What are the industries that benefit from plastic injection molding?
- Electronics
- Toys
- Medical and dental
- Construction
- Shoes
- Food and beverage
Plastic injection molding is a process that requires extreme precision, but it is immensely versatile. It can also be beneficial to many different industries. In fact, the majority of the products on the market, if not all, have benefited from plastic injection molding. The process can be used to create products of various kinds and sizes, along with different purposes.
The injection molding process is constantly in development, and while there isn’t a surefire way to determine if it has been perfected, one thing is for certain: it’s highly useful and essential to the market. Essentially, this means that the number of industries and businesses that will benefit from it will keep growing over time.
Below are different industries that currently benefit from the process of plastic injection molding:
Electronics
Electronics are a major part of daily life. Everything from smartphones to ultra HD televisions is composed of tiny electronic components that work together to make the devices function properly. Now imagine your television without the frame—just a screen connected to a green board and surrounded by little blinking lights.
Aside from looking really bad, this also leaves the components exposed to dust and other environmental factors that could affect its performance and lifespan. There’s also the question of whether your television will even be able to stand up because the base is often made of plastic too.
Electronics need plastic casings to protect them. Plastic doesn’t absorb moisture and doesn’t expand when subjected to heat like metal does, which means they’re the ideal material for housing components, and these are produced through the process of plastic injection molding.
Toys
It would be very difficult to produce a thumb-sized toy with metal, and creating one with clay would result in it being extra brittle. When plastic injection molding is used, however, the required accuracy can be attained, and the end product would be a well-defined and sturdy toy—and this is extremely important because toys are the type of merchandise that will always be in demand as long as there are children.
There are all kinds of toys on the market. Some are small and others are huge, but they are all produced through plastic injection molding. Without it, highly detailed collector’s toys and feature action figures would not be possible—the properties of plastic are perfect for toy making.
Medical and Dental
Due to the nature of work in the medical and dental fields, it is vital that all the tools are of the best quality possible, and are made of the right material. While the tools of surgeons and dentists are made of top-grade stainless steel, there are other tools and equipment that must be made of plastic.
Such equipment includes cups, vials, and jars for sample collection; tubing connectors and clips; and disposable forceps, to name a few—and all of these equipment are products of plastic molding injection.
Construction
Concrete and steel are staples in terms of construction materials, but there are times when plastic is a better alternative.
Take door and window frames made of metal, for example. It is true that they are hard and durable, but they can get rusty over time and can expand and damage the wall structure on hot days. Plastic, on the other hand, is impervious to these factors and can be just as sturdy. Additionally, plastic is lighter, easier to install, and is more cost-friendly.
Shoes
Due to the effectivity of the plastic injection molding process, it is used in shoemaking as well. Many shoe manufacturers utilize injection molding in creating the soles of shoes.
While the material used is different, the same process is used. Plastic injection molding allows the creation of precisely shaped soles that perform excellently in supporting weight and providing comfort.
Food and Beverages
The food industry is one of the largest industries in the world—if it isn’t the largest already. There are over millions of restaurant and fast food branches scattered across the planet, with most of them making use of plastic products such as plastic spoons, forks, and plates. And yes, they are also products of plastic injection molding.
Because of their natural characteristics, plastic products are great alternatives to stainless steel and glass, which are more expensive to produce and harder to maintain. If plastic wasn’t utilized in the food industry, employees would constantly need to be washing dishes all throughout their shift, and take-out wouldn’t exist!
Key Takeaway
The plastic injection molding industry is unique in the sense that hundreds of other industries can benefit from it. It has contributed to the development of many businesses and in some cases, is the core that keeps the companies running – also especially with the best plastic mold makers from the best molding companies in the country.
Plastic injection molding allows businesses to maximize plastic to the full extent of its many capabilities, and can potentially help them in branching out to other markets.