Injection molding:

The definitive
engineering guide
This guide has all you need to know about Injection molding and how to get start-
ed with the mass-production of plastic parts. Master the basic principles of the
technology and learn q ­ uickly actionable design tips that save time & cut costs.

1
Table of Contents

Part 1

The Basics
5. What is Injection molding?

6. A brief history of Injection

molding

7. Injection molding machines:

How do they work?

10. Benefits & limitations of

Injection molding

12. Examples of Injection

molding products
Part 2

Design for
Injection Molding
Common Injection molding
14.
defects

17. Design Rules for Injection

Molding

18. Dealing with undercuts

20. Common design features

Part 3

Injection molding
materials
24. Injection Molding materials

26. Surface finishes & SPI

­standards
2
Part 4

Cost reduction
tips
28. Cost drivers in Injection molding

28. Tip #1: Stick to the straight-pull

mold

29. Tip #2: Fit multiple parts in one

mold

30. Tip #3: Minimize the part volume

by reducing the wall thickness
Part 5

Start Injection
molding
32. Step 1: Start small & prototype fast

34. Step 2 : Make a “pilot run”

(500 - 10,000 parts)

35. Step 3 : Scale up production

(100,000+ parts)

36. Get an Injection molding

quote online
Part 6

Useful Resources
38. Knowledge Base

38. Other guides

3
Part 1

The Basics
What is a Injection molding? How does it work? What is it used for?
In this section, we answer these questions and show you common examples
of injection molded parts to help you familiarize with the basic mechanics &
applications of the technology.

4
What is Injection molding?
Injection molding is a formative manufacturing technology: to create a part,
plastic is first melted and then injected into the cavity of a mold. When the
material cools, it solidifies and takes the geometry (form) of the mold. The
part is then ejected and the process starts over.

This is a fundamentally different way of manu- rial (aluminum or steel) and accuracy (prototype,
facturing compared to additive (3D printing) or pilot-run or full-scale production mold).
subtractive (CNC machining) technologies. The All thermoplastic materials can be Injection
flow and solidification of the material during molded. Some types of silicone and other ther-
injection have a significant impact on the key moset resins are also compatible with the injec-
design restrictions for this technology - more on tion molding process. The most commonly used
this in below. materials in Injection molding are:
Injection molding is widely used today for both • Polypropylene (PP): ~38% of global
consumer products and engineering applications. production
Almost every plastic item around you was man- • ABS: ~27% of global production
ufactured using Injection molding. This is due to • Polyethylene (PE): ~15% of global
the ability of the technology to produce identical production
parts at very high volumes (typically, 1,000 to • Polystyrene (PS): ~8% of global
100,000+ units) at a very low cost per part (typi- production
cally, at $1-5 per unit).
Compared to other technologies though, the Even if we take into account all other possible
start-up costs of Injection molding are relatively manufacturing technologies, Injection mold-
high, mainly due to the need for custom tooling. ing with these four materials alone accounts
A mold can costs anywhere between $3,000 and for more than 40% of all plastic parts produced
$100,000+, depending on its complexity, mate- globally every year!

5
A brief history of Injection molding

Plastics replace ivory

In 1869, John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid, the

first practical artificial plastic intended to replace
ivory for the production of... billiard balls! Early
Injection molding machines used a barrel to heat
up the plastic and a plunger to inject it to the mold.

The revolutionary ­invention

In the mid-1950s, the invention of the reciprocating

screw single-handedly revolutionized the plastics
industry. The reciprocating screw solved key issues
with uneven heating of the plastic that previous
systems faced, and opened up new horizons for
the mass production of plastic parts.

Injection molding today

Today, injection molding is a $300 billion market.

5+ million metric tons of plastic parts are produced
with injection molding globally each year. Recently,
the demand of biodegradable materials is increas-
ing for environmental reasons.

6
Injection molding machines:
How do they work?
An injection molding machine consists of three main parts: the injection unit,
the mold - the heart of the whole process - and the c
­ lamping/ejector unit.
In this section, we examine the purpose of each of these systems and
how their basic operation mechanics affect the end-result of the Injection
­molding process.

