Making Cost-Efficient Molded Parts Through Injection Molding Benefits Your Business

Cost-efficient molded parts can benefit your business in various ways. As experts in plastic manufacturing, we at Port Erie Plastics know these benefits firsthand. In this blog, we plan to detail three main ways these parts can streamline your processes, significantly reducing production times and costs for your business.

Reduced Production Costs

Cost-efficient molded parts can reduce your overall production costs in a variety of ways.

First, injection molding and mass production can help you reduce overall costs through mass production. When more parts are produced at once, each component costs less on its own, reducing the individual cost per part.

Injection molding also minimizes waste since it only uses the necessary materials for each part. This reduces waste over time and can eventually save you thousands of dollars. For example, if you make 10,000 cost-efficient molded parts per month and save $0.25 per part on reduced waste, over a year, that will save you $30,000.

Lastly, when you create a higher volume of parts, the tooling costs are more evenly distributed across many parts. This decreases the overall cost per part through economies of scale. Overall, these factors contribute to injection molding being a great way to create cost-efficient molded parts.

Increased Production Efficiency

Injection molding for cost-efficient molded parts is also much faster and more streamlined than other production methods, improving overall production efficiency. This works in a variety of ways.

First, injection molding offers rapid cycle times, allowing producers to create a large volume of parts quickly. This decreases the time for a part to go from start to finish, helps keep production times low, and overall time-to-market is decreased as a result.

This process can also be automated, which reduces labor costs, shortens the production cycle, and eliminates the potential for human error.

Lastly, injection molding offers a high degree of repeatability. Once the initial mold has been created, the rest of the parts can be produced quickly and reliably with a high degree of consistency.

Design Versatility

Injection molding works well for manufacturers who need to create complex parts. These types of intricate or detailed cost-efficient molded parts are easily mass-manufactured through injection molding. They are also much easier to replicate in a standardized fashion.

Injection molding also allows companies to choose from a variety of materials for their finished product. This means that they can tailor their material selection and additives to fit their specific needs, and are not confined to one or two material choices.

Lastly, injection molding has a lot of advantages in terms of aesthetics for cost-efficient molded parts. You can choose from a variety of finishes, colors, and more to ensure your parts meet your exact specifications.

Other Benefits

Creating cost-efficient molded parts through injection molding has a few other benefits. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but injection molding can also help your production process in the following ways.

• Improving the overall quality of the finished product. Injection molding creates cost-efficient molded parts that only need minimal, if any, processing after initial production is complete. This creates more consistency in terms of quality.
• Lowering overall maintenance costs. When using molds that have already been pre-designed for use in an automated process to create cost-efficient molded parts, overall maintenance expenses are greatly reduced.
• Minimizing the need for reworking and multiple production runs. Injection molding tends to be more precise with less room for error, minimizing defects and the need to rework finished products or schedule a new production run to replace defective parts.

If you’re interested in partnering with experts in cost-efficient molded parts, Port Erie Plastics can help. Since 1953, our skilled team has specialized in injection molding and plastic parts manufacturing. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have or set up a consultation by using our contact form here.

To learn more about plastic injection molding and manufacturing, you can visit our blog here.

Exploring Common Structural Foam and Injection Molding Industries — From Construction to Consumer Goods

Many industries rely heavily on injection molding for their products and materials. As experts in injection molding and plastic manufacturing, we at Port Erie Plastics partner with many of these industries. Here is a deeper look into seven industries and how injection molding has become a key component of their business models.

Seven Critical Injection Molding Industries

Construction

First on our list of injection molding industries is construction. Injection molding is used for a wide range of construction applications, including window frames, door frames, pipes, fittings, insulation materials, and more. Since construction projects typically require a high volume of materials, injection molding provides a perfect solution. Its cost-effectiveness and high-volume production capacity make it perfect for construction applications.

Aerospace

Everything from interior components and structural parts to seating and structural panels is created through plastic molding. Injection molding is essential for creating lightweight, high-precision parts needed for aerospace applications.

Medical

Medical devices, surgical instruments, tubing, syringes, packaging, and much more are all created through injection molding, which is why medical and healthcare are considered top injection molding industries. Injection molding supplies the medical industry with a variety of sterile equipment. By melting down polymers in aluminum or steel molds when creating supplies, manufacturers produce items for the healthcare field that are up to the highest sanitation standards.

