At Mardek LLC, we offer contract offshore manufacturing services for metal and plastic materials. Our extensive partner network of highly reputable and carefully vetted overseas manufacturers enables us to provide quality solutions at competitive prices for a range of manufacturing needs. One of our core service offerings is plastic injection molding.
What Is Plastic Injection Molding?
Plastic injection molding is a low-cost, high-volume production method for creating plastic parts and products. The process involves first heating and melting the raw material. Then, the molten material is injected into a mold that has the shape of the desired component. Finally, once the material has cooled, it is removed from the mold and sent for any secondary finishing processes.
Advantages of Plastic Injection Molding
Compared to other manufacturing processes, such as CNC machining and 3D printing, plastic injection molding offers a variety of advantages, such as:
- Broader material range. The plastic injection molding process can accommodate a wide range of materials, which can be customized to have different colors and textures. At Mardek, we can utilize the following materials in our injection molding projects:
- ABS
- Acetal
- Acrylic
- Nylon
- Polycarbonate
- Polyethylene
- Polylactic acid
- Polypropylene
- Polystyrene
- PTFE
- PVC
- Better scalability. The plastic injection molding process has excellent scalability. In high-volume production runs, the price per unit is extremely low, and the price continues to decrease as the number of parts produced increases.
- Greater design freedom. The high pressures used during plastic injection molding operations enable manufacturers to easily produce complex and intricate shapes that would be too difficult or expensive to make using other manufacturing methods. Additionally, as the injection molding equipment can accept multiple materials, they can create components from more than one type of plastic.
- Higher efficiency. Since the injection molding process can make multiple units using a single mold, it offers higher production outputs and, consequently, production efficiency than other molding methods.
- Easier automation. Injection molding and injection mold making operations can be easily automated, which can lead to decreased operator costs and increased part precision and accuracy.
Industrial Applications of Plastic Injection Molding
Our partnerships with ISO 9001-certified, Asia-based manufacturing facilities enables us to provide high-quality custom parts and products in high volumes at low costs to customers in a wide range of industries, including the following:
Automotive
In the automotive industry, many plastic parts are made using the injection molding process since it is well-suited for mass production. It is often utilized for making parts that used to be made out of metal from plastic. For these applications, manufacturers commonly employ robust plastic materials like ABS, nylon, and PET.
Typical injection molded parts and products for this industry include:
- Interior components: seating, trim, and upholstery
- Exterior components: bumpers, door panels, fenders, floor rails, grilles, and light housings
- Mechanical system components: cylinder head covers and oils pans
- Instrumentation components: air vents, dashboard faceplates, door handles, glove compartments, and interior surfaces
Food and Beverage
In the food and beverage industry, manufacturers utilize food-grade materials for injection molding operations. The materials comply with the guidelines outlined by the FDA and similar organizations to ensure safe products and sanitary processes (e.g., non-toxic and BPA-free).
Typical injection mold parts and products for this industry include baking and cooking utensils, beverage making and dispensing system components, and food service and storage tools and equipment.
Medical and Pharmaceutical
In the medical and pharmaceutical industries, injection-molded components must meet strict industry standards (e.g., ISO certification and FDA-grade material use). Typical injection mold parts and products for these industries include sharps disposal bins and wall mounts and medication trays.
Partner With Mardek for Your Injection Molding Needs Today
Injection molding is an effective and efficient solution for producing quality plastic parts and products in high volumes for a range of industries and applications. Looking for a partner for your next injection molding project? Mardek has got you covered!
We offer offshore injection molding solutions that will meet your manufacturing requirements and budgetary restrictions. Our areas of expertise include:
- Injection molding and secondary operations
- Thermoforming and vacuum forming
- Blow molding
- Extrusion
- Machining and assembly
To learn more about our offshore injection molding capabilities, contact us today. To discuss your project requirements with one of our representatives, request a quote.
