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AIM Processing Small Plastic Parts Blog

Jon Gelston


Recent Posts

Plastic Overmolding vs. Conventional Injection Molding: Manufacturing Processes Compared

[fa icon="calendar'] Mar 22, 2024 1:33:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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Conventional injection molding and overmolding are both crucial processes in the realm of modern plastics manufacturing. The production processes are similar, but overmolding isn’t as simple as injecting one plastic material over top of another. It requires a specialized mold setup along with the unique procedure of placing the substrate (the initial injection molded part) precisely into an overmold cavity before injecting the second material.

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Design Considerations for Small Part Injection Molding: From Draft Angles to Material Selection

[fa icon="calendar'] Mar 7, 2024 12:02:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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Optimizing product design is crucial to the success of any custom injection molding project. However, when it comes to molding small parts and miniature components, there are some specific design considerations to keep in mind.

Part of the AIM Processing process is design for manufacturability (DFM) – taking your initial product designs and ensuring that no part features will pose an issue once the plastic meets the mold. By carefully considering all design features and tolerances alongside critical injection molding considerations like draft angle and material selection, we minimize manufacturing errors while ensuring a more efficient production process.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the critical design considerations you should make when it comes to small part injection molding.

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AIM Processing's Influence on Denver's Manufacturing Industry

[fa icon="calendar'] Feb 22, 2024 12:01:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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The Denver, Colorado region has been a western hub for manufacturing since the early days of the city, and particularly for plastic injection molding since the industry took off in the 1960s. AIM Processing came along in 1993, adding to the long history of quality and innovation that the “Made in Colorado” stamp stands for.

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A Guide to Injection Molded Material Selection for Electronic Enclosures

[fa icon="calendar'] Feb 8, 2024 12:02:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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Electronic enclosures come in many different shapes, sizes, and structural designs. Used in an extremely wide range of applications, enclosures are also expected to withstand many different operational environments and use cases. That means there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to choosing the best plastic for manufacturing a custom enclosure: the optimum material is highly dependent on the specific application.

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An Overview and Comparison of Multi-Material Injection Molding Services

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 25, 2024 12:01:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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Multi-material injection molding has become increasingly popular across many different product applications, allowing us to create complex plastic products which take advantage of more than one material. For example, on handheld products, handles, and grips, we can use a much sturdier base material overmolded with a soft, ergonomic plastic to drastically improve comfort and the overall end user experience.

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The Evolution of Custom Electronic Enclosures Manufactured with Plastic Injection Molding

[fa icon="calendar'] Jan 15, 2024 6:35:34 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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The evolution of electronics enclosures in the plastic injection molding industry has been largely inspired by advancements in production technology and materials science. Moreover, the requirements for modern electronics devices have tended to grow increasingly complex: complicated designs, component miniaturization, and custom electronics integration have all become standard procedure for many devices.

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A Deep Dive into Today’s Plastic Overmolding Applications: From Automotive to Electronics Products

[fa icon="calendar'] Dec 7, 2023 7:43:58 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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Plastic overmolding is a unique injection molding process that we use to mold custom components over top of other molded parts. A specialized form of multi-shot injection molding, overmolding allows us to mold one plastic part design onto another – typically a stronger, more rigid plastic base, or internal metal components combined with overmolded plastics.

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Current and Future Trends in Injection Molding: From Product Design to Materials and Manufacturing Technologies

[fa icon="calendar'] Nov 30, 2023 12:30:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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The injection molding industry continues to evolve through the adoption of newly engineered plastic materials and emerging production technologies.

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Draft Angle in Plastic Injection Molding Explained: From Part Design to Finished Product

[fa icon="calendar'] Nov 16, 2023 12:15:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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Draft angle is a critical concept in plastic injection molding. It directly affects both the quality and manufacturability of plastic parts, so it’s crucial to get it right from the start to avoid production issues down the line. Worse, it can be a detail that can render your injection mold useless.

Put simply, draft angle refers to the taper or angle that is designed into the vertical walls of a plastic part, relative to the vertical axis of the mold. Properly tapered walls ensure that the finished part can more easily eject from the mold after the forming process is complete. Essentially, an optimal draft angle is necessary because it prevents the part from getting stuck in the mold cavity due to the friction between the plastic material and the mold surfaces on the texture side and the suction between the plastic material and the mold surfaces on the interior side.

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Common Applications for Insert Molding in Plastic Injection Molded Products

[fa icon="calendar'] Nov 2, 2023 2:01:00 AM / by Jon Gelston posted in Plastic Injection Molding Defects, Plastic Types, Quality, Texture, Choosing the right plastic injection molder

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Insert molding is integral for many plastic injection molded products that require threaded connections, high-strength fasteners, or other metal components integrated straight into the plastic. While these complex part features could potentially be produced through injection molding alone, insert molding allows us to combine the increased strength and durability of metal with the flexibility of plastic molding.

Below, we take a look at some of the most common insert molded products, along with some of the advantages that metal inserts bring to the table.

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