The Evolving Landscape of Custom Injection Molding

A big part of establishing your foothold in any industry is adopting—or at the very least, staying up-to-date with—technological advancements and innovations. Therefore, if you're looking to outsource custom injection molding, it’s worth considering some of the trends this article will discuss, lest you miss opportunities that could improve your processes. 

What Is Custom Injection Molding and Why It's So Relevant

Custom injection molding is a manufacturing process that produces plastic parts by injecting (molten) plastic material into a molding cavity under high pressure. Also known as plastic injection molding, this technique is best suited for the high-volume production of complex plastic parts with different shapes and sizes due to its efficiency and speed. 

At the end of 2021, research valued the market for custom injection molding at $175.02 billion, with predictions estimating that in 2030, the value would reach $266.1 billion. These figures show just how relevant custom plastic injection molding is today. Moreover, custom plastic molding’s relevancy is due to the numerous benefits and capabilities it offers manufacturers, including:

• Broad Design Flexibility: Custom injection molding allows manufacturers to produce plastic products with complex designs.
• Reduced Waste: As the world moves toward a more sustainable future, custom injection molding has become essential in manufacturing due to its efficient use of plastic material and its ability to recycle waste (if any).
• Cost Savings: All the above benefits contribute to this process’s cost efficiency. However, the most significant way custom injection molding leads to cost savings is through Design for Manufacturability (DFM). DFM reduces defects in the finished products, which are time-consuming and expensive to rectify.

New Technologies and Materials

Since injection molding began in the early 1900s, the industry has undergone significant changes in techniques, machinery, and materials—2024 is no exception. Therefore, it’s best if custom injection molders stay informed and keep up with these advances to remain competitive. Some trends to watch out for include the following:  

Advances in Injection Molding Machinery

The precision and efficiency of molding machines are vital for producing high-quality finished products and optimizing the plastic part production process. To that end, several advances in custom plastic molding machinery have been made worth exploring. The latest injection molding machines offer better precision in producing complex parts and faster cycle times. 

One of the most apparent advances in injection molding machinery is automation integration. As the rest of the world embraces automation, the plastic injection molding industry cannot afford to be left out—the benefits outweigh the risks (like high initial investments for small manufacturers). Some notable advantages of automation in injection molding include enhanced precision, reduced downtimes, and increased efficiency.

You should expect to see more automated machinery handling tasks, such as:

• Loading and Unloading: When left to the discretion of human workers, loading and unloading the machines with plastic pellets and completed plastic products can lead to several problems, such as defects in the final product. Adopting machines that automate these two processes enhances the uniformity and precision of custom injection-molded plastics. 
• Process Monitoring: Automated machines with advanced sensor technologies can be essential for collecting real-time data and providing analytics for parameters like material flow. This data aids in overall process optimization by helping identify errors and defects as they happen or before they do.

Innovative Materials for Custom Molding

Another area that will change is the materials realm, mainly due to the heightened campaign for environmental sustainability.

For instance, various materials like bio-based polymers and bioplastics are becoming more popular due to their environmental friendliness and enhanced mechanical properties. However, while these materials are alternatives to conventional molding materials, several challenges, such as cost and properties, limit their adoption.  

Customization Techniques and Their Applications

There are several injection molding methods you can adopt to create high-quality plastic parts while meeting specific client requirements, including:

• Overmolding: This method involves injecting a plastic molding material over another to create a single component. It involves two molding processes: the first part is molded, and then a second shot of plastic material is injected in or around it. Overmolding is often used to enhance the functionality of plastic parts like medical devices. 
• Insert Molding: Closely related to overmolding, insert molding involves placing an insert (usually a metal) into the custom plastic injection molds—manually or through automation—before injecting molten plastic. This technique helps create structurally strong and functional products.

Case Study: Large Pharmaceutical Packaging Company Succeeds

When a North American pharmaceutical packaging company contacted Crescent Industries for injection molding services to streamline its supply chain operations, it received more than it had initially anticipated. Working with Crescent Industries exposed the company to advanced techniques and technologies, placing it in an advantageous competitive position.

For one, Crescent invested in a larger molding press with higher tonnage to meet the customer’s need for molding their tub. We also invested in automation by purchasing new cobots to offload the molded tubs for packaging. This essentially minimized the risk of contaminating the tubs caused by human offloaders.

Additionally, we improved the customer’s resin material by adding an anti-static to stop the tub from attracting particles that could cause contamination. Lastly, our in-house product designers improved the injection mold by reducing the flash at the parting line.  

Get a Strategic Partner Committed to Your Success

Custom injection molding has evolved and will continue to evolve. Therefore, to guarantee you stay in the game, you’re better off partnering with a custom injection molding supplier who understands the ins and outs of this process and is keen to keep up with advancements. At Crescent Industries, we go over and beyond to help our customers meet their production requirements and ensure their injection molded plastic parts meet industry standards by incorporating injection molding best practices. We serve a range of industries, including medical, defense, OEM, dental, pharmaceutical, etc.

Contact us today and find out how we can help.