The injection unit

The purpose of the injection unit is to melt the raw plastic and guide it into the
mold. It consists of the hopper, the barrel, and the reciprocating screw. The
raw plastic material comes as pellets. In the hopper, the pellets can be mixed
with pigment or other additives (for example, glass fibers). This way, the color
and physical properties of the molded parts can be tailored to meet the spe-
cific needs of each application. Next, the material is fed into the barrel, which
contains the r­ eciprocating screw.

The screw performs two tasks: it carries the pellets towards the mold and at
the same time it compresses them. In fact, the shear forces caused by the
movement of the screw produces 60% to 90% of the heat needed to melt
the plastic pellets. The rest is provided by the heater bands that are wrapped
around the barrel.

Once enough melted plastic is in front of the screw, the ram plunges forward
and injects the material into the empty cavity of the mold (like a syringe). This
whole process happens in continous fashion, so filling the mold only takes a
few seconds.

7
The Anatomy of the Mold

The simplest mold - the straight-pull mold - consists of two halves: the cavity
and the core. For more complex parts with ‘undercuts, side-action cores can
also be used that slide in and out of the part on an angle - more on side-action
cores & undercuts in a next section.

The core and the cavity have different functions. The core is the half of the
mold that is closer to the injection system. It forms the cosmetic side of the
part (A-side) that requires a good visual appearance. The cavity is the back
half of the mold and it forms the “hidden” functional side (B-side) that includes
all structural elements of the part (ribs, bosses etc).

The molds are usually CNC machined from aluminum (for 1,000 to 5,000 units)
or tool steel (for 100,000+ units). For low-production runs (< 100 units) the
molds can even be 3D printed to expedite lead times.

A part from the “negative” of the part, a mold has other features that support
the injection process. For example, molds often include cooling channels that
accelerate the solidification process and vents that help evacuate the air from
the empty mold.

Interesting fact: About 50% of the typical Injection molding cycle is dedicate
to part cooling and solidification. Minimizing the thickness of a design is key
to speed up this step & cuts costs.

8
The Runner System

The melted plastic enters into the mold through the runner system. The runner
system usually consists of three main sections: the sprue (the main channel),
the runners (the guiding channels) and the gates (the entry points).

Different gates types are suitable for different applications. The illustration
shows an edge gate, while the bricks below were manufactured using a hot tip
gate - more on gate types here. The runner system is cut off from the part after
ejection. This is the only m
­ aterial waste in Injection

The Vestige

In the point where the runner system connected with the part, a small imper-
fection is usually visible, called the vestige. If the presence of the vestige is not
desirable for asthetic purposes, then in can also be “­ hidden” in the functional
B-side of the part.

The Clamping & Ejection System

On the far side of an Injection molding machine, there is the clamping system.
The clamping system has a dual purpose: it keeps the two parts of the mold
tightly shut during injection and it pushes the part out of the mold after it
opens. After the part is ejected, it falls on a conveyor belt or a bucket for stor-
age and the cycle starts over again.

Alignment of the different moving parts of the mold is never perfect though.
This causes the creation of two common imperfections that are visible on al-
most every Injection molded part:

• Parting lines which are visible on the side of a part where the two
halves of the mold meet. They are caused by tiny misalignments and
the slightly rounded edges of the mold.
• Ejector (or witness) marks which are visible on the hidden B-side of
the part. They are created because the ejector pins are slightly
protruding above or indented below the surface of the mold.

The image below shows the mold used to manufacture both sides of the cas-
ing for a remote controller. Quick quiz: try to locate the core (A-side), the cavi-
ty (B-side), the runner system, the ejector pins, the side-action core and the air
vents on this mold.

9
Benefits & Limitations of
Injection molding
Injection molding is an established manufacturing technology with a long
history, but it is constantly being refined and improved with new technological
advancements. Below is a quick rundown of the key advantages and disad-
vantages of Injection molding to help you understand whether it is the right
solution for your application.

Benefits of Injection molding

High-volume manufacturing of plastics

Injection Molding is the most cost-competitive technology for manufactur-

ing high volumes of identical plastic parts. Once the mold is created and the
machine is set up, additional parts can be manufactured very fast and at a very
low cost.

The recommended minimum production volume for injection molding is 500

units. At this point economies of scale start to kick-in and the r­ elatively high
initial costs of tooling have a less prominent effect on the unit price.

