Injection Moulding

What is injection moulding?

Injection moulding is the most common form of manufacture, suitable for prototyping, bridge tooling and low-volume production of end-use parts. The process relies on a mechanism that injects thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers into a mould cavity, which then solidifies into the finished part before being ejected from the mould.

What are the advantages of injection moulding?

At Protolabs we offer rapid injection moulding with quick turnaround times to help reduce design risks and limit overall production costs. Our automated processes begin with data being sent directly to the mills, enabling us to produce rapid prototypes and end-use production parts in as little as 1 day. Moreover, our high-grade aluminium mould tools come with a lifetime guarantee and we stock hundreds of thermoplastic resins and liquid silicon rubber materials.

Plastic Injection Moulding

Plastic injection moulding is a manufacturing process where thermoplastic resin pellets are fed into a heated barrel, from which the now molten material is shot into the mould cavity. Once the desired cooling has been achieved the solidified production-grade part is ejected with an array of pins as the A-side and B-side of the mould separate. The two sides then close again for the process to be repeated.

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Liquid Silicone Rubber Moulding

Liquid silicone rubber moulding is a thermoset process that mixes a two-component compound together, which is then heat cured in the mould with a platinum catalyst to produce a final LSR part. In contrast to themoplastics, LSR is a thermosetting polymer, which means its moulded state is permanent. Once set, it can’t be melted again, but LSR has excellent thermal, electrical and chemical resistance properties.

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Overmoulding & Insert Moulding

Overmoulding and insert moulding are injection moulding processes that create a single multi-material component. Overmoulding is when the substrate parts are moulded over with a second material. Insert moulding is where the preformed part has been specially produced to fit inside another injection moulded component. The advantages of either process are determined by the parts and their applications.

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