Plastic Injection Molding vs 3D Printing

 

For years, shot moulding has actually blazed a trail as a technique for generating three-dimensional plastic products that are utilized throughout every field and also country on the planet.

 

However, equally as innovation advances in all locations, so the introduction of 3D printing has given manufacturers and consumers a greater choicer when it concerns choosing how to make plastic products. Both techniques have their distinctive benefits and negative aspects as well as are made use of for different items, applications and conditions.

 

What is 3D printing?

3d printing vs shot moulding

3D printing can additionally be called additive production and is a promising method of producing plastic parts rapidly as well as successfully. A growing number of applications making use of 3D-printed components are emerging and the advantages are being appreciated by many clients around the globe.

 

The process works by a 3D printer laying down several successive layers of extremely slim plastic, bringing an object that has actually been digitally developed utilizing 3D printing software application 'to life' by duplicating its shape as well as kind as the plastic layers accumulate.

 

The modern technology behind 3D printing has evolved quickly over the past five years which, paired with the surge of desktop 3D printer ownership as well as 3D printing company, has actually triggered the approach to delight in a rise in popularity.

 

 

What is injection moulding?

Plastic shot moulding is a procedure that forms a plastic item into the required form using thawed plastic and moulds. The plastic or polymer material being utilized is heated up until it gets to liquid type, poured into the specially made and also built mould and also maintained high pressure until it is promptly cooled down and also reformed into a strong shape.

 

The recently molded part is removed from the shot moulding device as well as high quality checked before being moved along the processing line, either to be added to a larger piece of equipment or shipped as it is for consumer use. Parts can be created by this approach in really high quantities that are accurate and constant with each other.

 

The plastic injection oem can likewise give clients with quick preparations and fairly reduced manufacturing expenses, as a result of the consistency of the process. Completed plastic injection items are generally cosmetically pleasing, solid as well as of high quality with remarkable mechanical residential or commercial properties and also very good colour control.

 

One downside around the technique, nevertheless, is around the at first high tooling and machinery expenses, but these can be off-set with constant manufacturing numbers and a durable supply chain.

 

 

Key differences

When it comes to working out the differences between 3D printing designs and 3D printing materials and the methods behind manufacturing injection moulding products, there are many variations around costs, design, processes and finished results. Lets check out some detailed information for 3d printing vs injection moulding.

 

3D printing offers relatively low entry costs, as a desktop 3D printer and filament supply can start at fairly low prices, depending on the scope and size of the operations.

 

These lower costs can be passed on to the customer, although if a very large production run is required, it could be that injection moulding works out cheaper per unit in the long run. It is easier to make changes to the design using a 3D printer as CAD software is involved and this method can also be employed to support more complicated designs.

 

However, injection moulding can be a quicker process overall, especially if multiple copies of the same product or design are required. The injection moulding process can cope better with large-scale orders and will usually create a smoother finish than 3D printing can crucial for making moving machine parts or implantable devices for medical applications.

 

Injection moulded products tend to be stronger too as they are made from a single poured layer of plastic, rather than lots of thin slices that are placed on top of each other by the 3D printer to build up the required shape and design. Disadvantages also include the fact that it is harder t to change or correct a design and initial costs are higher as the equipment is more expensive to purchase and install.

 

Which method should I choose?

As with any manufacturing process, choosing the right one depends entirely on what you are going to use the finished products for and what type of specifications you need them to have tensile strength, smoothness, heat or pressure resistance and colour fastness, for example.

 

As already mentioned, smoothness is crucial for moving machinery parts used in construction and heavy industry and for implantable devices used in the medical field. Colour fastness and finish are of paramount importance to the packaging and retail world, where the brand is dependent on the quality of a company’s products and advertising merchandise.

 

Knowing how the finished product must look, feel and operate is, therefore, the main information to establish before deciding on which production method to use. Research into the various types of injection moulding processes and 3D printing materials will also help inform this important decision and produce better results.

 

Pricing points

Pricing points also vary hugely depending on the type and complexity of the design required, the number of prototypes and changes made during the design process, the type of material used and the quality and quantities required, the scale of the manufacturing project and the scale of the ongoing supply chain – delivery costs, geographical considerations and any legalities or industry standards that need to be complied to.

 

As a rule, 3D printing is the preferred option for more complex, lower-scale production as the designs can be changed more easily without incurring significant additional costs and the 3D printer and filament supplies can be obtained at a lower cost when initially setting up.

 

As for the customer, these savings will usually be passed along to them by the printing company in question. Injection moulding costs a lot more to set up initially, but once it is up and running, production can be quicker and more cost-effective, so long as changes to the design are not required and the production runs are large enough to justify the use of the technology and machinery involved.