Wide range of materials

Almost every thermoplastic material (and some thermosets and silicones) can
be injection molded. This gives a very wide range of available materials with
diverse physical properties to design with.

Parts produced with Injection molding have very good physical properties.
Their properties can be tailored by using additives (for example, glass fi-
bres) or by mixing together different pellets (for instance, PC/ABS blends) to
achieve the desired level of strength, stiffness or impact resistance.

Very high productivity

The typical injection molding cycle last 15 to 60 seconds, depending on the

size of the part and the complexity of the mold. In comparison, CNC machin-
ing or 3D printing might require minutes to hours to produce the same geome-
try. Also, a single mold can accomodate multiple parts, further increasing the
production capabillities of this manufacturing process.

This means that hundreds (or even thousands) of identical parts can be pro-
duced every single hour.

Great repeatability & tolerances

The Injection molding process is highly repeatable and the produced parts are
essentially identical. Some wear of course occurs to the mold over time, but
a typical pilot-run aluminum mold will last 5,000 to 10,000 cycles, while full-
scale production molds from tool steel can stand 100.000+ cycles.

10
Typically, Injection molding will produce parts with tolerances of ± 0.500 mm
(0.020’’). Tighter tolerance down to ± 0.125 mm (0.005’’) are also feasible in
certain circumstances. This level of accuracy is enough for most applications
and comparable to both CNC machining and 3D printing.

Excellent visual appearance

A key strength of Injection molding is that it can produce finished products

that need little to no extra finishing. The surfaces of the mold can be polished
to a very high degree to create mirror-like parts. Or they can be bead blasted
to c
­ reate textured surfaces. The SPI standards dictate the level of finishing
that can be achieved.

Get the finishing/material compatibility recommendations →

Limitations of Injection molding

High start-up costs for tooling

The main economic restriction in Injection molding in the high cost of tooling.
Since a custom mold has to be made for each geometry, the start-up costs
are very high. These are mainly related to the design and manufacturing of the
mold and typically varies between $5,000 and $100,000.

For this reason, injection molding is only economically viable for productions
larger than 500 units.

Design changes are costly

After a mold is manufactured, it is very expensive to modify it: design changes

usually require the manufacture of a new mold from scratch. For this reason,
correctly designing a part for Injection molding is very important.

In Part 2, we list the most important design consideration you have to keep in
mind while designing for Injection molding. It Part 5, we will also see how you
can mitigate the risk by creating physical prototypes of your parts.

Longer lead times than other technologies

The typical turnaround for injection molding varies between 6 to 10 weeks - 4

to 6 weeks for manufacturing the mold, plus 2 to 4 more weeks for production
and shipping. If design changes are required to the model, something quite
common, the turnaround time increases accordingly. In comparison, parts
made in a desktop 3D printer can be ready for delivery overnight, while indus-
trial 3D printing systems have a typical lead time of 3-5 days. CNC machined
parts are typically delivered within 10 days or as fast as 5 days.

11
Examples of Injection
molding products
If you look around you right now, you will see at least a few products that were
manufactured with Injection molding. You are probably looking at one right
now actually: the casing of the device you are using to read this guide. To rec-
ognize them, look out for these three things: a parting line, witness marks on
the hidden side and a relatively uniform wall thickness throughout the part.

We collected here some examples of common Injection molding products to

help get a better understanding of what can be achieved with this manufactur-
ing process.

Toys

Lego bricks are one of the most recognisable examples of Injection molded
parts. They are manufactured using molds like the one in the picture, which
produced 120 million lego bricks (that is 15 million cycles) before it was taken
out of commission.The material used for Lego bricks is ABS due to its high
impact resistance and excellent moldabillity. Every single brick has been de-
signed to perfection achieving tolerances down to 10 micro meters (or a tenth
of a human hair). This is partly achieved by using the best design practices
we will examine in the next section (uniform wall thickness, draft angles, ribs,
embossed text etc).

Packaging

Many plastic packaging products are Injection molded. In fact, packaging is

the largest market for Injection molding. For example, bottle caps are Injection
molded from Polypropylene. Polypropylene (PP) has excellent chemical resis-
tance and is suitable to come in contact with food products.

On bottle caps, you can also see all common Injection molding imperfections
(parting line, ejector marks etc) and common design features (ribs, stripping
undercuts etc).