Automotive

The automotive industry uses injection-molded parts for various functions. Larger interior car components like dashboards and interior panels are created through injection molding, as well as more complex parts like engine components. The injection molding process provides components with certain fit specifications that are perfect for specialized automotive functions.

Packaging

Injection molding is commonly used for packaging products like containers, caps, closures, and more. Since the process can utilize various materials to produce the right texture, everything from medication packaging to soda bottles can be created through injection molding.

Plumbing

The plumbing industry also heavily utilizes injection molding to create plastic piping, fittings, fixtures, and more. Injection molding can create identical parts with high levels of accuracy, making it perfect for pipes that need to fit together precisely to prevent gaps and leaks. It can also be used with a variety of materials, making it applicable for different plumbing systems.

Lawn and Garden

One of the lesser-known injection molding industries is lawn and garden. Injection molding is used to make everything from lawn decorations and furniture to tool handles and equipment housing. Injection molding also allows for the introduction of plastic additives that can greatly increase the lifespan of outdoor items. For example, UV-resistant additives can help prevent fading and sun damage, while other additives can increase the durability of outdoor furniture and prevent cracking. This makes injection molding a top choice for mass-producing outdoor items.

Consumer Goods

One of the injection molding industries with the most versatile applications is consumer goods. Injection molding can be used for appliances like kitchenware and general electronics, as well as items like toys or knick-knacks. Injection molding allows companies to create a high level of standardization across their finished products, which is essential for maintaining brand reputation and meeting consumer expectations. The versatility of injection molding also allows for a variety of shapes, colors, plastic textures, and more, making it perfect for mass-produced goods.

At Port Erie Plastics, we have partnered with myriad industries for over 50 years. Our expertise extends to lawn and garden, construction materials, consumer goods, and more. If you’re interested in learning more about our capabilities for your projects, reach out to our team using this form.

To learn more about the plastic manufacturing and molding process, you can explore our blog here.

What are Common Secondary Operations in Manufacturing? Find Out How You Can Improve Your Plastic Products

What are Common Secondary Operations in Manufacturing? Find Out How You Can Improve Your Plastic Products

After production, your products may need a little extra love to ensure they are functional and attractive for the final customer. This is where secondary operations in manufacturing plastic products come into play. Here, we will explain what secondary operations in manufacturing are and how they can improve your products.

What are Secondary Operations in Manufacturing Plastics?

Secondary operations are processes that take place after the initial manufacturing process, such as injection molding or structural foam molding. These operations are typically used to improve the function or look of a product, adding value for end users.

Some common secondary operations include:

• Ultrasonic welding: Using high frequencies to weld joints together. This is commonly chosen when glue, screws, or other fasteners are not desired or cannot be used.
• Drilling: When punching is not practical for the application, this process creates holes with no distortion around the hole or slot.
• Fastening: This process joins two or more parts together using various types of fasteners, including screws, nuts, bolts, and more.
• Heat staking: Utilizes pulsed heat to join two or more parts together. The plastic part is heated to just above the glass transition temperature while simultaneously applying force so that it is deformed and then cooled.
• Assembly: At Port Erie, we have various assembly and kitting services to ensure your products are exactly as you imagined and easily packed. This includes fab assembly, kits, and bag pack-outs.
• Decorating: This process ensures that your products are aesthetically pleasing. We offer pad printing, heat transfer, hot stamping, and in-mold decorating.

Benefits of Secondary Operations in Manufacturing Plastics

Improved Function of the Product

Secondary operations can add functional features to products that would not be possible in the structural foam molding or injection molding processes. These operations create more versatile and useful products for end users, improving overall product satisfaction.

Improved Aesthetics

Surface finishing and decorating are two common secondary operations that can improve the appearance and feel of a product, setting you apart from competitors.

Greater Customization

While our team will work to create molds that are as customized to your needs as possible, our secondary operations allow for even more customization. These services allow your products to meet more specific design or functional requirements.

Port Erie’s Secondary Operations

At Port Erie, we strive to ensure that your products meet your exact design specifications. Our team offers various secondary operations to bring your vision to life.

Our team of experts has the capabilities to perform secondary operations including ultrasonic welding, drilling, decorating, assembly, and packaging. We utilize automated 6-axis robots, vision system inspection stations, CNC trimming, and screw guns to complete our processes, ensuring accuracy and a high-quality product.

