Plastic injection moulding

Perhaps you’re considering shaping your visible or semi-manufactured product with plastic injection moulding, but you’re not certain that this production technique is the most suitable option for the industrialization of your product? If so, you’ve come to the right place. VDL GL Plastics is the foremost specialist in the field of plastic injection moulding. On this page, we would like to tell you a little bit more about the injection moulding process, the various techniques, and the benefits.

The foremost expert in plastic injection moulding (H2)
At VDL GL Plastics, we’ve been shaping ideas since 1988. To meet every customer demand, VDL GL Plastics has more than 40 plastic injection moulding machines with a clamping force ranging from 28 to 1000 tonnes. VDL GL Plastics can help to create extremely precise technical components as well as large visible products with the perfect finish.

We have in-depth knowledge of the injection moulding process and material properties during processing and use, thus allowing us to provide you with a high-quality end product that meets all your requirements. Through our support in the final stages of product development, we can help to ensure that the product can be produced as cost-efficiently as possible.

Carefully considered choice of material

There is an almost infinite number of plastics that can be used to manufacture a product with plastic injection moulding – however, not every type of plastic will have the right properties for your product. To determine the correct type of material, we look at the functional aesthetic aspects of your product and the requirements that you and your customers have for the product. We ask questions such as ‘what will the product be exposed to?’ and ‘what does it need to be resistant to?’ as well as ‘how should the component be used?’ – and find the answers.

We also look at the properties of the material during processing. How the molten plastic enters the cavities in the mould, fills them, and cools has a major impact on the cooling time required, and therefore the cycle time. Plastic injection requires extreme force, and the plastic injection moulding machine must ensure that the mould does not open. The force needed to withstand this pressure is known as the clamping force of the plastic injection moulding machine. As stated above, VDL GL Plastics is familiar with the wide range of clamping forces thanks to its extensive fleet of machinery.

Plastic injection moulding for smaller production volumes?

It is often said that plastic injection moulding is only really useful for higher production volumes due to the high investment costs for the moulds and the relative long setup times of the machines and moulds for small production runs. And, in many cases, this is true. However, at VDL GL Plastics, we can manufacture relatively small production volumes with plastic injection moulding, without it having to hurt your wallet. Still, there’s always a tipping point, even with us. Please get in touch to see if we are a matching partner for your request.

We will select a suitable toolmaker to construct the moulds according to factors such as your budget and anticipated annual volumes. We work with a range of plastic injection mould designers, including designers in China, who are generally more affordable than their European counterparts. When choosing someone to construct a mould, it’s important to look at the precision that’s required – we take a close look at the features of your product, as well as what it is you’re looking for when selecting the right partner. We audit all toolmakers that we work with on a periodic basis.

Lower material loss with plastic injection moulding

A major advantage of plastic injection moulding is the low material loss. In fact, if the mould is equipped with a hot-runner system, the material loss is so low that it’s negligible. The hot-runner system ensures that the liquid plastic stays warm when it’s fed into the cavities in the mould. Consequently, the plastic is unable to solidify in the feed channels during the production process.

2k plastic injection moulding – more possibilities, more savings

Why not consider combining different types of plastic in your injection moulded product? Perhaps a hard plastic with a soft plastic as a seal (cover or lid)? You can create more options for your product with 2k plastic injection moulding. With this technique, two plastics are processed into a single end product, which can help to save costs. After all, there’s no assembly once injection moulding is complete.

A range of injection moulding techniques under one roof

VDL GL Plastics has succeeded in mastering a number of different injection moulding techniques over the years. These include:

IS YOUR PRODUCT DESIGN SUITABLE FOR PLASTIC INJECTION MOULDING?

Would you like to know more about plastic injection moulding?

Our experts would love to talk to you about how we can produce your products efficiently and to high quality with plastic injection moulding. Please get in touch for further information and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Alternatively, request a no-obligation quote.