Miniatures

Model airplanes are another common example of Injection molded parts.

The material used here is mostly Polystyrene (PS), for its low cost and ease of
molding. What is interesting with model airplane kits is that they come with
the runner system still attached. So, you can see the path the melted plastic
followed to fill the empty mold.

12
Automotive

Almost every plastic component in the interior of a car was Injection molded.
The three most common injection molding materials used in the automotive in-
dustry are Polypropylene (PP) for non-critical parts, PVC for its good weather
resistance and ABS for its high impact strength.

More than half of the plastic parts of a car are made from one of these materi-
als, including the bumpers, the interior body parts and the dashboards

Electrical

The enclosures of almost every mass-produced consumer electronic device

was Injection molded. ABS and polystyrene (HDPE) are prefered here for their
excellent impact resistance and good electrical insulation.

Healthcare

Many sterilizable and biocompatible materials are available for Injection mold-
ing. Medical grade silicone is one of the more popular materials in the medical
industry. Silicone is a thermoset though, so special machinery and process
control are required, increasing the cost.

For applications with less strict requirements other materials, like ABS,
Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE), are more common.

13
Part 2

Design for Injection molding

In this section you will learn how to optimize your designs for Injection molding.
Use the following guidelines to save time and reduce failures and learn how to cre-
ate features that maximize the functionallity of your designs.

14
Common injection
molding defects
Most defects in Injection molding are related with either the flow of the melt-
ed material or its non-uniform cooling rate during solidification.

Here is a list of defects than an engineer should keep in mind while designing
a part for Injection molding. In the next section, we will see how you can avoid
each of them by following good design practices.

Warping

When certain sections cool (and as a result shrink)

faster than others, then the part can permanently
bend due to internal stresses. Parts with non-con-
stant wall thickness are most prone to warping.

Sink marks

When interior of a part solidifies before its surface,

a small recess in an otherwise flat surface may
appear, called a sink mark. Parts with thick walls or
poorly designed ribs are most prone to sinking.

Drag marks

As the plastic shrinks, it applies pressure on the

mold. During ejection, the walls of the part will
slide and scrape against the mold, which can result
to drag marks. Parts with vertical walls (and no
draft angle) are most prone to drag marks.

15
 Knit lines

When two flows meet, small hair-like discolor-

ations may develop. These knit lines affect the
parts aesthetics, but also they generally decrease
the strength of the part. Parts with abrupt geome-
try changes or holes are more prone to knit lines.

Short shots

Trapped air in the mold can inhibit the flow of the

material during injection, resulting in an incom-
plete part. Good design can improve the flow­
ability of the melted plastic. Parts with very thin
walls or poorly designed ribs are more prone to
short shots.

16
Design Rules for
Injection Molding
Let’s see how these process restriction can be translated into actionable de-
sign guidelines. In the following sections, we summarize the most important
design rules to follow when designing parts for Injection molding, as well as
tips on how to design the most common features found in Injection molded
parts correctly.

Use a constant wall thickness

Recommended thickness: 1 mm and 3 mm

Always design parts with the smallest possible (and

­constant) wall thickness, to avoid warping and sinking.

If thicker sections are required, hollow them out and use

ribs to add stiffness instead. Keep in mind that each 10%
increase in wall thickness provides approximately a 30%
increase in stiffness.

See material specific wall thickness recommendations →

Add smooth transitions

Recommended: 3 × wall thickness difference

Sometimes sections with different wall thickness cannot

be avoided. In these cases, use a chamfer or fillet to make
the transition as smooth as possible.Similarly, the base
of vertical features (like ribs, bosses, snap-fits) must also
always be rounded.

Round all edges

Internal edges: > 0.5 × wall thickness

External edges: internal fillet + wall thickness

The constant wall thickness rule must also be applied to

the corners of the part. Add a fillet with a radius that is
as large as possible to all internal and external edges.

17
 Add draft angles

Recommended minimum: > 2°

Add a draft to all vertical walls to make the ejection

of the part easier and avoid drag marks. If they serve
a functional purpose, external walls may be left
undrafted (see Lego bricks). Increase the draft angle
above the recommended in these cases:

• For parts taller than 50 mm, increase the draft

by 1° for every 25 mm
• For parts with a textured finish, increase the
draft by an extra 1°-2°

Dealing with undercuts

An important aspect to consider while designing parts for Injection molding
are undercuts.

