PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING - anybody knows about it?

[E320]

Hi guys,
I came up with an idea of an interesting device and now am theoretically looking into possibilities and costs of manufacturing it.

This device would need a quality plastic housing which could be compared in terms of size and complexity to a mobile phone housing.

If anybody had worked with plastic injection molding, what do you think roughly might be the price of manufacturing the molds ( probably in China ) , as well as per unit price?

Thanks!

[SCJeff]

I would like to know as well. I had an idea for a product a while back, designed it and everything, but had no way of producing it. And nobody knew any information on the subject.

[AndyMc]

Depending on the product, you can approach different factories in Asia.

Some factories have their own plastic injection machines, while others can just outsource it to a local vendor. Those that outsource it are what you would call a 'assembly factory'.

Lets say your product has a timepiece in it. You might go looking for a factory in China that makes plastic clocks. Ask them that you are looking to make X product out of plastic etc. Plastic injection in China is common. Your biggest expense in this is the "mold charge". Depending on the complexity of the item, it could be from a few hundred to thousands. The factory will also take into account if you want to 'build' the piece with them. They will sometimes work out a deal that will lower the initial cost, but require you to place a minimum order of your product with them. This allows them to amortize the price across the entire production.

The per piece price could range from pennies to dollars.. .again depends on your design/product.

Typically the mold process takes 2-4 weeks depending how complex. You can find factories on sites such as Alibaba. If your hesitant in regards to the language barrier and 'scams', try finding a factory in Hong Kong. This usually means they are Hong Kong based, but have factories in China.. thus more reliable and they speak English better.

Hope this helps.

[E320]

Thanks, AndyMc. That was useful! I'm now finishing the model in 3d and then I'll looking for manufacturers in alibaba.

[Desert_Star_Systems]

It's not much cheaper to get the molds made in China, to be honest.

We have several molds and our first mold was made in San Diego for about $11-14,000 (it was ten years ago). We are working on a project now that requires a mold to be made so we looked at the company we dealt with ten years ago, a local (Bay Area) company, and a place in China. The local, Bay Area, company came in at the cheapest at $18,000 for the mold.

With any investment like that I would be more comfortable going with a company local anyways...

Email/PM me for more details if you want...

[AndyMc]

There are pro's and con's to both approaches....
If you have the $ to spend, def. do it domestically...

But you also have to take into account mass production of the pieces as well....
Bottom line, labor is cheaper in China. Quality is better in the US..

[Desert_Star_Systems]

That and your expensive mold is located in the US so it would be easier to get back if needed. I am skeptical that it's that much cheaper for the mold in China as I compared three quotes, recently, and the mold prices were within a small margin of each other. Even the cost per part after they had the mold wasn't that much off...

[E320]

Hi guys,
Another interesting thing I found out is that if you don't intend to manufacture like 500.000 parts you don't really need the $10k+ steel mold, as there are also aluminum molds for 1000+ cycles, composite molds for 100-1000 cycles and even silicon molds for < 100 casting. Naturally price per part would be bigger. So right now I think to go with the dirt cheap silicon mold and make like 50 units to see how they sell.

[Desert_Star_Systems]

Hi guys,
Another interesting thing I found out is that if you don't intend to manufacture like 500.000 parts you don't really need the $10k+ steel mold, as there are also aluminum molds for 1000+ cycles, composite molds for 100-1000 cycles and even silicon molds for < 100 casting. Naturally price per part would be bigger. So right now I think to go with the dirt cheap silicon mold and make like 50 units to see how they sell.

In that regard, we have used steel and we have used aluminum in the past. Some manufacturers will not make aluminum molds while some will only make aluminum molds. I've not seen that much of a price difference lately but there was about ten years ago. Aluminum holds up quite well, too despite what you read. We've been using aluminum molds for the last ten years and have cranked out well over 10,000+ parts without any issues.

I'm not familiar with composite or silicon though...

[E320]

Thanks guys for your replies. After a big deal of thinking, unfortunately, I decided not to manufacture the device I had in mind... therefor I can post full description of the idea, in case someone finds it useful.

http://skyeye.cc/antigop/2.png

http://skyeye.cc/antigop/51.png

http://skyeye.cc/antigop/5.png

http://skyeye.cc/antigop/usm_bez_verha.png

As you can see, it was supposed to a less-then-lethal self-defense device that would be used to shoot pepper spray like liquid into the attacker. Unlike kimber jet protector it would have been capable of firing 6 shots and then being reloaded.

By the way, Desert_Star_Systems, let me know if you need any help with product design.

[terryxu]

sounds good

[terryxu]

you can find many supplier in guangdong area

[AndyMc]

Hi Es,

Just out of curiosity, how come you decided not to pursue the idea?

[AndyMc]

Sorry, meant e3