Determining the cost of plastic injection molds can be tricky. It’s a lot like asking how much a steak costs. What do injection molded plastics and steaks have in common? Some are filet mignons, some are T-bones and some are cube steaks. They’re all delicious, but some cost more and that depends on what you’re looking for. The same goes for determining the cost of plastic injection molds.
Here’s an example of what we’re referring to. If you were looking to manufacture gaskets, here are some ideas on how to determine cost. A single cavity mold would produce 1000 gaskets per year. This mold produces one completed gasket per machine cycle. Gaskets are simple, made of one material and, although they vary in size, they are often quite small. Therefore this job would be relatively inexpensive.
Producing gaskets would be significantly cheaper than manufacturing 200,000 PS4 controllers for several reasons. First, this is a much more complex task. You’d need a set of varied molds to create all of the plastic parts needed for a PS4 controller. Plus, the outer shell, the stick, the buttons and the directional controller are all made of different materials. Second, the quantity is much higher, so the mold class needs to accommodate that. Plus, the assembly of these parts is much more time intensive. So, this would likely be a much more expensive job.
Remember, materials make a big difference in the price of a mold. If your part requires a fiberglass filled material, you will need a more hardened steel. This is because fiberglass causes a lot of wear under the extreme pressure of the molding process.
Also, if you have a target price, make sure your injection mold manufacturer knows. This way, they can design a mold with the right number of cavities to fit your budget. Keep in mind, the more cavities means more parts per cycle. This may raise the price of the mold, but because of it’s higher output, it lowers the price of the parts themselves.
Always keep open lines of communication with your manufacturer and remember the example of the gasket and the PS4 controller. Of course, these are two very extreme and divergent examples, but they prove a point. Plastic injection molded parts can be extraordinarily elaborate or extraordinarily simple. It all depends on the part you need and it’s purpose, just like steaks. You wouldn’t use filet mignon for a delicious chicken fried steak recipe. On the other hand, you wouldn’t lightly broil a cube steak. It all about finding the best mold, and steak, for the your particular project.
For over 70 years, Baytech Plastics have been supplying customers with superior molded parts and components. They have the experience to help you in determining the costs of plastic injection molds. They can guide you through the every step of the process, from tooling to your finished product. Contact Baytech for more information on how their seven decades of experience can help your project flourish.