Undercuts in Injection molding are part features that cannot

be manufactured with a simple two-part mold, because material
is in the way while the mold opens or during ejection.

The teeth of a thread or the hook of a snap-fit joint are examples of undercuts.
Here are some simple solutions to help you deal with undercuts:

Moving the parting line

The simplest way to deal with an undercut is to move

the parting line of the mold to intersect with it.
This solution is suitable for many designs with
undercuts on an external surface. Don’t forget to
adjust the draft angles accordingly.

Using a shut-off

Another way to deal with undercuts is to remove

material from under or above the problematic area.
This way the undercut is eliminated as the whole
part can be directly supported by the mold.
Shut-offs are a useful trick to deal with undercuts on
internal regions of the part (for snap-fits) or on the
sides of the part (for holes or handles).

18
Stripping undercuts

If the part is flexible enough, then deforming over

the mold during ejection is an option. Stripping
undercuts are used for internal features, such as
the threads of bottle caps. Use these guidelines to
design stripping undercuts:

• Select a flexible material - such as PP, PE

or Nylon (PA)
• The height of the undercut should be 5% the
diameter of the hole
• Use a lead angle of 30° to 45°

Side-action cores

When none of the above solutions are viable, then

cores can be used that slide out of the part from
the side before it is ejected. Side-action cores
should be used sparingly as they add complexity
and increase the overall cost of a mold by 15% to
30%. Follow these guidelines when designing a
side-action core:

• The core must move in a direction parallel to

the parting line
• Draft angles must be added as usual

19
Common design features
We list below practical guidelines on how to design the most common features
encountered in Injection molded parts. Use them to improve the functionality
of your designs, while still complying with the basic design rules.

Read the full design guidelines for Injection molding →

Ribs

When the even the maximum recommended wall thick-

ness is not enough to meet the functional requirements
of a part, ribs can be used to improve its stiffness.
When designing ribs:

• Use a thickness equal to 0.5 × main wall

thickness
• Define a height smaller than 3 × rib thickness
• Use a base fillet with radius greater then
¼ × rib thickness
• Add a draft angle of at least 0.25° - 0.5°
• Add a min. distance between ribs & walls of
4 × rib thickness

Bosses

Bosses are used as points of attachment or fastening

(in conjuction with self-tapping screws or threaded
inserts). Think of bosses as circular ribs - the same gen-
eral design guideline apply. Consider also the following:

• Avoid designing bosses that merge into main walls

• Support bosses with ribs or connect them to a
main wall

For bosses with inserts:

• Use an outer diameter equal to 2 × the insert’s

nominal size

Snap-fit joints

Snap-fits are an economical and rapid way of joining

two parts without fasteners or tools. When designing
snap-fits for Injection molding:

• Add a draft to the side-walls of the snap-fit

• Use a thickness of 0.5 × main wall thickness
• Adjust the width & length to control the
deflection & force
• Think how to deal with the created undercut

For detailed guidelines, refer to this article from MIT.

20
Living hinges

Living hinges are thin sections of plastic that connect

two segments of a part and allow it to flex and bend.
Here are some tips to help design a living hinge:

• Select a flexible material (for example PP, PE

or Nylon)
• Design hinges with a thickness between 0.20
and 0.35 mm
• Use shoulders with a thickness equal the
thickness of the main wall
• Add as large fillets as possible

For detailed guidelines, please refer to this MIT guide.

Crush ribs

Crush ribs deform and create friction between the part

and the inserted component, securing it in place.
They are a fast and inexpensive method of incorporat-
ing bearings or other inserts in your designs. For high
end applications, consider using a press fit instead.
When designing crush ribs:

• Use three circular ribs with a 2 mm radius

• Add a min. overlap of 0.25 mm between the rib
and the insert
• Add draft to the hole but do not draft the ribs

Threads

Threads can be added directly to the molded part de-

sign, but introduce u
­ ndercuts. Alternatively, threaded
inserts can be used. Follow these guidelines when you
design parts with threads:

