celluloid, which was derived from plant cellulose, Bakelite was made from wholly artificial materials. It was smoother and more uniform than cellulose, which made it easier to produce consistent injection-molded products. 

'The next revolution came about during World War II. Scientists were working to improve the injection molding process to meet the needs of consumers and the government. In , James Hendry made a major breakthrough when he built the first screw injection molding machine. This allowed manufacturers to do things like add new colors, mix before injection, and generally create more exciting and robust objects. 

'Hendry also produced the first gas-assisted injection molding process. That made it possible to create long, hollow objects like never before. Today, the vast majority of injection molding manufacturers still use screws and gas assistance in their injection machines.

The injection molding process is a marvel of engineering, one of those rare solutions that's both intuitive and uniquely complex. The fundamental process of injection molding is simple: plastic is heated up until it melts. The liquid plastic is then pushed or poured (injected) into a mold in the shape of the final object. The plastic is allowed to cool and harden, then it's removed from the mold.

'Some types of injection molding can be slightly more complex. Screw injection molds use a heated barrel with a fitted screw to push the plastic into the mold. The machine feeds plastic pellets from a hopper into the heated barrel, and the screw spins to move these pellets forward into the mold as they melt. 

'Gas-assisted molding also involves extra steps. It creates hollow objects that can't be quickly produced with a traditional mold. The plastic is injected as usual, but a small tube blows in an inert gas alongside it. This gas essentially blows a bubble in the liquid plastic, pressing it against the edges of the mold but leaving the interior hollow. The pressure of the gas is maintained until the plastic hardens. Then it's released to create an object with a hollow interior and no seams. 

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 These include:

  • Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS): Impact-resistant and rigid, used in Legos and some cars.
  • 'Polystyrene (PS): Rigid and economical, used in plastic cutlery and CD cases.
  • 'Acrylic: Transparent and shatter-resistant, used to replace glass in windows.
  • 'Polycarbonate: Heat-resistant and durable, used in eyewear and car exteriors.

The molds used in injection molding are just as important as the plastic. There are two major types of molds: two-plate and three-plate molds

'Two-plate molds are the more straightforward variety. The mold consists of two halves, one of which has the injector. The plates come together to form the complete mold and then pull apart to eject the object. They're excellent for low-complexity parts and items that must be durable, but they can lack precision.

'Three-plate molds include a third plate sandwiched between the two used in a two-plate mold. This additional plate allows the machine to create delicate components by adjusting the location where plastic is injected. They're great for high-complexity parts, but that extra complexity can lead to lower durability.

Plastic plays a vital role in electronics. It's a lightweight material that doesn't conduct electricity. Many electronic devices need to be portable. They also need to keep users safe by avoiding shorts and other electrical problems. These devices come in such a variety of shapes and sizes that companies need to have the ability to quickly produce unique housings. 

'The easiest way to accomplish this is through custom injection molding. A mold can be created to fit any collection of circuits and wires in the shape that makes sense for the product. It can be designed to include specific ports, button cut-outs, screens, and anything else the device may need. That's why injection molding is used to produce everything from car key remotes to phones. 

The medical world requires materials that offer precision and safety in equal measure. It also needs tools and components that are cost-effective to allow as many people as possible to receive treatment. Historically, metal and glass were common in medical facilities, but today's medical professionals need more flexibility from their daily tools.

'Injection molding meets that need. Plastic injection molding can turn out medical-grade parts at significantly less expense than metal equivalents. Certain modern plastics can stand up to the heat of autoclaves, which allows them to be safely used in sterile environments. These plastics can be injection molded into everything from surgical tools to components in devices like x-ray and MRI machines. 

'Injection molding is also vital to life sciences applications. Custom injection molding can help create prostheses, hearing aids, and other life-altering and life-saving devices that patients will use daily. The objects can be produced with a mold that's specifically based on the patient's body. The result is a uniquely close fit, making these aids as comfortable as possible. 

Injection molding is a versatile, helpful method of producing plastic objects. It offers some significant benefits to companies seeking to create plastic things, that:

  • Are affordable: Once a mold is built, injection molding is one of the most cost-effective methods of producing identical plastic objects. The cost is simply the operation of the machine and the plastic used within it. 
  • 'Have tight tolerance: Every single item that comes from a mold will be exactly the same. If you have precise tolerances you need to follow, as with electronics or automotive components, injection-molded objects will meet those requirements with far fewer defects. 
  • 'Require high volume: Molding a product is significantly faster than building or machining it in another manner. It's as quick as injecting the plastic and waiting for it to solidify. 
  • 'Require flexible production: Injection molding works with a variety of plastics. You have the freedom to choose the perfect plastic and the right colors for your component without the need for expensive post-production changes. 

No manufacturing technique is perfect for every situation, of course. There aren't many drawbacks to injection molding, but they include:

  • Cost of mold production: The up-front cost of injection molding is higher than some alternatives. This is because the mold itself needs to be built to fit your needs. However, if you're producing a significant number of objects, this cost quickly pays for itself. 
  • 'Effort of changes: If you want to change anything about your product other than the color or material, you will need to create a new mold. This can take time and effort, just like the production of the original. Injection molding is best for products that do not change significantly until many have already been made. 

'If you need just a few of a product, or if you need your component to be made out of metal or another non-plastic material, then injection molding may not be for you. But if you need custom parts in large amounts, it's a great idea to consider injection molding products

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