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Injection molding is a thermoforming process
that melts plastic pellets into liquid form and
injects it into a mold cavity using extremely
high pressure. After filling the mold, the
molten plastic solidifies and it is cooled to be
extracted from the mold. The entire process is
highly automated and its entire cycle can last
only a few seconds for small parts. ABS is the
most widely used material for injection molding,
but depending on the application, the material
can range from clear acrylic covers, to rubbery
buttons, and to exotic engineered composites.
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Injection Molding Advantages:
Capable of producing parts in huge quantities
Minimal material waste (which is recycled back
to pellets)
Highly automated manufacturing process
Minimum secondary operation
Metal inserts or cores possible to include
during forming cycle
Low unit cost
Applications:
Mechanical components (gears, levers, brackets,
etc.)
Small components (caps, covers, buttons, keys,
etc.)
External casings (covers, shields, bezels,
enclosures, etc.)
Consumer goods (utensils, toys, tools, etc.)
Any part that requires long runs/large
quantities
Some of the limitations of the injection
molding process are:
High tooling cost, especially for larger parts
Longer tool and product turnaround time
Difficult and expensive to make small design
changes
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