• Add a 0.8 mm relief at the edges of the thread

• Use a thread with a pitch greater than 0.8 mm
(32 threads per inch)
• Prefer using a trapezoidal or buttress thread

To deal with the created undercuts:

• For internal threads, consider using stripping

undercuts
• For external threads, place them along the
parting line

21
 Lettering & symbols

Text, logos and other symbols can be engraved or

embossed on the surface of Injection molded parts.
Here are some tips while adding text:

• Prefer embossing instead of engraving

• Align the text perpendicular to the parting line
• Use a height (or depth) greater than 0.5 mm
• Use a font with uniform letter thickness
• The font size should be at least 20 points

Tolerances

Injection molding typically produces parts with toler-

ances of ± 0.500 mm (0.020’’). Tighter tolerances
are feasible in certain circumstances (down to ±
0.125 mm - and even ± 0.025 mm), but they increase
the cost drastically.

For small production runs (< 10,000 units), consid-

er using a secondary operation (such as drilling) to
improve accuracy. This ensures the correct interfer-
ence of the part with other components or inserts
(for example, when using press fits).

22
Part 3

Injection molding
materials

Injection molding is compatible with a very wide range of plastics. In this

section, you will learn more about the key characteristics of the most pop-
ular materials. We will also visit the standard surface finishes that can be
applied to Injection molded parts.

23 23
Injection molding materials

All thermoplastics can be injection molded. Some thermosets and liquid

silicones are also compatible with the injection molding process. They can
be also reinforced with fibers, rubber particles, minerals or flame retardant
agents to modify their physical properties. For example Fiberglass can be
mixed with the pellets at ratios of 10%, 15% or 30% resulting in parts with
­higher stiffness.

Polypropylene (PP)

The most common Injection molding plastic. Excellent

chemical resistance. Food-safe grades available. Not
suitable for mechanical applications.

ABS

Common thermoplastic with high impact resistance,

low-cost & low density. Vulnerable to solvents.

Polyethylene (PE)

Lightweight thermoplastic with good impact strength &

weather resistance. Suitable for outdoor applications.

Polystyrene (PS)

The Injection molding plastic with the lowest cost.

Food-safe grades available. Not suitable for mechani-
cal applications.

Polyurethane (PU)

Thermoplastic with high impact strength and good

mechanical properties & hardness. Suitable for mold-
ing parts with thick walls.

Nylon (PA 6)

Engineering thermoplastic with excellent mechanical

properties and high chemical & abrasion resistance.
Susceptible to moisture.

24
Polycarbonate (PC)

The plastic with the highest impact strength. High

thermal resistance, weather resistance & toughness.
Can be colored or transparent.

PC/ABS

Blend of two thermoplastics resulting in high impact

strength, excellent thermal stability, and high stiffness.
Vulnerable to solvents.

POM (Acetal/Delrin)

Engineering thermoplastic with high strength, stiffness

& moisture resistance and self-lubricating properties.
Relatively prone to warping.

PEEK

High-performance engineering thermoplastic with

excellent strength and thermal & chemical resistance.
Used to replace metal parts.

Silicone rubber

Thermoset with excellent heat & chemical resistance

and customizable shore hardness. Food-safe and med-
ical grade available.

25
Surface finishes & SPI standards

Injection molded parts are not usually post-processed, but the mold itself
can be finished to various degrees. This way aesthetic needs (for example, a
mirror-like or matte surface) or technical requirements (for example, specific
surface roughness or tolerances) can be achieved.

The Society of Plastics Industry (SPI) several standard finishing procedures

that result in different part surface finishes.

Finish Description Application

Glossy finish The mold is smoothed and then pol- Suitable for parts that need the smooth-
SPI standard: A-1, A-2, A-3 ished with a diamond buff, resulting in est surface finish for cosmetic or func-
parts with a mirror-like finish. tional purposes (Ra < 0.10 μm)

Semi-gloss finish The mold is smoothed with fine grit Suitable for parts that require a good
SPI standard: B-1, B-2, B-3 sandpaper, resulting in parts with a fine visual appearance, but not a high
surface finish. glossy look.

Matte finish The mold is smoothed using fine stone Suitable for parts with low aesthetic re-
SPI standard: C-1, C-2, C-3 powder, removing all machining marks. quirements, but when machining marks
are not acceptable.

