As a business, you continually refine the production process and reduce unnecessary costs for plastic injection molding. It can be difficult to shave some costs, especially when it comes to large, complex parts with multiple materials and colors. But there is always room for improvement.
First, let’s take a step back and recognize that what you spend on injection molding, including design, prototyping, tooling, and production, is an investment.
Second, this investment is likely going to take one of the largest chunks of your project’s budget.
The important thing to keep in mind at this point is this: the investment you make now will make or break your project’s success in the future.
Here are a few steps to reduce costs.
Maximize Efficiency
Think about each step of your production cycle: design, prototyping, testing, production, and delivery. How can you minimize risks and eliminate errors? Choosing manufacturers who are closer and offer shorter lead times will significantly reduce costs related to shipping or delays. The shorter your lead time and more nimble your operation, the more orders you can fulfill. If your design is using best practices and as optimized and efficient as possible, you will save. No matter what.
Consider Design Modifications
Before you make a beeline to production, take a hard look at the part’s structure. Could you replace a solid section with one that’s hollowed out with supports strategically placed? If you can reduce the amount of material used without sacrificing quality or structural integrity of the part, you will save on the amount of resin needed for the mold. It could also be a lighter weight part that would result in savings on shipping and storage costs.
Choosing the Right Material
Consider the application of the parts your designing. Can you work with a lower end polymer and fewer additives? Specialized additives and resins will raise your cost for material. Look for the simplest, most viable solution that still suits the application of the final part.
Evaluate Customizations
If you are looking to save, you can minimize the amount of customizations for your molded part. This could include surface texture, stamps, or color dyes. These aesthetic finishes are nice, but are they absolutely necessary? This is one of the easiest ways to trim the fat.
Make the Most of Family Molds
You can lower your cost per part by producing a higher volume of parts. You can also create a mold that fits multiple parts together, so long as they are all relatively similar in size and material. If you think about it, the more parts you can get out of your mold at one time, the faster your production speed and the fewer cycles the mold would need to go through. That’s maximizing efficiency.
Partner with a U.S. Manufacturer
The shorter your production run, the faster you can deliver the final product and the more orders you can fulfill. Moving production from offshore to a domestic manufacture is really one of the smartest and easiest ways to shorten production time and get goods faster to your customer. There are added benefits, too, with U.S. manufacturers like supporting the domestic economy and greater trust and experience.