In addition to our secondary operations, our team also has the capabilities to assist with your warehousing and distribution needs. We operate two separate 100,000-square-foot warehouses and one 75,000-square-foot storage facility to meet the warehousing and storage needs of all our customers. Additionally, we handle fulfillment for all big-box retailers so customers can simplify their supply chain and keep costs down. Our team can also handle just-in-time delivery of molded parts to your manufacturing locations.

Contact Port Erie to Get Started on Your Plastic Project Today

As an ISO 9000-compliant company, Port Erie is dedicated to the quality of your products and work closely with our customers on every last detail.

Contact our team today to get started.

High-Density Polyethylene Foam Molding: Process, Applications, and Benefits

High-Density Polyethylene Foam Molding: Process, Applications, and Benefits

High-density polyethylene foam molding is a popular manufacturing method for large tonnage products. This process produces lighter-weight large products compared to their straight injection molded counterparts, leading to less product damage. Let’s explore the process of high-density polyethylene foam molding, and its applications and benefits.

High-Density Polyethylene Foam Molding Process

The high-density polyethylene foam molding process begins by melting high-density polyethylene and mixing it with nitrogen gas and/or a chemical blowing agent. The mixture is then injected into a structural foam mold under low pressure. As the polymer mix touches the walls, it cools, forming a product with a solid exterior and a honeycombed interior. The process results in a large, complex product that is durable and lighter-weight than straight injection molded products of the same size.

Properties of High-Density Polyethylene Foam

Products created using high-density polyethylene have many beneficial properties, including:

• Chemical resistance for industries that require the use of harsh compounds
• Recyclability for product sustainability
• Water resistance for use in wet environments
• High strength-to-weight ratio and durability, allowing it to withstand harsh environments, constant use, and stress

Benefits of High-Density Polyethylene Foam Molding

Easily Manufacture Large Parts with Beneficial Properties

The low pressure used during the structural foam molding process allows manufacturers to create large-tonnage products with a reduced risk of damage and deformities during the manufacturing process. This also reduces the time and cost spent re-running projects using other manufacturing methods, such as straight injection molding.

Design Flexibility with Reduced Risk of Warpage

Since this is a low-pressure production process, less stress is put on the product during manufacturing. This reduces the risk of damage compared to the straight injection molding process, especially for large tonnage products. This also allows you to create complex designs and yield all details in the final product.

Applications of High-Density Polyethylene Foam Molding

Many companies are taking advantage of the benefits of the high-density polyethylene foam molding process. Some common industries we work with include:

• Construction: large HDPE trench drains, flooring, siding, and more
• Lawn and garden: garden carts, plastic lawn equipment, and plastic lawn furniture
• Material handling: large pallets, shelving, and other material handling applications

Contact Port Erie to See How We Can Help With Your High-Density Polyethylene Foam Molding Project

At Port Erie, we have been designing and producing structural foam molded and injection molded products for decades. Our team is dedicated to quality and leverages our extensive experience to ensure your products turn out exactly as you specify.

When you partner with us for your plastic projects, we assign one of our experienced plastic engineers to work with you on design, manufacturing, and any changes necessary to keep your project on track from start to finish.

Plus, we offer extensive secondary operations to add value to your products even after production. Once you are ready, we can also help you with your warehousing and distribution needs.

Contact our team today to get started.

What is the Structural Polyethylene Foam Manufacturing Process?

What is the Structural Polyethylene Foam Manufacturing Process?

Polyethylene is the most commonly used plastic in structural foam molding processes. With the plastic’s many beneficial properties combined with the benefits of structural foam molding, it is chosen for manufacturing many large tonnage plastic products. Let’s explore the polyethylene foam manufacturing process.

What is Polyethylene?

Polyethylene is one of the most commonly produced plastics because it has so many beneficial properties to offer. Some of these include:

• Durability for use in a wide range of applications and environments
• Resistance to wear and tear making it long-lasting even in demanding situations
• Affordability to lower the cost of production which you can pass on to consumers
• Easily manufacturable to further lower costs and so you can create complex products
• Resistance to chemicals for use in environments and applications where harsh chemicals or compounds may be involved.

The Structural Polyethylene Foam Manufacturing Process

To start the structural foam manufacturing process, the polyethylene will be melted. Then, the melted polymer will be mixed with nitrogen gas and/or a chemical blowing agent. This mixture is then injected into the structural foam mold under low pressure.

