Plastics offer many advantages over metal parts today. Although they will never completely replace metal, plastics are cheaper, stronger, and more durable than metal. They can be used in a wide range of industrial and commercial applications in Washington. When it comes to parts, you have two main choices. You can go with injection molded or machined plastic parts. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons of each method to help you decide.
Injection Molding
To injection mold, you need molds, raw materials, and heat. Here is how a typical process may work. Plastic pellets are melted and forced or injected into metal molds. Once the molten plastic cools, it hardens. The molds open and release the new part.
Freshly molded parts usually have flashing on them, and this needs to be cleaned up. They can be sanded or run through a special cleaning process.
Machined Plastic Parts
Washington plastic machine shops are not that different from metal shops. For example, a plastic blank is placed into a CNC machine, and it can bore, mill, or cut it into specific shapes and sizes. Thanks to high-tech plastics and computerized machining methods, plastic parts can be precision machined. This makes them perfect for industries producing medical devices, automotive, and aerospace technology.
Which to Choose?
Injection molded parts are cheap to produce in Washington. However, the equipment is not cheap. Injection molds can only be used for one part. If you need something with a different size port or outlet, you’ll need to invest in a new set of molds.
Machined plastic parts have no real downside. There is no flashing to remove, and once the part is machined, it’s ready to use. You don’t have to use many types of molds for different size parts. You only have to change the setting on the machine.
