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11/25/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/25/2024 13:19

Rapid Injection Molding: Fast Tooling for Quick-Turn Parts

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November 25, 2024

Rapid Injection Molding: Fast Tooling for Quick-Turn Parts

Tips for getting fast injection-molded parts and get to market faster

By Michael Johnson
Field Applications Engineer

What is Rapid Injection Molding (RIM)?

You have a completed design, and some printed prototypes. You have taken your part as far as you can with traditional prototyping practices. Now, you want to have a molded part for more accurate functional testing. Our standard lead time for molded parts is 15 days, and depending on the size and complexity of the part it could be as short as one day.

The rapid injection molding process begins as it does for any molded part: You upload your CAD file for a quote. Our design for manufacturing (DFM) analysis offers recommendations so you can make early adjustments to your model. Once an acceptable CAD file is ready to go, it's time to create the tooling (the mold) that will form the parts. That's done by machining aluminum mold blocks to form the cavity in which the part is created.

Traditional molds use steel as the base metal. While steel is tough and long-lasting, that toughness means that it is a much longer process to create the mold cavities. If you need parts fast, that might not work for you.

A quick note: A steel mold may be required for RIM if certain materials and high temperature processes are used. Steel molds are able to better handle higher molding temperatures and are resistant to thermal expansion.

By switching out steel for aluminum, you have a material that is easier to mill, and that speed is crucial to getting parts faster. While aluminum molds have a shorter lifespan than those made from steel, you can easily get about 2,000 shots from each one, which can tide you over during the early days of your product, or if you need bridge production, which we'll describe in more detail later.

After the mold is created, and the parts are approved, our standard lead time for production parts is 10 days, and we often have expedited delivery available. That could get you lead times as short as one day, depending on the size and complexity of the part.

We have secondary (post-molding) operations available, including:

  • Mold texturing and engraving
  • Machining
  • Pad printing
  • UV printing
  • Assembly
  • Adding threaded inserts
  • Laser engraving
  • Part cleaning
  • Packaging


Learn more about secondary operations for injection molded parts here. →

Applications for Rapid Injection Molding

There are four primary situations in which rapid injection molding can save you at a critical time.

Rapid Prototyping: Because aluminum molds can be cut in much less time, molded parts arrive without slowing down your product development process.

Short-run production: When you need low quantities of a particular part (less than 2,000), the aluminum molds can crank out the necessary parts without issue at low cost and quick turnaround time. That scenario applies equally to on-demand production, which tends to require higher quantities, over 2,000 parts.

Line-down: One of the more critical situations you may face that can affect your supply chain is a line-down or other issue facing your manufacturer. RIM can step in to keep products in the market.

Bridge production: Maybe you want to transition from prototyping to production but want to it to happen at a more gradual pace. This is a prime example of when you can employ bridge production to navigate between phases of a part's lifecycle.

How Can Rapid Injection Molding Meet Industry-Specific Needs?

It's not only about speed. With RIM, you also reduce costs, simplify iteration, and can quickly move from prototyping to production-level manufacturing. Below, we focus the advantages of rapid injection molding in four major industries but know that the points noted apply equally well to all four industries.

Medical

Injection molding plays a vital role in the medical industry-a reliable method for producing complex, high-quality parts in large quantities. A major advantage of injection molding parts is the ability to produce liquid silicone rubber (LSR) parts quickly-an important benefit during the FDA gating process. Using aluminum molds adds to that speed, giving you a faster step toward approvals and ultimately make the move to production quantities.

Automotive

Injection molding is integral to the automotive industry, enabling manufacturers to produce lightweight, durable, and high-precision components at scale.

As the automotive industry continues to evolve with recent pushes towards electric and autonomous vehicles, suppliers are relying on rapid injection molding to prototype new designs and accelerate product development.

High Precision and Consistency

Injection molding ensures tight tolerances, which are critical for the precise fit of automotive components. Parts can be produced consistently with high accuracy, ensuring that every piece fits perfectly into the larger assembly, which is essential for safety and performance.

Efficient Prototyping and Design Iteration

For new automotive designs, injection molding allows manufacturers to quickly prototype and test parts before committing to full-scale production. This is particularly useful for innovative designs or custom parts, enabling efficient testing and modifications.

Aerospace

The aerospace industry benefits from injection molding's ability to quickly create prototypes for testing and validation. Engineers can rapidly iterate designs, optimizing components for strength, weight, and aerodynamics before moving to full-scale production.

Consumer Electronics

Electronics components, particularly housings and internal fittings, require high precision to assemble correctly with sensitive internal hardware. Injection molding's ability to produce parts with tight tolerances ensures the reliability of fit, contributing to the longevity of devices.

Rapid Injection Molding at Protolabs

Our process is simple, and every part of our digital process is build for speed. With this in mind, we have some requirements that standard molders may not have and you'll want to consider in your designs.

We use a standard set of mills and cutters to create the molds, so there may be wall section thickness and depth requirements that differ from what was designed in your model. Don't worry, though. Any advisories that we need addressed are highlighted in the quote that you receive after uploading your model.

If further clarification is needed, you can call our customer service line at 877-479-3680 to speak directly with an applications engineer or email our customer service team and they can assist you further. Often, we can update your model for you to get mold building started more quickly. That said, we do not move forward without your approval of any updates made to your design.

Ready to get started? Rest assured Protolabs features a number of mills and molding machines that are never constrained by capacity.

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