As the polymer mixture touches the walls of the mold, it will cool, forming a product with a solid exterior and a honeycombed interior. This yields a durable product that is lighter weight than straight injection molded products, making the process ideal for large, complex products.

When to Use the Structural Polyethylene Foam Manufacturing Process

Structural foam molding is a great manufacturing method and polyethylene has many great properties, however, they may not be ideal for all applications. Some of the best situations to use the structural polyethylene foam manufacturing process include:

Creating Large Tonnage Products

Since this process uses low pressure, it requires a lower clamping force on the tooling. This will allow you to create your tooling from more cost-effective materials, such as aluminum.

The low-pressure process also leads to less damage when creating large tonnage products compared to straight injection molding, reducing the cost and time spent on rerunning projects due to damaged or deformed products.

Creating Complex Products

Again, the low-pressure process allows the plastic mixture to get into all of the nooks of the mold. This allows you to create complex products with intricate details without worrying about anything being missing in production.

When You Need Specific Desirable Properties

When you are looking for products with the properties that structural foam molding with polyethylene can provide, then this process is perfect for your products. Some of these properties include:

• Being lighter weight than straight injection molding
• Durability
• Chemical resistant
• Affordable
• Easy to manufacture
• Resistance to wear and chemicals

Want to Learn More About the Structural Polyethylene Foam Manufacturing Process? Turn to Port Erie

At Port Erie, we have been creating high-quality structural foam molded products since 1953. Our team is dedicated to engineering and producing the products you need that meet all of your specifications. We take control of quality from the start of your project with our engineering and in-house tooling capabilities. Plus, after your products have been produced, we can help with your warehousing and distribution needs.

Contact us today to get started.

How Injection Molding Tooling Design Ensures Your Project Runs Smoothly

How Injection Molding Tooling Design Ensures Your Project Runs Smoothly

When you are starting an injection molding or structural foam molding project, you want to ensure that your products will be of the highest quality. One of the ways a trusted structural foam molding or injection molding partner will ensure the success and quality of your product is by creating all of the structural foam and injection molding tooling. Let’s explore some of the ways injection molding tooling design can ensure the quality of your products and make the process run smoothly.

The Benefits of Structural Foam and Injection Molding Tooling Design

Improved Product Quality

Since your manufacturer will be creating and designing your injection and structural foam molding tooling, they will have full control over the quality. They will be able to take all of your specifications into consideration, including tolerances and the plastics you are using to create the tooling your project needs.

Smoother Production Processes

If something goes wrong during your manufacturing process, your manufacturer will be able to reassess your tooling design. They also have the equipment needed to make any changes to your tooling in-house, saving time and money on shipping your tooling to another manufacturer and waiting for them to produce the tooling.

Shorter Lead Times

Since your manufacturer will design and create your tooling in-house, you don’t have to spend time or money finding another manufacturer strictly for tooling. You also wouldn’t have to find transportation to and from each manufacturer. This can help reduce lead times since the tooling is already in the same location as production, so your products can be created as soon as your tooling is finished.

Port Erie’s Structural Foam and Injection Molding Tooling Design Services

When you partner with Port Erie for your structural foam and injection molding services, a skilled plastic engineer will be added to your project. The engineer will work with you throughout the production process to provide you with support until your product is to its final destination.

To start, your engineer will meet with you and the tooling manager to gain a good understanding of your project. After that, the engineer and the tooling manager will review 3D models and compile advice on how to improve the design of the product and your tooling to make production more efficient and yield a higher quality product.

Once you have reviewed the changes and approved them, the tooling manager and engineer will be able to finalize the tooling design. This part of the process includes evaluating if more cost-effective options for tooling are appropriate for your project, further saving you money.

With Port Erie’s full-service in-house tool room, we can create the tooling needed for all of your projects. Our team has the skill and equipment needed to create tooling through CNC milling, grinding, turning, drilling, welding, and more. We also have the capabilities needed to create various types of molds:

• Single cavity
• Multi-cavity
• Structural foam molds
• Insert molds
• Over molds
• Hot runners

Our team also offers tooling transfer services where you transfer your existing tooling to our facilities. We will then inspect the tooling and identify any potential issues with the design or any damage we see and from there make the necessary repairs or adjustments. After, we will complete verification testing of your tooling to make sure it is up to our quality and safety standards.

