Injection molds are meant to make manufacturing easier and increase productivity. Of course, that&#;s only when the right one for each project is purchased. The wrong fit or design can result not only months of lost work and delayed production, but damage to the equipment itself. With this in mind, here are 6 tips you should consider when purchasing injection molds:
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For some projects, a general injection mold will do, and you will not need to plan too far ahead during the design process. But for more creative projects that depend on precision, you will need to start planning the mold design early on in product development. If it is a complete custom design or a rarely-seen one, you will need to allow for more time for both design and approval.
The most successful and creative projects are when the part designer, mold fabricator and injection molder are able to communicate efficiently and collaborate. After all, you don&#;t want to go ahead and approve a mold design only to find out that it cannot be made to specifications or that it won&#;t actually function as the injection molder needs it to. Though taking the time to communicate every step of the process may feel like it&#;s taking extra time, it can save you a lot of time (and money) later on.
Even the best planning can sometimes end up in errors, but you don&#;t need to let it take you completely off guard. Plan (set aside extra time and funds) for potential re-cuts, for example. You may need the mold to be adjusted a few times before the plastic portions are brought into the exact range they need to be in. You may even need to resize the design in general at some point.
Even the most efficient production / shop floor teams will appreciate advance notice for when any new injection molds are going to arrive. They will need time to install the mold where it needs to go and make sure it is connected properly. They will need to check a number of things like lift straps, hot runner and coolant controllers, heater plugs and cables, water manifold ports, fittings, hoses, bolts, and more. This cannot properly be done at the last minute.
Many people wind up needing the same injection mold later on. You can maximize both cost savings and efficiency by making the design standardized. Additionally, standardizing different features like clamp slots and connection locations on different machinery can also save you both time and money (especially if you need to relocate the injection mold later on).
Even more basic injection molds require a high degree of craftsmanship and precision. While you may be able to trim costs on many projects by going with cheaper options, it is crucial to really evaluate whether or not you can afford small errors or misalignments on your current one. Even small savings can end up costing you big time down the road if it means having to scrap a ton of used up material or tools and having to spend more on labor costs.
With the continuous development of technology and the rapid rise of industries, the injection mold industry has also experienced rapid growth. When choosing an excellent injection mold company, many people may feel headache and confusion. After all, the quality and performance of molds are directly related to the success or failure of products. For many people, price is the primary consideration when choosing an injection mold manufacturer. Some may even use the price of injection molds as the sole criterion for selection. However, besides price, it is essential to consider other factors of injection molds; otherwise, the final product chosen may not be very suitable. In this article, we will discuss the factors that should be considered when choosing a qualified injection mold supplier to help you find the perfect injection mold manufacturer that meets your needs.
&#;. Factors to Consider When Choosing an Injection Mold Manufacturer
Picking an injection mold manufacturer is a big deal. It affects your product quality and how fast you can make stuff. Here are some things to think about when you&#;re picking an injection mold manufacturer:
1. Whether the Injection Mold Manufacturer Has a Professional Technical Team
Design experts: The quality of molds is determined by the design.
Technical experts: Experienced mold technicians can ensure the accuracy and mass production of molds.
2. Whether the Injection Mold Manufacturer Conducts Technical Exchanges and Analyses with Customers before Mold Making
Talking to customers about what you want your molded parts to do is important. It helps make sure that the parts we make for you will work.
3. Whether the Injection Mold Manufacturer Has Professional Production Equipment
Professional production equipment is a hard indicator of whether injection molds can be made well. A good injection mold equipment list includes high-speed CNC, high-precision milling machines, high-precision grinding machines, high-precision EDM machines, wire cutting machines, 2D, 3D measurement, and injection molding machines, among others.
4. Whether the Injection Mold Manufacturer Has a Responsible Project Manager to Track Progress
A responsible project manager can effectively ensure the progress of molds and achieve mold opening and mass production as soon as possible.
5. Whether the Injection Mold Manufacturer Has Experience in Mold Opening for the Industry or Similar Products
Molded products vary, and the process for different products&#; molds may differ significantly. Therefore, finding a manufacturer with experience in related industries or similar products can save on mold opening costs and ensure efficient project implementation.
6. Whether the Injection Mold Manufacturer can Guarantee Rapid Mold Production and Excellent Product Quality
When you&#;re making a new product and you want to get it to market fast, you need to get your molds made fast. That&#;s why it&#;s important to agree on delivery time when you choose your injection mold manufacturer. That way, you won&#;t have any arguments later.
7. Experience and Professional Knowledge
Knowing the manufacturer&#;s history and experience, especially in your industry, is crucial. Asking if they have done projects like yours is important.
8. Equipment and Technology
It&#;s important to know what kind of equipment and production technology the manufacturer uses. Good machines that are well taken care of will make your product better and make it faster.
9. Quality Control
You gotta ask about the manufacturer&#;s quality control process. They should have ISO certification or some other industry standards that show they follow certain quality management procedures.
10. Delivery Time
Check out the manufacturer&#;s production capacity and their promised delivery time. Make sure it works with your timeline.
11. Cost
Getting detailed quotes and understanding the total project costs, including mold design, production, and post-processing services, is key.
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12. Communication
Good communication is important for good cooperation. Make sure you can communicate easily and clearly with the manufacturer so they understand what you want and can get back to you quickly.
13. Customer Reviews and Case Studies
Looking at what other customers have said about them and reading case studies from the manufacturer can help you figure out if they&#;re any good.
14. Maintenance and Mold Modification Services
Knowing if the manufacturer offers mold maintenance and improvement services is important for fast response to problems.
