You may have heard that when it comes to manufacturing processes, plastic injection molding is an expensive option. Well, given our 28-year experience in the production industry, we can confidently assure you that this is seldom the case.
On the contrary, plastic injection molding is among the quickest, simplest, and most cost-effective ways of producing large quantities of plastic parts.
In this article, we will explain the various factors that affect the cost of production of such parts, which type of plastic you should choose, the advantages of outsourcing your production to China, and how Kemal provides high-quality, low-cost injection molding for all your production needs.
Is Injection Molding Cheap?
When you compare the cost of injection molding with other manufacturing processes, you find that it is cheaper due to the low cost of raw materials, highly automated production stages, and high-volume production capability.
However, when the quality standards are not followed, injection molding may cause more expenses due to poor part quality and mold design, which necessitates further manufacturing rework, thus raising costs.
Therefore, it is important to remember that when you look for low-cost plastic molding services, you should choose those that do not compromise product quality in pursuit of financial savings.
Since injection molding is a multi-step process, quality control is required at every stage so that you, the customer, do not have to spend more to correct defects in the future.
However, inexpensive injection molding companies like Kemal use their experience in the industry to achieve both cost savings and a superior product.
How Can I Make Injection Molding Cheaper?
To ensure you spend less on your injection molding order, you should look for a manufacturing company that provides affordable injection molding services.
Kemal offers such facilities by using techniques that reduce costs without compromising product quality, thus giving us a competitive edge over other such services.
We effortlessly coordinate our production facilities in China with our office in the USA to ensure that all facets of your project, such as design details, customer service, and communication with the production staff in China, are managed by English-speaking managers.
This allows us to coordinate and control all aspects of the production cycle, from prototyping to mass production, in consultation with our clients. This results in considerable cost savings throughout your project.
How Much Does Injection Molding Cost?
The amount you need to spend for injection molding depends on factors such as the design of the part, the quantities that have to be manufactured, the type of surface finish desired, and any other details that affect your project. Generally, injection molding services charge about $3,000 to $10,000.
Moreover, you may also be interested in finding your cost per part, since that also determines your profits. A major component of your cost is the cost of preparing the mold before the injection molding process, which is called the tooling cost.
This can often be high, which leads to substantial fixed start-up costs. This can range anywhere from $100 to $100,000 depending on the part design, the material of the mold, and the process by which it is fabricated.
The injection molding process is relatively inexpensive since the raw material and labor costs are low. That is why customers often seek high-volume production, as that results in a lower cost per part as compared to low-volume production.
What is the Cheapest Plastic to Injection Mold?
The type of plastic you choose for your injection molding order depends on the properties you want in your final product.
That is why it is important to consider not only the cost of the material but also the application of your product. Below, we classify several injection molding plastics based on their chemical and physical properties:
| Property | Suggested Plastics |
|---|---|
| Impact resistance | Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)Polyethylene (PE)Polycarbonate (PC) |
| Wear resistance | Polyoxymethylene (POM)Polyether ether ketone (PEEK)Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) |
| Dimensional stability | Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)High-impact polystyrene (HIPS)Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) |
| Chemical resistance | Polyether ether ketone (PEEK)Polypropylene (PP)Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)Polyamide/nylon (PA)Polyethylene (PE)Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) |
| Rubber-like | Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE)Silicone |
| Cost-efficiency | Polypropylene (PP)High-density polyethylene (HDPE)Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) |
| Cosmetic appearance | Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)Polycarbonate (PC)High-impact polystyrene (HIPS) |
How Do I Reduce the Cost of Injection Molding?
Carefully Design the Part
When you are in the process of designing your part, your objective should be to make the most efficient use of your raw materials to minimize waste. Parts that are larger than required or have many unnecessary features use more material and increase cycle time due to more time needed to mold and cool them.
Sometimes, using less plastic results in greater strength. Therefore, to achieve low-cost plastic molding, you should keep an eye on your material usage.
Avoid Adding Needless Features
While it may be tempting to add your company logo and other cosmetic features to your part, these have the undesirable result of increasing your injection molding costs, which reduces your profits. Running extra finishing processes, such as polishing, can also be avoided.
Run a DFM Analysis
After you submit your design, an experienced injection molding company runs a design for manufacturing (DFM) analysis on it and shares its findings with you. This involves reviewing the design and identifying any errors or flaws in it before the mold is produced.
As a result, all stakeholders, such as manufacturers, mold builders, material suppliers, and designers, work to optimize the product design so that extra costs can be avoided in the future.
Established companies such as Kemal offer a similar DFM analysis to help you achieve cheap injection molding.
Ensure Optimal Mold Design
Mold design is a vital component of the injection molding process as it determines the formation of your product. Professional companies plan their molds in a way that incorporates proper part positioning inside them, which reduces material waste.
That is why Kemal uses a predictive modeling process to analyze the behavior of molten material inside the mold, a practice that results in high-quality, inexpensive injection molding.
Use Tool Inserts and MUD Tooling
These practices help you recycle your mold, thus saving tooling costs. Tool inserts allow you to mold several different features, while Master Unit Die (MUD) tooling provides a standard mold base that can be used with removable inserts for affordable injection molding.
Utilize a Multi-Cavity Mold
These molds allow you to include more than one part in your mold subject to the material selected and the similarity of the parts. More cavities mean more parts produced per production cycle.
Since the mold design becomes more complex, your initial tooling costs increase. But in the long run, you save on producing separate molds for each part, which results in cost savings.
Why Do Companies Outsource Injection Molding to China?
These days, you may find several companies that are outsourcing their injection molding facilities to China. The reason they are doing this is because it results in cost savings of around 30% to 50% compared to producing the parts in local setups.
