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When you are planning to manufacture certain products by using the process of injection molding then the selection of the appropriate materials can be one of the most important aspects to be considered.
The type of materials you choose will not only affect the performance of the part you manufacture
but also the process of making that part.
You can find a wide variety of injection molding materials in the market
but finding the right one for you may not be as easy as it seems to be.
In this write-up, we are briefly discussing what material is used in injection molding and key factors to consider when choosing an injection molding material so that you can easily choose the right material for your project.
Some of the commonly used materials in injection molding are listed here under for your consideration.
Acrylic
To manufacture transparent parts like transparent walls, lighting equipment and windows Acrylic is used.
Normally acrylic parts are used to replace glass because of its resistance to scratch and weather as well as high power tensile.
Apart from its transparent and optical qualities it also includes some unique properties including BPA free, odorless, and tasteless.
For this reason, it is also used in making food-grade containers and refrigerator parts, etc. BPA or Bisphenol A is a harmful synthetic compound that is not appropriate for making food storage and preparation equipment.
Polyamide or Nylon
To manufacture sturdy mechanical parts like gears, bearings, and bushings, etc. used in the automotive industry, normally Nylon is used.
Chemically nylon is known as polyamide or PA.
It is resistant to chemicals, tough, and has good wear and melts at high temperatures.
Polyoxymethylene or POM:
This injection molding material is a kind of acetal resin that is normally used for manufacturing automotive and mechanical parts which can also be made from metal.
This thermoplastic material is used for producing these parts due to its high toughness, rigidity, and strength.
Commonly it is used to produce fasteners, gears, ball bearings and handles of knives, etc. Moreover, it is highly resistant to various solvents like gasoline, alcohols, motor oils, and detergents.
But you should not use it with nitric acid and hydrochloric acid.
Polycarbonate or PC
It is used for dimensionally precise items because of the uniform and predictable shrinkage of its mold and extremely durable and optical properties of this shapeless thermoplastic material.
It is normally used to make parts even stronger than the part made from acrylic.
But it contains BPA or Bisphenol A which makes it unsuitable for storing food.
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene or ABS:
It is an engineering grade opaque thermoplastic polymer.
It offers several benefits because of its high resistance to impact, dimensional stability, as well as resistance to breaking, tearing, and scratching.
It is comparatively cost-effective and melts at low temperatures. Normally it is used to manufacture electronic parts like adaptors of phones, plastic guards, wall sockets and keys of the keyboard, etc.
Polystyrene or PS:
Two types of polystyrene are used in injection molding including GPPS or General Purpose Polystyrene and HIPS or High Impact Polystyrene.
HIPS is opaque whereas GPPS is transparent. HIPS is normally used for producing hard bodies of power tools and cases of toolboxes.
However, they are not friendly to the environment even if they are cost-effective.
Polyethylene or PE:
This injection molding material is lightweight and highly resistant to elasticity, electricity, and chemicals.
Though it is neither hard not strong still it is used in making various types of plastic consumer parts like bottles used in medicines, detergents, and milk as well as trash cans and plastic bags, etc.
It is also used for manufacturing toys made by using an injection molding process.
Polypropylene or PP:
The packaging and food storage industries mainly use this material as it keeps food products safe from chemicals.
Its products do not degrade even when washed with warm water.
It is highly resistant to moisture and chemicals and is known for its toughness, impact strength, and elasticity.
Thermoplastic Rubber or TPR:
This material can be used easily in injection molding as it has properties of rubber and plastic both due to the combination of rubber and plastic in it.
It is highly strong to resist impacts, weather, and chemicals.
This recyclable material is normally used in making suspension bushings, cables of headphones, and medical catheters.
Thermoplastic Polyurethane or TPU:
This material is normally used to manufacture parts that are elastic like rubber because of its elastic and soft nature and high tear and tensile strength.
It is usually used for making cable insulations, sporting goods, and power tools because of its good performance at high temperatures.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an Injection Molding Material
The availability of various types of injection molding materials in the market can make it difficult to choose the most suitable one for you.
It can be made easier by keeping in mind certain key factors, briefly discussed here under.
These factors will help you in understanding the properties and performance of the material you choose.
Normal use of the part:
The most important factor to consider while selecting injection molding materials is the use of the parts you are going to manufacture.
You should also consider the safety of your applications or its use in harsh conditions like outdoors, aerospace industry, underwater or damp conditions, exposure to UV and sunlight, etc.
Your parts may not last long or fit to use if this factor is not considered while selecting the material.
The shape of the part:
Whether the part needs tight tolerance or has complex features internally or not.
Aesthetic needs:
You should also consider the looks of the part like colorful, transparent, or opaque to match the other parts of a product.
Your injection molding material should also be able to follow the standards of finishing like VDI etc.
so that you can get finished products as per your requirements. While; considering the cosmetic feature of the material you should also consider the texturing of the mold.
Flexibility and hardness of the material:
While choosing injection molding material you should also consider its level of flexibility and hardness.
The shore hardness of the material can be measured by the durometer scale developed by Albert Shore.
The flexibility of the material can help you in producing bendable and unbreakable parts whereas its stiffness can help you in making string and unbendable parts.
This evaluation is also necessary to ensure compliance with regulations. For instance, while selecting food-safe materials, they should meet the requirements of the FDA, etc.
The physical properties of the material can also be modified by reinforcing with rubber particles, minerals, flame-resistant products or fibers, etc. to increase its level of rigidity.
The expected life of the product:
You should also consider the normal life of the part like 5 years or 20 years while selecting its material
Chemical reactivity:
Some of the injection molded parts may differently react to chemicals. So while choosing the right material you should also consider its behavior to deflect heat and reactivity to chemicals as well as the need to machining the parts.
The parts made of hard plastic can be machined whereas that of soft plastic may need special support while machining them. Parts with filled plastic can reduce the life of the machining tools due to their abrasive nature.
Engineering resins:
They are resistant to environmental and chemical exposures as well as strong materials which make them costly.
Commodity resins
These resins are cost-effective and can be processed easily. They can be used in producing items at a mass level like packaging products etc.
Reasons to choose us as your provider of injection molding services
If you are searching for an injection molding service to produce your injection molding plastic parts then you can contact qmolding as your service provider for various reasons.
We can provide you all types of injection molding services under one roof
We have a team of dedicated, skilled, and experienced professionals to help our customers from the initial stage of developing their products to run the production process after developing the mold.
Our motto
The motto of our company is to focus on Quality First.
We continuously focus on improvements to make sure that all the aspects of our operations should be optimized from customer service to production and management.
The selection of accessories and the right materials for die and tools is our priority.
We do not try to save time or money while providing our services.
Regular investment
We invest regularly in the latest and innovative equipment and technologies to reduce waste, save money, and improve our efficiency.
Other facilities
To avoid delays in shipping samples for approval, we produce all types of plastic injection mold as well as molded parts under one roof. We allow our customers to visit us while manufacturing their molds or final products.
We also provide fully-equipped solutions for manufacturing injection molded products to reduce the cost of production and efficiently introduce the products into the market quickly.
Our team of experts is proud of designing and execution of the plans right on the time.
So, you should choose qmolding as your injection molding service provider to get personalized services from our dedicated team of experts.