Textured finish The mold is first smoothed with fine Suitable for parts that require a satin or
SPI standard: D-1, D-2, D-3 stone powder and then sandblasted, matte textured surface finish.
resulting in a textured surface.

As-machined finish The mold is finished to the machinist’s Suitable for non-cosmetic, industrial
discretion. Tool marks may be visible. parts or hidden components.

See a detailed description of the SPI standards & their compatibility with each material →

26
Part 4

Cost reduction tips

Learn more about the main cost drivers in Injection molding and
three actionable design tips that will help reduce costs you keep
your project on budget.

27 27
Cost drivers in Injection molding

The main cost drivers in Injection molding are:

• Tooling costs determined by the total cost of designing and machining

the mold
• Material costs determined by the volume of the material used and its
price per kilogram
• Production costs determined by the total time the Injection molding
machine is used

Tooling costs are constant (starting at $3,000 to $5,000) and independent of

the total number of manufactured parts, while the material and production
costs are dependent on the production volume.

For smaller productions (1,000 to 10,000 units), the cost of tooling has the
greatest impact on the overall cost (approximately 50-70%). So, it is worth-
while to alter your design accordingly to simplify the process of manufacturing
of the mold (and thus its cost).

For larger volumes to full-scale production (10,000 to 100,000+ units), the

contribution of the tooling costs to the overall cost is overshadowed by the
material and production costs. So, your main design efforts should focus on
minimizing both the volume part and the time of the molding cycle.

Here we collected some tips to help you minimize the cost of your Injection
molded project.

Tip #1:
Stick to the straight-pull mold

Side-action cores and the other in-mold mechanisms can increase

the cost of tooling by 15% to 30%. This translates to a minimum
additional cost for tooling of approximately $1,000 to $1,500.

In a previous section, we examined ways to deal with undercuts.

To keep your production on-budget, avoid using side-action cores
and other mechanisms unless absolutely necessary.

28
Tip #2:
Fit multiple parts in one mold

We saw in a previous section, that fitting multiple parts in the

same mold is a common practice. Usually, six to eight small iden-
tical parts can fit in the same mold, essentially reducing the total
production time by about 80%.

Parts with different geometries can also fit in the same mold (re-
member, the model airplane example). This is a great solution for
reducing the overall cost of an assembly. The parts should not

Here’s an advanced technique:

In some cases, the main body of two parts of an assembly is the

same. With some creative design, you can create interlocks points
or hinges at symmetrical locations, essentially mirroring the part.
This way the same mold can be used to manufacture both halves,
cutting the tooling costs in half.

29
Tip #3:
Minimize the part volume by
­reducing the wall thickness­

Reducing the wall thickness of your part is the best way to mini-
mize the part volume. This way not only less material is used, but
also the injection molding cycle is greatly accelerated.

For example, reducing the wall thickness from 3 mm to 2 mm can

reduce the cycle time by 50% to 75%.

Thinner walls mean that the mold can be filled faster. More impor-
tantly, parts thinner parts cool and solidify much faster. Remember
that about half of the Injection molding cycle is spent for the solidi-
fication of the part, while the machine is kept idle.

Care must be taken through to not overly reduce the stiffness of

the part, downgrading its mechanical performance. Ribs in key
locations can be used to increase stiffness.

30
Part 5

Start Injection molding

With your design design ready and optimized for injection molding, what’s
next? In this section we walk you through the steps needed to start manu-
facturing with injection molding.

31 31
Step 1:
Start small & prototype fast

Before you commit to any expensive Injection molding tooling, first create and
test a functional prototype of your design. This step is essential for launching
a successful product. This way design errors can be identified early, while the
cost of change is still low.

There are three solutions for prototyping:

1. 3D printing (with SLS, SLA or Material Jetting)

2. CNC machining in plastic
3. Low-run injection molding with 3D printed molds

These three processes can create realistic prototypes for form and function
that resemble closely the appearance of the final Injection molding product.

Use the information below as a quick comparison guide to decide which solu-
tion is best for your application.

