Prototype Injection Molding, also known as prototype tooling or bridge tooling, is a quick and cost-efficient method for producing small batches of plastic parts through injection molding. This process involves creating an aluminum or steel mold using rapid tooling techniques, which can then be utilized to manufacture multiple copies of the part. As a result, rapid tooling serves as an effective solution for meeting rapid prototyping requirements in a shorter timeframe or acting as a bridge before transitioning to high-volume production.
It's most often used for the manufacturing plastic parts at scale due to its low material waste and low cost per part. It’s an ideal manufacturing process for industries like medical devices, consumer products, and automotive.
Our plastic injection molding process produces custom prototypes and end-use production parts with lead times as fast as 1 day
Export mold is different from the production mold, it must be designed and made to adapt to customer's machine. In general, injection molds shipped to European must be in HASCO standard, molds shipped to US must be in DME standard, molds in Asia usually is LKM standard.
As a mold manufacturer based in China, Shbury offers a full range of production injection molds to be exported to your country, for you to operate in your own facility or at any production facility as you wish. Our mold tools are designed and constructed based on the American & European standards. Still, we will further optimize them for operation on your specific injection molding machines, with some details already prepared for your existing system, the cooling line connections for instance. Typically, the molds are applicable for steel types that include S136/S136H, 718/718H, NK80, or even a customer requested steel.
Though different customers may have different requirements for mold tooling, we can satisfy their needs by constructing molds to their required specs, including such factors as steel type, processes, hot runner system, surface finish or texture. In addition, we will take your functional requirements for the molds and injection molding into consideration, and match your production specs with our mold designs. Upon completion of a mold, we will also make pilot and short production runs available for you, so as to bridge a production tooling gap.
And it is for sure that, if you want us to produce a mold and run your parts for you, we would be gladly to construct a production mold for you.
Shbury technology is a supplier that offers low-priced custom-made molds and plastic parts, and we usually charge 30% – 50% less than the other plastic manufacturers.
No matter what your needs are – be it a company to construct a plastic molding tool and produce plastic parts for you, or you just need a mold to be exported to your country for manufacturing of parts in your own facilities – we’re always well-prepared to get the task done in a timely manner.
low-volume production
bridge tooling
pilot runs
functional testing and prototyping.
Fast Production:
Prototype injection molding allows for the rapid creation of functional parts, significantly reducing the time required for design validation and testing.
Cost-Effective for Small Batches:
The use of less expensive mold materials like aluminum reduces costs compared to production-grade molds, making it ideal for small-scale production runs.
Design Flexibility:
Prototypes can be quickly iterated and adjusted, allowing manufacturers to refine designs and address potential issues before full-scale production.
Material Versatility:
A wide range of plastic materials can be used, enabling testing of different properties such as strength, flexibility, and heat resistance.
High Precision:
The process ensures the production of parts with precise dimensions, which is critical for assessing functionality and fit.
Bridges to Mass Production:
Prototype injection molding serves as a transitional step, allowing manufacturers to validate designs and processes before investing in high-volume production tools.
Durability Testing:
Parts created through this method can be tested under real-world conditions, helping assess their performance and durability.
We have wide selection of more than 100 thermoplastic and thermoset materials. Common plastic materials are as follows
· ABS
· ABS/PC
· Acetal
· Acetal Homopolymer/Delrin
· ETPU
· HDPE
· LCP
· LDPE
· LLDPE
· Nylon
· PBT
· PC/PBT
· PEEK
· PEI
· PET
· PETG
· PMMA (Acrylic, Plexiglas)
Surface Finish Options
Draft angle requirements will vary by requested finish. Industry standard Mold-Tech finishes are also available.
The manufacturing process for molded parts is complex. Before your parts are even molded, we're there to help you with comprehensive manufacturability feedback and consultative design services, so you can avoid mold design pitfalls before the resin hits the mold. From there, our production process is documented and optimized using scientific molding so you get high-quality parts consistently and reliably with every production run.
Critical-to-quality (CTQ) dimensions you call out on models let us know what areas are most crucial to the success of your parts. Once the parts start molding, the process and samples are qualified using automated inline CMM technology, generating a detailed FAI and process capability study with no additional lead time.
Resin pellets are loaded into a barrel where they will eventually be melted, compressed, and injected into the mold’s runner system. Hot resin is shot into the mold cavity through the gates and the part is molded. Ejector pins facilitate removal of the part from the mold where it falls into a loading bin. When the run is complete, parts (or the initial sample run) are boxed and shipped shortly thereafter.
PM-F0 non-cosmetic, finish to Protolabs' discretion
PM-F1 low-cosmetic, most toolmarks removed
PM-F2 non-cosmetic, EDM permissible
SPI-C1 600 grit stone, 10-12 Ra
PM-T1 SPI-C1 + light bead blast
PM-T2 SPI-C1 + medium bead blast
SPI-B1 600 grit paper, 2-3 Ra
SPI-A2 grade #2 diamond buff, 1-2 Ra
Plastic production injection molding, is the primary molding method for thermoplastic materials.
Plastic injection molding refers to the process in which plastic pellets or powders are fed into the hopper of an injection machine, where they are melted under heat to maintain a flowing state. Then, under certain pressure, the molten plastic will be injected into a closed mold though the injection nozzle and the runner system of the mold. After cooling and shaping, the molten plastic will be solidified into the desired plastic part.
Plastic injection molds are typically constructed from hardened or pre-hardened steel. Hardened steel molds are heat treated after machining, and they are by far superior in terms of wear resistance and lifespan.
Many injecttion molds are designed to process well over a million parts during their lifetime.
If the estimated quantity of your project is relatively high, then choosing the production injection molds is a good choice
Rapid injection molds are less expensive molds used for plastic injection that can be built much faster than standard production molds. Rapid mold tooling is cut using only CNC machining. Other machining methods, like electrical discharge machining (EDM), will not be utilized. This can reduce build time and significantly lower mold cost, however, the limited machining can restrict mold features. Not all plastic parts are a good candidate for rapid molding.
The process for launching a rapid mold project is slightly different than that for a production mold project. All rapid injection molds will be subject to an up-front process review that takes place at quoting. This is done to determine the machinability of the mold. If the mold can be produced with CNC machining only, it continues to be considered for rapid molding. The project will not be considered for rapid molding if additional machining work is required for the mold. The project would then be quoted for standard production or bridge mold tooling.
Rapid injection molding or quick molds are a great manufacturing solution for injection-molded parts that meet certain conditions.
· Parts Needed Fast. When turnaround time is essential, rapid injection molding can deliver parts quickly.
· Low Production Numbers. The overall production run will be small. Rapid injection molds are not as durable and will not stand up to extended use. Small production runs will also help ensure delivery on an enhanced timetable.
· Design Simplicity. Rapid molding will benefit from a simplistic design. This will speed up the mold making process and help keep the project on schedule.
Rapid injection molds can be a better option than Production Molds under the right conditions. A rapid mold can be produced faster and more economically. However, it’s also important to understand the limitations of rapid injection molding to know if this option fits your requirements.
