The global market is changing constantly. Companies striving to stay at the forefront of the industry need to be flexible and able to react quickly to changes. They always need to improve efficiency and quality without seeing the corresponding increase in costs. The conflict between quality and cost is the main reason why plastic has become an increasingly compelling material for the injection molding process.
A distinct advantage, the one most people
recognize, of plastic injection molding is the reduced cost of raw materials.
Plastics are cheaper than metals, while still exhibiting many of the same
characteristics. Plastic polymers can also have a wide range of properties that
were historically metal characteristics like thermal conduction and chemical
resistance
The cost-savings of plastics do not only
include the production process. Plastic materials are generally lighter than
metal materials. Weight reduction may help the final product, but the weight
reduction also affects the entire manufacturing process. The reduced weight
makes transportation and packaging cheaper than metal parts. It can make the
customer's installation and use easier.
GM has a test. A total of 38 metals are
required in the manufacturing process of automobile equipment, and the cost is
as high as 75 US dollars. If plastic manufacturing is used, the United States
also needs to integrate all cells into one component, which costs 30 US dollars
and requires 55%. It has fast assembly time, up to 99% qualified productivity.
Not only are the raw materials cheaper, but
the number of components per piece can also be less. Some metal parts are the
result of assembling several parts into one final part. Plastic molding can
sometimes build the same part as a whole without a separately produced part.
This may mean making fewer components with cheaper materials than metal.
Developments in recent years, coupled with
upcoming developments in plastics injection, make plastic a real contender for
a vast range of molding possibilities.
Reduced weight, reduced cost, single component molds, and the increasing
capabilities of polymers mean plastic injection molding can improve many
existing processes. Considering plastic
injection molding over metal injection molding for future and current products
can mean significant cost savings.