As an engineer, your focus is on taking a product idea and figuring out how to get it manufactured so it fits all your specifications and stays within your budget. But before you select an injection molding partner, it’s a good idea to brush up on what the injection molding process looks like.
If your company requires plastic injection molding services to create a plastic part, one of the first—and most critical—decisions to make is whether you’re going to go with a plastic injection mold service in the U.S. or one based overseas. While many countries offer mold-making services, China is the primary player in this market.
Medical device injection molding is used in everything from syringes to IV roller clamps to dialysis machine components.
While you must ensure that your medical device is manufactured to FDA standards and is ISO 13485 compliant, you also need to be certain that the company you select is the right one for your needs.
The properties of thermosets and thermoplastics are quite different—but the similarities and differences are often asked about. The primary difference in these two plastics comes down to heat and chemical resistance. Heat resistance is the primary function of a thermoset material, while thermoplastics—which are much more common—can only withstand heat to a certain degree. It’s worth noting that plastic injection molding companies typically do either thermoset or thermoplastic injection molding, but rarely do they handle both.
The plastic injection molding process is extremely complex with (quite literally) thousands of moving parts. As a manufacturing engineer, it’s not critical for you to know every finite detail of mold-closing mechanisms or the difference between every polymeric substance used in injection molding—but understanding the following 10 terms will make a conversation with a potential plastic manufacturing partner much simpler.