Partner with Port Erie for Your Structural Foam and Injection Molding Tooling Design Services and Production

In addition to our extensive tooling services, we also offer structural foam molding and injection molding services. Once your product is produced, we also can help you with any of your warehousing or distribution needs.

Reach out to our team today to get started.

Structural Foam Injection Machine and Equipment: The Keys to What Sets Port Erie Plastics Apart

Structural Foam Injection Machine and Equipment: The Keys to What Sets Port Erie Plastics Apart

The skill and experience of your plastic manufacturer are extremely important, however, the structural foam injection molding equipment they have is also crucial to the scope of their work. At Port Erie Plastics, our team has been providing structural foam molding and injection molding services since 1953, and to build on our experience, we have grown our collection of equipment to provide top-tier services to all of our customers. Let’s explore our foam injection machine and equipment.

Our New Structural Foam Injection Machine

Just last year we welcomed a new structural foam injection machine to expand our offerings to our customers. The addition of the 1000 SSWP LPIM structural foam molding machine has many features that allow us to take on larger structural foam projects.

The specs of our new machine include:

• Sepro dual-arm 5-axis servo robot
• Ability to handle 100 kg or 220 lbs
• 1000 machine positioned under a new 25-ton crane with a 10-ton kicker
• Platen dimensions are 186” x 103” — increased from our other machines with platen dimensions of 98” x 89”
• Tie bar distance of 144” x 60” compared to our other machines at 58.5” x 67.5”
• Two extruders on the machine — both can extrude 100 lbs PS and the total output is 4800 lbs per hour
• Accumulator volume of 3000 cubic inches

If you are interested in learning more about this specific machine, explore our blog.

Our Other Machinery

We have various other machines in order to best serve our customers. In addition to our above structural foam molding machine, we also have two Uniloy Milacron structural foam molding machines with a 500-tonnage capacity.

We also have numerous injection molding machines. Our machines can handle tonnage up to 100, 101-299, 300-450, and 500-1650 tons. In total, we have 89 injection molding machines and the makes consist of Engel, Milacron, TMC, Nissei, Sumitomo, Haitian, and Haitian Zhafir.

Our facilities also house machinery that we use for milling, EDM, grinding, turning, drilling, engineering, and other services. Learn more about our extensive list of machinery here.

How Our Equipment Allows Us to Best Serve You

With the combination of our decades of experience and our best-in-class equipment, we are able to provide the best services possible for our customers. We have the ability to take on the most challenging and complex structural foam and injection molding projects.

Our engineering team will work closely with your team to ensure your products are Designed for Manufacturability, making the production process more efficient, saving you time and money. Additionally, they will determine if robotics and automation can be implemented into your manufacturing processes, further improving efficiency and accuracy in the production of your products.

Other equipment gives us the ability to offer many value added services. We are able to design and manufacture your structural foam and injection molds, as well as provide finishing and assembly services, such as drilling, welding, kitting, pad printing, and more.

Contact Port Erie Plastics to Get Started On Your Structural Foam or Injection Molding Projects

Since 1953, Port Erie Plastics has been providing best-in-class structural foam and injection molding services. Our team is dedicated to quality, and with our decades of experience and extensive list of machinery, we can ensure quality from the start by manufacturing your molds, implementing automation and robotics, and providing value-added secondary operation services. Once your product is created, we can also help you with your warehousing and distribution needs.

If you are interested in getting started with our team, contact us today.

What is Better Than Injection Molding for Large Tonnage Products? The Structural Foam Molding Process, Benefits, and Applications

What is Better Than Injection Molding for Large Tonnage Products? The Structural Foam Molding Process, Benefits, and Applications

Plastic injection molding is an efficient, cost-effective manufacturing process that is used to create products in many industries. This process can create products of various sizes, however, it may fall short when it comes to manufacturing large-tonnage products. So, what is better than injection molding for large-tonnage products? One of the best manufacturing processes for producing these large products is structural foam molding.

What is Structural Foam Molding?

Structural foam molding is commonly used to create large-tonnage products with a hard exterior and a honeycombed interior. The manufacturing process begins with mixing a melted polymer with nitrogen gas and/or a chemical blowing agent. Then, this mixture is injected into the structural foam mold under low pressure. The polymer mix will cool as it touches the walls of the mold, forming a product with a solid exterior and a honeycombed interior.

The structural foam molding process results in products that are large, complex, and durable. With their durable exterior layer and less dense inner layer, the weight of these products is also reduced compared to their injection molded counterparts.

