Plastic injection molding and its advantages

Product identity plays an extremely important role in communicating the product's position and brand in the market. Plastic nameplates can convey information, brands, classifications, descriptions, schematics, warnings, instructions and many other types of product information.

Plastic injection molded nameplates help identify your products and help them stand out from the crowd. Before we go any further, let's take a quick look at the plastic injection molding process.

Injection molding process
The plastic injection molding process is not complicated. This forming process involving metal goes back many years and the basic principles have not changed, just the methods and materials.

Of course, you've seen what the finished product looks like. You've seen them more than you realize. You already see them as automotive signs, appliance and industrial nameplates, custom plastic nameplates, entertainment product nameplates, point of purchase, plaques and signs. They fill the world around you, but do you know how they're made?

The process starts with plastic granules made from a composite of organic and inorganic polymers, along with additives to aid in the melting process. This small pellet is thrown into the hopper along with thousands of other pellets. This starts the journey from pellet to product. The next step is to prepare the plastic.

The particles are released onto the threads of a giant rotating screw. As the particles move, they are heated to a melting temperature of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, the higher the quality of the plastic, the higher the temperature required to melt it. The particles roll along the screw, as the process also requires friction and force. The screw provides both as the particles roll along their surface and collide with each other.

Now that all three requirements are met, friction, force and heat, the particles begin to liquefy and the next step of filling begins. The screw continues to guide the liquid plastic along its threads to the valve. Under high pressure, the valve forces the plastic into a custom-designed mold -- made of heat-resistant metal -- until each cavity is filled. Once this point is reached, the mold enters the holding phase. The filling and holding stages are critical steps in the plastic injection molding process. Their execution will determine the quality of the finished product. The metal we use for the mold ensures that the final piece is made of the same quality as the first.

Next step
The pressure on the mold is maintained while the molten plastic cools to a solid state. This stage can take a few minutes, as the mold absorbs heat from the molten plastic, which is then cooled by the coolant that surrounds it. When the part cools, the screw returns to its original position, collecting more particles from the hopper. The product is then ejected from the mold and moved to its secondary processing, such as decorating, sub-packaging, or shipping. The mold closes and the whole process starts all over again.

Advantages of injection molding
There are several important advantages to using injection molded plastics:

Plastic injection molding allows the manufacture of complex and complex shapes. Shapes that are too difficult or expensive to make with a different process.

Plastic injection molding allows the simultaneous manufacture of large numbers of plastic nameplates and custom plastic signs with the same mold and quality. Metal molds have a long life. When you come back for future orders, the mold will be ready and your next order will be the same as your first. Also, their initial cost is low.
Plastic nameplates can be decorated in a variety of ways, such as textures in molds, metal foils, inks, UV protection, and more.

Other advantages

Plastic injection mold allows manufacturers to produce custom plastic nameplates and assemblies that are too costly to manufacture on demand using traditional machining methods. Injection-molded plastic also allows a large number of components to be manufactured simultaneously, and each copy is identical to the previous one, saving you time and money. This process also reduces labor costs by minimizing the need for manual labor by employees. In the end, there is virtually no material waste. Any unused or leftover plastic can be recycled.