Frequently Asked Questions
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Why should I source my injection molded parts in the U.S.?
When looking for an injection molder that offers you with quality, savings, and short lead times, it’s essential to consider the location of your facility. While many companies search overseas for lower production and labor costs, it often pays to keep your sourcing based here in the United States. There are numerous benefits to selecting an injection molding supplier based domestically in the United States over those found around the globe, especially in the long run. Together, these benefits present a solid case to keep sourcing in the United States. While overseas suppliers might seem like a cheaper option for many companies, in the long term, the returns of keeping your outsourcing needs domestic far outweigh the short-term benefits of working overseas.
How does Plastic Parts USA remain competitive in the global market?
We offer globally competitive pricing, especially when considering the hidden costs associated with offshore sourcing. We focus on quick turn around lead times and high-quality, lean manufacturing services, that enable us to compete on a global platform. All services, from design through tool build, mold maintenance, storage, and production are completed in house and contribute to competitive advantages in cost, quality and delivery. As a turnkey supplier from beginning to end, we are able to avoid the hidden costs associated with tooling errors, mold repair, redesign, and shipping.
What is the process for designing a new plastic part?
Our engineers work closely with your team to design a part for manufacturability and often make recommendations to improve the part or the manufacturing process for existing parts. We also offer mold flow simulation and analysis to ensure that the mold will produce the part exactly as expected. Once final part design is approved, we build the mold for production.
What type of secondary or post-mold options do you perform?
Plastic Parts USA is your one-stop shop plastic injection provider. We offer turnkey manufacturing solutions with robotic or manual assembly, packaging, decorating, welding, cleaning, and heat staking. In addition, we partner with local companies to perform any additional steps you may need to bring the product to market quickly and efficiently.
What is the average cost and lead time of a new mold?
Factors such as part design, size, the number of cavities, gating, manifolds, and materials used influence the cost of plastic injection molds. The cost of a mold can range from thousands of dollars for a simple design, to tens of thousands commonly, and even to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a complex, multi-cavity, multi-action, fully hardened production mold. Steel tooling, over aluminum tooling in most cases, will cost more. In general, the cost difference from aluminum to steel can vary from 25%-35%, depending on the part shape geometry.
Each project is unique, so we require varying amounts of time to build molds. The lead time for mold fabrication depends on the complexity of the mold. Mold builds can vary from a few weeks to half a year depending on the project complexity.
Can I send you my existing injection mold?
Yes. Our team will help facilitate the move of the mold from its current location, qualify the mold, and can make any repairs necessary to achieve the quality parts you are looking for.
What file format is best? Which CAD software do you use?
We can accept native SolidWorks files in addition to any CAD file format. We work with SolidWorks but can convert any modern CAD file format.
How do I get started?
Plastic Parts USA provides custom injection molds and supports tooling across all design, development, and production stages. Using more than 100 years of combined expertise, our team goes beyond best industry practices using the latest technology to deliver on our promise to be competitive rates without sacrificing the quality you expect. To learn more about our services or how you can get started on your own project, contact our team today.
