Manufacturing Plastic Parts: A Complete Guide

2019.11.15

Plastics are polymers made of elements like hydrogen, chlorine, nitrogen, and oxygen. The original thought behind manufacturing plastic parts was to imitate materials like metals to get similar product quality with lighter weight.  

 

Manufacturing plastic parts that are customized for a particular use is a step by step process. There is a set sequence of events that need to be followed during the manufacturing process.  

 

Additionally, when it comes to custom plastic parts, it is also important to consider the practical requirements along with the geometric complexity of the design. 

Making parts through plastic injection molding is the latest trend in the world of plastics. The ability and ease of using different resins and combinations through the injection mold technique has multiple advantages. 

 

The article walks you through some of the key challenges and steps involved in the process of manufacturing plastic parts. 

Ideas create products

Creating custom plastic parts is not usually as complicated as it is perceived to be. Especially, with the invention of plastic injection molding techniques, everyone who has an idea can see it turn into a custom-designed plastic part.

 

The first step is to have a great idea and a clear plan of action. So what are the steps to ensure that the product idea in your head turns out to be just the same when manufactured?

 

Start with making a clear sketch ensuring that all the important parts are drawn in detail. Hiring professional plastic part designers for making the sketches is also a good idea. Pointing and labeling each part and trying to get them geometrically accurate is important.

Once a draft sketch is drawn, an engineer from the manufacturer’s team can create a 3D model of the plastic pat. Needless to say, this stage may involve multiple trials and errors to create a part that’s structurally feasible and functional.


Working with a good team and choosing a leading manufacturing partner is important.


Plastic injection molding is the preferred technique adapted by most leading manufacturers for creating custom plastic parts. The process is more consistent in wall thickness and close tolerances and offers a perfect balance of functionality and costs.


Additionally, plastic injection molding advantages include the maximum flexibility to create products that are complex in their design.


Once your idea is presented clearly in a 3D version with all geometric details, the next steps involve creating plastic prototypes and choosing the right kind of plastic resin for the injection molding process.


A choice in the mold design and tooling approaches (soft tooling, single cavity pull ahead tooling) to be applied may also be made.


Finally, it is also at this stage that you discuss your budget with the manufacturing team. Budget plays a crucial role in the choice of different plastic resins. You would need to create a path that balances your budget along with the quality of the product that you desire.


Once the budget is agreed and the materials are chosen, the actual manufacturing process starts. The entire manufacturing process can actually be summed up as building the mold and injecting the resin in the mold to create the desired parts.


An idea gets transformed into an actual product. The following section presents in detail the key steps involved in the manufacturing process.

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