The consumer products industry manufactures a wide array of products for society at large. The items serve functions from entertainment to convenience to hygiene and everything in between. Each one has a specific function. Typical examples of injection-molded plastic consumer products include:
Injection molding allows for the manufacture of components in nearly any shape and can create mirror-like surface finishes. These are important factors that help improve the desirability of consumer products.
The pharmaceutical industry is primarily concerned with the development and manufacture of medications and drugs. Those medications often need plastic accessories such as:
Injection molded parts can be manufactured from bio-compatible plastics with high levels of inter-part consistency. This consistency is important due to the high levels of precision required by pharmaceutical devices. In addition, injection molding can produce small, complex parts for drug-releasing implants.
The food and beverage industry is focused on safely delivering food and drinks to customers. Food-safe plastic injection molded parts make convenient containers and utensils. They help prevent cross-contamination during transport and offer simple solutions for takeout restaurants. Below are some examples of food-related applications:
Plastic is especially beneficial in the preparation of foods and beverages as it does not easily react with foodstuffs and keeps these products uncontaminated by outside bacteria or ingredients. In addition, many injection-ready plastics have been approved for culinary use by international standard bodies.
The construction industry is an umbrella term for businesses that build, maintain, and repair structures. The structures themselves may range from individual houses to huge dams. While concrete is by far the most heavily used construction material, plastic industrial products serve important supporting roles. Some typical injection molding applications within the building and construction industry include:
Injection-molded parts are good thermal insulators and help make construction projects more eco-friendly and sustainable when recycled plastics are incorporated, such as for roof tiles or as a filler for concrete. Products made by injection molding are also robust and can easily last the lifespan of the structure.
Disposable packaging makes extensive use of injection molding and injection blow molding. The injection molding process is ideal for the manufacture of thin-walled packaging. Examples of applications are:
Thin-walled packaging is a lightweight method of protecting consumer products or foodstuffs from damage or contamination. Packaging is typically less than 1 mm thick and is a very effective barrier to outside contamination.
The transportation industry is primarily concerned with the conveyance of large quantities of raw materials through rail, air, or sea. Mass public transportation also falls under the umbrella of the transportation industry. Typical applications of injection molded products in transportation can include:
As is the case with the automotive industry, the lightweight nature of plastics can result in tangible fuel savings. This effect gets compounded for cases when the vehicle travels long distances.
Injection plastic molding is used as a manufacturing tool to achieve very high volume production. In fact, it is only cost-effective at high volumes – between 10,000 and 1,000,000 units. As such, this process is ideal for industries with large customer bases. It can scale easily and produce parts inexpensively with very little waste.
The advantages of plastic injection molding include:
For more information, see our article on the advantages of injection plastic molding.
Typical industrial molding companies can manufacture almost any component using a wide range of plastic materials. Some specialize in small plastic molded components such as medical implants, while others focus on large items such as car bumpers. The diversity of the process’ capability explains why there are so many industries using plastic injection molding. Many injection molding companies will also help you understand their DFM (Design for Manufacturing) guidelines for injection molded parts. The guidelines work to assure that the product being produced is of high quality and helps to keep industrial mold prices in check. In addition to DFM guidelines, top injection molding companies handle mold maintenance to ensure mold quality, thereby reducing the overall cost of the mold over the course of its operational lifetime.
This article provided a look at the use of plastic injection molding across different industries, as well as examples of the types of products that are produced and the advantages of the process.
Xometry offers a full range of injection molding capabilities to help with your production needs. Visit our website to explore the full range of our capabilities or to request a free, no-obligation quote.
Want more information on Auto Parts Molds, Mould Manufacturing Process, Hardware Plastic Molds? Click the link below to contact us.