This provides the companies with cheap injection molding options.
Moreover, facilities in China also ensure the quality of their products by investing in research and development, which enables them to specialize in advanced manufacturing applications such as aerospace, robotics, and medical devices.
Furthermore, such companies use their vast skilled labor pool and high-tech machinery to increase their production to cater to high-volume orders. They have short lead times, spanning only a few weeks, which enables their clients to meet their order commitments.
Is Injection Molding Cheaper in China?
Customers often find affordable injection molding opportunities in China due to several reasons:
Lower Labor Costs
Labor costs contribute significantly to the overall production costs. Injection molding companies in China save these costs by employing well-educated workers who do not need to be trained as much, which saves their training costs. Highly-automated machines also need fewer workers to operate.
Lower Factory Overheads
Unlike their Western counterparts, China-based injection molding companies work at full capacity throughout the week, ensuring their machinery is fully used. This reduces the costs of running their facilities.
Lower Tariffs
Injection molding companies in China sometimes import injection molding tools and dies to the West without having to pay large tariffs on them. This reduces their shipping costs, resulting in more cost savings
China Injection Molding and Manufacturing Advantages
Cost-effective
Low-cost injection molding companies in China use highly automated processes in their production. Raw material costs are saved by minimizing waste, resulting in a low cost per part for larger quantities.
Furthermore, fewer workers are needed to operate a single molding machine, which further lowers production costs by reducing labor expenses.
Output and Turnover Are High
Injection molding companies in China provide high output rates as a result of using advanced molding machines. Regardless of your order size, they have the facilities to deliver your project within a few weeks.
Take Kemal, for example. Whether your order requires prototyping only or high-volume production, we can execute it in lead times as short as seven days.
However, this does not affect our commitment to quality, as we manage to keep product tolerances within 0.02 mm to ensure the consistency of the parts.
Decades of Experience
When looking for a company to outsource your production needs, you may have a hard time trying to differentiate between the numerous services that all claim to fulfill your order needs. That is why, to set ourselves apart from the rest, we let our industry experience speak for itself.
Founded in 1995, Kemal has gained the trust of customers belonging to diverse industrial sectors from over 80 countries by providing professional manufacturing services in line with industry standards and certifications.
Our 28-year journey in this field has equipped us with in-depth knowledge of what our clients expect from us and how we can utilize our resources and expertise to serve them in the best manner.
From product prototyping to mass manufacturing, our team of specialists ensures the elements of quality control and customer feedback are fully incorporated into the final product. Since experience has no replacement, our customers value our experience and trust us with their projects.
How to Get a China Plastic Injection Mold Quote
These days, getting a quote for your desired plastic injection molding project is easy. You can get one from the comfort of your home, as many manufacturers offer online quote services on their websites.
Kemal’s instant quote service allows you to upload your project design online, which is inspected by our experienced engineering professionals. You are then informed of the costs of prototyping and production while ensuring the confidentiality of your shared designs and order quantities.
We take pride in offering inexpensive injection molding rates while maintaining high-quality standards.
How to Ship Injection Molds From China
Once your products have been fabricated in China, you then decide on your preferred way of transporting them over to you. The method you choose i.e. via sea or air, depends on several factors which affect your transport costs, which depend on your order details.
Firstly, the shipping cost depends on how far your desired destination is from China. The greater the distance, the more it costs you. Shipping costs also increase with the number of parts you order.
Parts delivered by sea take three to five weeks to arrive, while air courier takes about three to five days. You may also discover that the faster route (air) may not be the most expensive option, since your order size and quantity can sometimes increase your delivery cost per part via sea.
To help you with this decision, you can use our instant quote service to get an estimate of your transport costs.
How to Find an Inexpensive Injection Molds Manufacturer
A quick online search will reveal several cheap injection molding companies that vary only slightly in terms of their product quality.
However, not all of them can provide the same level of production capacity, quality of finish, and customer service. Hence, you should also consider the following aspects during your search for an affordable manufacturer:
Your Order Details
Your part design, operating conditions needed, and quantity of parts to be produced should be carefully finalized before settling on your preferred injection molding service.
Since not all of them have the capabilities to meet your order requirements, you should also incorporate feedback from industry professionals to optimize your order.
Your Manufacturer’s Setup
Even if you took pains to optimize your product design, it would not be helpful if your selected manufacturer does not have the facilities to produce it.
Therefore, you should examine the injection molding company’s setup to check whether it has the required staff, material, production lines, quality control steps, and after-sales service.
Your Manufacturer’s Certifications
Industrial certifications are proof of a company’s dedication to pursuing high-quality standards. It is a mark of reliability and a sign of trust in their production services. That is why such certifications are sought by prospective clients.
Your Manufacturer’s Experience
Since manufacturing on any scale depends on several factors, there is always a chance that things may not turn out as they are supposed to.
This is where your injection molding company’s experience comes in, as it helps you navigate through various challenges and scenarios. This involves using knowledge gained from delivering orders across a variety of fields and countries.
You may also want your manufacturer to integrate regular improvements into your design. Clear communication and the stability of personnel are essential to achieving this.
Kemal: Your Affordable Injection Molding Manufacturer in China
Over the years, Kemal Precision Manufacturing Ltd. has developed a reputation for successfully delivering plastic injection molding projects at affordable rates without compromising on the quality of the molded product.
With the help of our team of experts, we have served more than 2,000 companies across 80 countries. Our clients have included companies from diverse fields, such as the automotive, robotics, and medical devices industries. Moreover, our setups have earned the highly-valued ISO:9001 and ISO-8 cleanroom certifications.
Explore our website to find out more, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
