Production of simple plastic parts sounds simple and, mostly, it is. Here, we will explain the steps that are necessary to produce simple plastic parts and why this matters to your project.

After reading our blogs and website, we are sure that you will have some idea of how to produce a simple plastic part. For example, we would need a CAD file or some kind of design to be able to work from, which acts as a map for us to produce parts exactly to your specifications. If you need help in designing any part, please do not hesitate to contact us and we can advise you of the best way to reach production.

Next, it is important to select the correct materials which should be used in the mould itself and for the parts being produced. Moulds produced from steel or aluminium are the most hard wearing and are able to produce a large volume of parts prior to being replaced or repolished – sometimes up to 10,000! Obviously, if you never envisage your production run reaching those kinds of numbers, there are many cheaper alternatives, such as silicone moulds, that can produce high quality parts, but in low volume and at low cost. Our many years of experience allow us to determine exactly the materials you will need for mould and part and how this can contribute to the bottom line of your business.

Finally, looking atother options, we need to mention that 3D printing can be an efficient way of producing small volumes of plastic parts and this is indeed something that we sometimes recommend. Some of the issues with this method are that production times can be longer than standard injection moulding if a complicated design is produced and finishing options are limited, with more complex and textured materials still being best-suited to injection moulding. We would also say that the cost of top-of-the-range 3D printers is still high and any production of parts will be charged with the initial price of the machine built in accordingly. This is often more than the cost of producing a mould, which is able to offer a more flexible and tailor-made solution at lower cost, even though it appears to be a more expensive and time consuming route to take initially.