What is plastic injection moulding?
Plastic injection moulding is a versatile manufacturing technique that can produce many different types and sizes of plastic parts and components. Plastic pellets are fed from a hopper into a heated chamber where the plastic melts, is mixed and then forced under pressure (injected) into a metal mould. Once the molten plastic fills the metal mould it quickly cools and hardens to the desired shape of the component.
An injection moulding machine is made up of three distinct parts – the injection section, the mould and a clamp. When looking for a supplier of large injection moulded parts it is important to understand what machines they have. Clamping capability for large plastic injection moulded parts is measured in the force, in tonnage, required to clamp the mould together. Larger parts will require greater force so you will want to look for a partner that has machines with a tonnage range to suit your needs.
In addition to the clamping force of the machines, there are other major considerations to take into account when choosing a plastic injection moulding company for your large part. These include:
- Experience and expertise of designing for injection moulding
The machine is important, but the expertise of the plastic injection moulding company you choose to partner with is even more important. You need a partner who is used to the increased complexity of large part injection moulding, materials handling and assembly, where small details are magnified and become more apparent in your moulded part. You will benefit from reductions in time, cost and waste by choosing a partner that has a strong heritage and experience in injection moulding and manufacturing high quality, properly tested, right first-time plastic moulded parts and assemblies.
At OGM, our design for injection moulding team uses the latest 3D CAD and flow simulation software to project manage the development of your large plastic part from design concept through to production.
Our design and application support team has years of experience working on a wide variety of projects. They will work with you to ensure that your product or component is moulded precisely to specification. Services include design for manufacture, advice on part modifications to improve the performance, quality or speed of manufacture, plus tooling production and the modification of existing tooling. - A facility and infrastructure to handle the production of large parts
Choosing a plastic injection moulding company with the right infrastructure for large part production is key. In addition to having injection moulding machinery in a range of tonnes (1100 tonnes can handle parts up to 4kg), your supplier will also need to have specialist materials handling equipment, space on the factory floor for moving parts around from production to assembly and packing and storage space from completed parts. Having a dedicated team that is accustomed to handling, testing, assembling and packing such large parts is vital.
Our Hengoed, South Wales, facility has all of this and more. It is a 40,000 square foot manufacturing site with 15 machines ranging from 80 to 1100 tonnes. We have recently completely refurbished the factory which now has cartesian robots fitted to all 15 machines offering a high level of automation plus a materials handling system for automated material feed to every machine. Find out more about our Wales facility here. - Knowledge of the different materials used in plastic injection moulding
In addition to experience and expertise in designing for injection moulding, working with a team that has an indepth knowledge of the different materials used for plastic injection moulding of large parts is crucial. For example recognising what contributes towards, and being able to analyse, defects such as warping, and manage mould flow, are critical to understanding how your moulded part is likely to perform over time.
Large part plastic injection moulders
The right plastic injection moulding company for supporting you with the design and production of your large parts will be able to offer you advice and suggestions to improve the quality and reduce the time and cost of your finished product.
Consider OGM for your next project
We are a manufacturer and supplier of specialist technical plastic injection moulded parts and components for a variety of sectors from electronics to automotive, medical and general industry.
We have 60 years’ experience in helping to manage plastic injection moulding projects from start to finish. Recent large part projects include housings for innovative new turbines for the renewable energy sector, housings for blood diagnostics equipment in the medical sector and complete interior cab mouldings for a leading earth moving equipment manufacturer.
Our Expertise
- Complex injection moulded parts and assemblies – excellent standards of quality and exceptional service levels
- Large part production – the OGM Wales plant and facility has the capacity to manage and supply large parts up to a shot weight of approx. 4kgs
- Specialist handling, storage and logistics solutions – for managing the challenges associated with large part supply
- Small to Large Volume Production – Our MRP system, staff shift patterns and advanced set up means we have the capacity to handle your injection moulding requirements whatever their volume from batches of 500 parts to 500,000
- Industry Experts – A strong heritage in medical equipment and off-road, agricultural and other specialist vehicles and electronics
- Quality – We are accredited to ISO 9001:2015 (manufacturing)
Why not get in touch with our team to see if we can help with your next project – large or small!