32
Prototyping with 3D printing

Min. quantity: 1 part

Typical cost: $20 - $100 per part
Lead time: 2 - 5 days

Learn more about this process →

Pros Designs optimized for injection The prototyping solution with the
­molding can be easily 3D printed lowest cost & fastest turnaround

Cons Not every injection molding material 3D printed parts are 30-50% weaker
is available for 3D printing than injection molded parts

Prototyping with CNC Machining

Min. quantity: 1 part

Typical cost: $100 - $500 per part
Lead time: 5 - 10 days

Learn more about this process →

Pros Material properties identical to Excellent accuracy and finishing

the injection molded parts

Cons Design modifications may be need, More expensive than 3D printing

as different design restrictions apply with longer lead time

Prototyping with
Low-run Injection molding

Min. quantity: 10 - 100 parts

Typical cost: $1000 - $4000 per part
Lead time: 5 - 10 days

Learn more about this process →

Pros The most realistic prototypes with The actual process and mold design
accurate material properties is simulated

Cons The prototyping solution with the Smaller availability than CNC or
highest cost 3D printing

33
Step 2:
Make a “pilot run”
(500 - 10,000 parts)

With the design finalized, it time to get started with Injection molding with a
small pilot run.

The minimum order volume for injection molding is 500 units. For these quan-
tities, the molds are usually CNC machined from aluminum. Aluminum molds
are relatively easy to manufacture and low in cost (starting at about $3,000 to
$5,000) but can withstand up to 5,000 - 10,000 injection cycles.

At this stage, the typical cost per part varies between $1 and $5, depending on
the geometry of your design and the selected material. The typical lead time
for such orders is 6-8 weeks.

Don’t get confused by the term “pilot run”. If you only

require a few thousand parts, then this would be your final
production step.

The parts manufactured with “pilot” aluminum molds have physical properties
and accuracy identical to parts manufactured with “full-scale production” tool
steel molds.

34
Step 3:
Scale up production
(10,000+ parts)

When producing parts massive quantities of identical parts (from 10,000 to

100,000+ units) then special Injection molding tooling is required.

For these volumes, the molds are CNC machined from tool steel and can
withstand millions of Injection molding cycles. They are also equipped with
advanced features to maximize production speeds, such as hot-tip gates and
intricate cooling channels.

The typical unit cost at this stage varies between a few cents to $1 and the
typical lead time is 4 to 6 months, due to the complexity of designing and
­manufacturing the mold.

35
Get an Injection molding
quote online

With 3D Hubs, outsourcing your Injection molding production is easy, fast and
highly price-competitive.

By combining a network of manufacturing services with our smart sourcing

engine, you can instantly access readily available production capacity for the
best possible quotes and lead times.

When you upload your designs to 3D Hubs, our automated Design for
Manufacturability analysis tools will detect any potential design issues
before production begins and will give you an instant quote, based on our
Manufacturing Neural Network powered by AI.

This way you can be sure that you always receive the best price in the market
at the fastest turnaround times for your Injection molding parts.

Upload your parts

From 500 to 10,000 parts. Benefit from com-

petitive pricing through our ­network of verified
Injection molding services.

36
Part 6

Useful Resources

In this guide we touched upon all you need to get you started with
Injection molding, but there is plenty more to learn. We list below the
best and most useful resources on Injection molding and other digital
manufacturing technologies for those who want to delve deeper.

37 37
Knowledge Base
Here, we touched upon all you need to get you started with Injection molding.
There is plenty more to learn though in our Knowledge Base - a collection of
technical articles on all manufacturing technologies, written by experts from
3D Hubs and the manufacturing industry.

Here is a selection of our most popular articles on Injection molding:

Injection molding explained →

How to design parts for Injection molding →

3D printing low-run Injection molds →

SPI finishes and material compatibility recommendations →

Knowledge Base

Quality articles for engineers and designers to learn

about Digital Manufacturing. Written by manufactur-
ing experts, curated by 3D Hubs.

Read more →

Other guides
Want to learn more about Digital Manufacturing? There are more technologies
to explore:

What is 3D printing?

Find everything you need to know about 3D print-

ing. Whether you are getting started or you’re an
­experienced user, you’ll find this guide packed
with useful tips.

Read guide →

The engineer’s guide

to CNC machining

Learn all you need to know about CNC machining in

25 minutes or less. Whether you are an experienced
design engineer or just getting started with manufac-
turing, this guide is for you.

Read guide →

38