15. Geographic Location
Where the manufacturer is located is also a factor, because it affects how much it costs to ship the goods and how easy it is to get them to you.
16. After-Sales Service
It is very important to confirm the after-sales service of the manufacturer. A good mold supplier will provide effective after-sales support to ensure the normal operation and maintenance of the molds.
Before choosing an injection mold manufacturer, you must do your homework, including visiting factories, inspecting production facilities, and meeting with management teams. Based on the above factors, you can shorten the list of potential suppliers and ultimately choose the manufacturer that best suits your needs. Clearly defining terms and expectations before the start of cooperation is key to ensuring project success.
&#;. Principles for Choosing an Injection Mold Manufacturer
1. Don&#;t Just Focus on Price, Consider Factors Such as Quality, Lead Time, and Service Comprehensively.
There are many types of injection molds, which can be roughly divided into ten categories. According to different requirements such as materials, physical and chemical properties, mechanical strength, dimensional accuracy, surface finish, service life, and economy, different types of molds are selected for molding. Molds with high precision requirements require the use of high-precision CNC machine tools for processing, and strict requirements on mold materials and forming processes, as well as the use of CAD/CAE/CAM mold technology for design and analysis.
Some parts have special requirements during molding, and molds need to use advanced processes such as hot runners, gas-assisted molding, and nitrogen cylinders. Injection mold manufacturers should have CNC, EDM, wire cutting machine tools, and CNC profiling milling equipment, high-precision grinding machines, high-precision three-coordinate measuring instruments, computer design, and related software. Generally, for large stamping dies (such as automotive panel molds), consideration should be given to whether the machine tool has edge pressing mechanisms, and even edge lubricants and multi-station progressive die sets. In addition to stamping tonnage, considerations should also include the number of stamping, feeding devices, machine tool and die protection devices.
2. Don&#;t Just Focus on Product Design, Don&#;t Neglect Plastic Mold Manufacturing.
Some users tend to focus only on product development during the initial development of products or prototypes, neglecting communication with plastic mold manufacturing units. In fact, after the initial product design scheme is determined, there are many benefits to contacting the injection mold factory in advance. It can ensure that the designed products have good processes, prevent modifications to the final design due to difficulties in processing parts, and prevent hasty considerations affecting the project schedule.
3. Avoid Multiple Collaborations, Try to Make Mold Making and Production Processing One-Stop.
Just because you have a qualified mold (with qualified test pieces) doesn&#;t mean you can make qualified products in batches. This is mainly related to the selection of machining tools for parts, processes (such as molding temperature, molding time, etc.), and the technical quality of the operators. Having good molds also requires good molding processing. It is best to collaborate seamlessly and avoid multiple collaborations. If conditions are not available, one party should take full responsibility, and the details should be clearly written at the time of the contract.
&#;.ZetarMold
We provide one-stop services: design feedback and modification suggestions, rapid prototype design and manufacturing services, DFM reports, mold flow and mold design, injection mold manufacturing services, plastic injection molding services, post-processing, and assembly services.
Zetar has successfully met ISO , ISO , ISO , and ISO certification standards. Since , we have been focusing on plastic injection manufacturing. At Zetar, our experienced and well-educated team excels in research and development, injection molding manufacturing, quality control, marketing, and customer service.
Excellent support &#; You will work with experienced and English-certified staff. Our team comprises over 30 English-speaking individuals and 7 skilled injection mold engineers (including fluent English-speaking engineers). We ensure seamless communication and expert guidance through the professional injection molding manufacturing process.
Strong production capacity &#; Currently, we have an injection mold manufacturing workshop, 31 injection molding machines, including 6 located in dust-free rooms (M7 level), assembly rooms, and logo printing rooms. The largest -ton machine can produce products weighing up to grams.
Quality assurance &#; We proudly hold multiple certifications, including ISO , ISO , ISO , and ISO . We strictly adhere to the stringent standards set by these certifications to ensure flawless execution at every stage of the injection molding process, guaranteeing smooth and impeccable results.
1. Analyze potential production problems based on product functionality, appearance, structure, assembly, etc. Submit a product analysis report and hold a new mold meeting to ensure that the product meets the design requirements.
2. Review and analyze the design, optimize the mold structure and process technology according to the product requirements, reasonably select high-quality mold steel, and conduct full inspections of each processing step to ensure that the mold is qualified and completed quickly.
3. Reasonably distribute the mold injection system and cooling system from a production perspective to shorten the product molding cycle, improve production efficiency, and production stability.
4. Provide technical support during the production process, track and cooperate with customers, provide mold maintenance specifications, and extend the mold lifespan.
&#;.Conclusion
Injection molds are a widely used type of plastic mold in the market. When purchasing injection molds, you need to consider the acceptance standards for injection molds, the production capacity and scale of injection mold companies, the industry experience of injection mold companies, the production equipment of injection mold companies, and other factors. Generally, the purchase of injection molds is carried out between companies, such as daily necessities manufacturers, computer manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, electronic manufacturers, etc. The general process is that the leaders of the company contact, visit the factory to discuss the details, quote, and finally sign a contract to start production. When purchasing injection molds, the aspects to be considered are generally consistent with those of purchasing molds. Factors such as the precision of workmanship, whether the manufacturer has guarantees in terms of experience and quality, and comprehensive consideration from product to corporate strength are essential.
When you&#;re looking for an injection mold manufacturer, you need to think about a lot of things. You need to think about how much experience they have, how much they know about what they&#;re doing, how they make sure their work is good, and how they talk to you. If you do your homework and look into all of these things, you&#;ll be able to find a manufacturer that&#;s right for you and your project.
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