Factors to consider when selecting a plastic injection moulding supplier
Choosing a new plastic moulding partner can be a difficult decision. We covered some of the key factors, such as reputation, trust and quality in our previous post.
Plastic injection moulding is, however, a technically demanding process; one that requires the skills and knowledge of experts to get it right. Here are five further things that you should consider when looking for a plastic injection moulder.
Are they experienced in my market?
In our 50-plus years as plastic injection moulders, we’ve worked across almost every sector of the industry, from electronics and white goods to medical, automotive and industrial controls.
Regardless of the application, we provide a consistent standard of advice, support and precision plastic injection moulding, to help customers achieve the optimum balance of quality, performance and value.
Do they have in-house toolmaking?
This can be an important aspect for both quality control and reducing lead times. We have an extensive tool-room for engineering plastic injection mould tools, building these from the ground-up, or carrying out tool modifications and repairs.
We also use advanced metal additive manufacturing technology for developing plastic injection mould tool inserts in-house. This helps to reduce lead times and allows us to incorporate advanced features, such as conformal cooling to eliminate problems of plastic part distortion or burning.
Can they help me improve plastic part quality?
Quality is key to our team. With many years of experience, we understand how to engineer plastic mould tools and produce plastic mouldings to exceptionally high standards.
As an example, we use advanced additive metal manufacturing systems to build conformal cooled inserts, which can eliminate many of the plastic part quality problems caused by differential heating and cooling of plastic mould tools.
Similarly, we work with customers to design plastic mould tools to ensure consistent quality for the entire life of the tool and duration of the plastic injection moulding project, regardless if this is measured in weeks, months or years.
Can they help me reduce lead times?
In today’s ever more competitive environment there’s increasing pressure to bring products to market faster and more efficiently than ever before.
We’ve invested heavily in advanced technologies, to both improve plastic part quality and reduce plastic mould lead times. For example, our latest hybrid additive manufacturing system is helping customers to bring lead times for plastic mould tooling down from several months to under 4 weeks.
Similarly, we can often help customers modify the design of their plastic moulded parts in a way that makes them quicker and less costly to produce, without affecting quality or functionality.
How competitive are their prices?
Let’s be completely up-front. We do not process to be the cheapest plastic injection moulder. Our reputation is built on quality, reliability and innovation, all delivered at a competitive cost that meets the technical and commercial demands of our customers.
We’ll always do our best to engineer cost out of each plastic injection moulding project, through the use of advanced technology or recommendations on design changes to reduce plastic part production cost. But we will not sacrifice quality on the altar of cost.
Ultimately, our goal is to deliver outstanding value for every plastic moulding project and every customer – something we do time after time.