In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basics on the various types of plastic injection molds available for standard molding processes. Molds refer to the hollow cavities that allow for plastic to be injected into them, leading to the final product you desire, and choosing the proper mold will go a long way toward ensuring your order is filled to precise specifications.
At EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders, we’re happy to detail mold format or any other specifics of our custom injection molding process to any of our clients. Different mold formats come with their own sets of pros and cons, and will impact everything from production cost to timing, final product quality and several other areas. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll go over a couple mold types that allow for multiple parts to be created within the same production cycle, plus which you should choose depending on your needs.
Multi Cavity Injection Molds
As the name suggests, multi cavity injection molds come with more than one cavity made to produce an identical part to the original. There are both two-cavity molds and those featuring more than two, all of which will produce the exact same part within the same production cycle.
As you may have guessed, this process significantly lowers the lead time per batch and increases productivity within a given part. Yield rates go way up compared to single cavity molds. Tolerances are maintained at the precise levels they require while cycle times are optimized.
Now, as one may expect, multi cavity injection molds are more expensive than their single cavity counterparts. They also require heavier machinery to run and may come with a longer lead time, which should be kept in mind.
Family Injection Molds
Family injection molds, on the other hand, refer to a similar concept to a multi cavity mold – except that for family molds, additional cavities will form different parts rather than the same one as the initial mold. A family injection mold, then, can produce several different plastic parts all in the same production cycle. Production rates are very high for family injection molds.
Like multi cavity injection molds, family injection molds are relatively expensive and require high tonnage for operation. They will also require significant handling to separate parts, meaning there’s more manual labor involved, and family molds may have issues with filling out due to the different shapes involved. Our pros will advise you on the circumstances where family molds might be best for your needs, plus others where going another route is the prudent choice.
For more on the various types of plastic injection mold available, or to learn about any of our injection molding services, speak to the staff at EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders today.
