AIM Processing Small Plastic Parts Blog

Plastic injection molding is sometimes compared to extrusion when customers are searching for the most optimized manufacturing method for their products. While the injection molding and extrusion processes are very different, they are both capable of producing high-quality parts with complex designs.

Nevertheless, there are certain types of products – or production goals – which are much better suited for the injection molding process, and vice versa. Learn more about these two unique manufacturing services below, including the common advantages and product applications.

While injection molding services are often compared or even cross-shopped with vacuum forming, which is a specialized form of thermoforming. However, the two manufacturing processes are actually quite different, and each is uniquely optimized for different types of projects.

Two of the most common plastic injection molding services used throughout the industry today are insert molding and overmolding. These specialized production processes are so closely related that sometimes customers use the names interchangeably. However, there are some key technical differences which set these two crucial injection molding capabilities apart.

For more than 50 years, the Colorado region has been a national hotspot for the injection molding industry. Throughout the decades, our state has served as one the nation’s primary bases in providing the custom toolmaking and injection molding services which are critical for manufacturing so many of today’s plastic products.

The demand for quality American injection molding services continues to rise in 2023, with an increasing number of domestic sellers onshoring some or all of their plastic manufacturing operations. Colorado is no exception, continuing to evolve into a nexus for the state-of-the-art plastic molding industry.

Of course, reshoring is partly a response to international supply chain disruptions which have impacted higher level manufactured products over the last several years. Many customers are simply looking for a more reliable manufacturing partner that offers a more dependable supply chain. However, it’s also largely an embrace of the superior quality, convenience, and customer service that Colorado’s injection molding companies can offer.

Automated production technology has become increasingly common throughout the American manufacturing sector – and the plastic injection molding service industry is no exception. New automation technology allows domestic manufacturers to be substantially more efficient and more productive, and thus more cost-competitive with their overseas counterparts.

Plastic injection molding services are a reliable, efficient, and scalable method for manufacturing an extremely wide range of different small parts and components. However, like all production methods, the injection molding process poses some unique challenges for small plastic part manufacturers.

Small part injection molding is an efficient and economical manufacturing method used across many different industries and product categories.

When compared to traditional casting methods or 3D printing, plastic injection molding is quicker to set up and easier to scale. Furthermore, the injection molding process is highly automatable, making it ideal for today’s domestic customers in search of a more flexible and reliable supply chain solution.

Injection molding services are an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective method to produce small plastic parts for a myriad of applications. From handheld consumer electronics and food/beverage utensils to state-of-the-art medical devices, plastic injection molding is a crucial capability throughout today’s manufacturing world.

Utilizing our specialized small part injection molding services, AIM Processing is able to manufacture small shapes and complex component geometries through an economical and highly repeatable process. This allows us to meet the unique needs of customers across numerous consumer, commercial, and industrial applications.

When it comes to manufacturing custom electronic enclosures, many customers have a misperception about the utilization of plastics versus metal materials. Perhaps this is because metal is the default material for so many manufacturing applications, or because plastics were traditionally inferior to metal for many products.

However, decades of engineering and innovations in materials science have substantially improved the strength, reliability, and longevity of specialized plastics. As such, custom injection molded plastics are now the preferred material for electronic enclosures in a number of unique applications.