What Plastics Are Used in Structural Foam Molding

Polyethylene is the most commonly used plastic in the structural foam molding process. This plastic exhibits many ideal properties including:

• Chemical resistance
• Water resistance
• Recyclability
• High strength-to-weight ratio
• Low moisture absorption
• High impact strength
• Durability

However, there are some disadvantages to polyethylene. It does have poor weather resistance, is flammable, and can be sensitive to stress cracking. Polyethylene is good for use in creating chemical containers, pipe systems, and gardening equipment.

Benefits of Structural Foam Molding

Easily Creates Large Parts While Minimizing Damage and Deformities

Structural foam molding is a low-pressure process that requires less clamping force, allowing you to create tooling and molds from more cost-effective materials, such as aluminum. The low-pressure process also allows manufacturers to create large-tonnage products with a reduced risk of damage and deformities during the manufacturing process. This reduces the cost and time spent on re-running projects.

Increased Design Flexibility and Reduced Risk of Warpage

Since structural foam molding is a low-pressure process, it puts less stress on the product during manufacturing. This reduces the risk of damage compared to straight injection molding. You will also reduce the risk of warpage, allowing you to create more complex molds that maintain the desired shape of the finished product.

A Highly Efficient Process

Multiple structural foam molds can be run at the same time. Again, the low-pressure process allows these molds to run simultaneously without putting stress on the machines and the molds. Since you can run multiple molds at once, you will save time and money on your manufacturing process by producing more parts in a shorter amount of time.

Yields Products With Desirable Physical Properties

Structural foam molded products have various desirable properties, including a high strength-to-weight ratio, good thermal stability, durability, chemical resistance, and more. With so many advantageous properties, your products can be created to your exact specifications to meet the needs of your application and industry.

Structural Foam Molding Applications

Many industries benefit from the use of the structural foam molding manufacturing process. Some of the industries we have worked with include:

• Construction by creating large HDPE trench drains
• Lawn and Garden through carts and other lawn equipment
• Material Handling by creating large pallets

To explore more industries and products that can benefit from structural foam molding, check out our blog.

Ready to Experience the Process That is Better Than Injection Molding? Contact Port Erie Today

At Port Erie Plastics, we have been providing high-quality injection molding and structural foam molding processes since 1953. In addition to our molding processes, we also perform secondary operations and we can help you with your distribution and warehousing needs.

To learn more about our processes or to get started, contact our team today.

Exploring How Construction Industry Injection Molding Service Improves Product Quality

Exploring How Construction Industry Injection Molding Service Improves Product Quality

Within the construction industry, products must be durable, attractive, and long-lasting. In order to create parts and products with these properties, injection molding and structural foam molding are used. These manufacturing processes are popular in the construction industry due to the many beneficial properties they offer and their cost-effective nature. Let’s explore construction industry injection molding service, its benefits, and what it is used to manufacture.

Construction Industry Injection Molding Services

Structural Foam Molding

Structural foam molding is the process of mixing a melted polymer with nitrogen gas and/or a chemical blowing agent. This mixture is then injected into a mold under low pressure. As the mixture touches the walls of the mold, it cools, forming a solid outer layer with a honeycomb interior.

There are numerous benefits of structural foam molding, including:

Cost-Effective Process for Large Parts

The low-pressure process of structural foam molding allows for the materials that are used to create tooling to be less durable compared to other manufacturing processes. This lowers the cost of your tooling. Additionally, fewer raw materials need to be used because the product isn’t a solid plastic. Both of these characteristics lower the overall cost of your project.

Highly Moldable

The low-pressure process put significantly less stress on parts during the molding process. This reduces the risk of warpage and damage to your process, saving you time and money on damaged products that have to be reproduced.

Weight Reduction

The honeycomb interior of the product reduces the weight of the product compared to solid products created through straight injection molding.

Injection Molding

During the injection molding process, the polymer is melted inside the injection molding machine’s heated barrel. The machine is then closed and the mold halves are closed together and are held together under high clamp pressure. The screw in the barrel pushes the molten polymer under high pressure into the mold. Once all of the polymer is in the mold, the screws pull back and the product starts to cool. When fully cooled, the product is released from the mold.

Injection molding also has various benefits, including:

Efficient

This is one of the fastest plastic manufacturing processes out there. Through injection molding, it is possible to create many parts in a short period of time.

