What Kind of Materials Are Plastic Injection Molds Made Out of?

Metal injection molding

Did you know that injection molding is the single most common plastic molding process used across the world? It’s a process used to create several different products that include wire spools, bottle caps, automotive dashboards, pcoket combs, musical instruments, and so much more. Plastic injection mold makers are so popular not only because of their cost-efficiency, but also because of their versatility. In fact, there are over 20,000 different types of mold material that can be used in plastic injection molding machines.

This manufacturing process feeds material into a heated barrel, mixes it, and forces the material into a mold cavity by a reciprocating screw or a ram injector where the injection molded plastics part cools and hardens to the mold cavity’s configuration. However, no product can be made if there’s no mold, which requires the use of a plastic injection mold maker.

Plastic injection mold makers usually use either steel or aluminum to construction molds, and then precision-machined to form the desired part’s features. The choice of metal that goes into a plastic injection mold maker really depends on economics–or whatever best fits a budget. Steel molds tend to cost more to construct, but their long lifespan offsets the high initial cost of creating them.

Nowadays, aluminum is a much more affordable material to make molds out of. Higher grade aluminum that’s machined with modern computer plastic injection mold makers can be quite economical. Aluminum molds also offer a fast turnaround and quicker cycles, because of superior heat dissipation.

These are the two materials that plastic injection mold makers use. Depending on the economic standings of a project, molds can be made out of either aluminum, or steel. If you have any questions about plastic injection mold makers, feel free to ask in the comments.

About: Ed