Strength and Durability

Injection molded plastic products are completely solid, giving them uniform strength throughout the product.

Little Post-Injection Molding Processing

Many times, the part will come out of the injection mold with ideal aesthetics, requiring little to no finishing. This will ultimately save you money on your manufacturing costs as you can opt out of certain finishing processes.

Products Created Through Injection Molding and Structural Foam Molding Processes

Many products in the construction industry can be created through structural foam molding and injection molding processes. Some of the biggest items that take advantage of these production processes include siding, flooring, and pipes.

Each of these products benefits from the properties of structural foam molded and injection molded products, including:

• UV resistance
• Weather resistance
• Water resistance
• Durability
• Lightweight
• Corrosion resistance

Turn to Port Erie for Your Construction Industry Injection Molding Services

At Port Erie, we have been trusted to create plastic products through injection molding and structural foam molding since 1953. We pair you with one of our skilled plastic engineers to ensure your product is designed properly and keep your projects running smoothly from the design process to distribution. With our construction industry injection molding services, you can rest assured knowing that your products will be of the highest quality.

Contact us today to learn more.

What is Plastic Engineering and How Can It Help Your Project’s Success?

What is Plastic Engineering and How Can It Help Your Project’s Success?

Plastic engineering is the process of designing, developing, and manufacturing plastic products. This process is crucial to the success of your plastic projects as it helps to improve the design of your product and ensures that you are using the right materials for your application. In this blog, our team will explore the plastic engineering process and how your projects can benefit from these services.

What is the Plastic Engineering Process?

The process of plastic engineering begins with the customer presenting the product concept to the plastic engineer and the tooling manager. This allows them to gain a good understanding of your product’s application and what properties it needs to possess. The engineer and the tooling manager will then review the 3D product models and compile advice on how to improve the design for the chosen manufacturing process — injection molding or structural foam molding. As this is done, they will also evaluate if more cost-effective tooling options are appropriate to help lower the costs of your project.

Once the customer approves the design changes, other conversations can occur to improve your plastic molding project. One of the common conversations to be had is about which polymer to use. Typically, the customer will have an idea of what polymer they want to use, but the plastic engineer can help finalize the decision based on the needs of the application. After a plastic is decided on, the manufacturing process can begin.

How Plastic Engineering Can Improve Your Project

There are many ways working with a plastic engineer can improve your projects. Some of the biggest benefits are listed below.

Alternative Resins

With their impressive expertise, your plastic engineer will be able to tell you what resins are most similar to the one you have chosen or which would be best for your application. If something happens where you can’t get your chosen resin, such as increased cost or supply chain shortages, your plastic engineer can help you source an alternative resin that will still meet all of your needs.

Additionally, if there is a failure in production where the plastic does not work, your plastic engineer can assist here as well. They will re-evaluate the plastic used and find a more appropriate fit that still serves your needs.

Tooling Design and Modification

Complex parts and products can be expensive to manufacture and are more susceptible to failure during the production process. Plastic engineers will work to minimize the complexity of the tooling to ensure that the manufacturing process is as efficient as possible while still maintaining the design of your product.

They can also evaluate the existing tooling for your project. Plastic engineers will take a look at the tooling and reduce the complexity of it, reducing your cycle times and lowering your production costs.

Automation and Robotics

Automation and robotics have been gaining traction in nearly every industry, and plastics is no different. There are many processes where these services may benefit you and your project. During your quoting phase, your plastic engineer will discuss implementing automation and/or robotics to your project.

If appropriate for your project, implementing automation and robotics to your projects will cut down on the need for human operators, saving you money on labor and reducing the time of your production. Automation and robotics are significantly more efficient and precise than humans, so they can also improve the repeatability and quality of your products.

Still Have Questions About Plastic Engineering? Trust Port Erie Plastics

When you partner with Port Erie for your plastic injection molding or structural foam molding project, we will pair you with one of our skilled plastic engineers. They will stick with you through the duration of your process, providing you with insight into your design, the plastics you have chosen, your manufacturing process, and more. Your plastic engineer will make sure your projects run smoothly from start to finish and address any issues that may arise quickly to keep your timeline tight.

We offer automated injection molding, custom injection molding, and structural foam molding processes to create the plastic parts and products you require. Our goal is to provide you with quality plastic products, and by utilizing plastic engineering, we can easily make this possible.

Contact us today to get started.