I would like to share this article about buying injection molds from China guide book for you. This is from CHINAIMPORTAL, I m sure those buyers need OEM ODM products will find it very useful.
If you plan to import a custom designed or even private label product, chances are that you need get an injection mold manufactured in China.
In this article, you will learn when and how to order an injection mold, various methods of ensuring the ownership of the mold, payment terms and much more.
Note: While this article is primarily focused on injection molds, most principles can be applied to extrusion molds, blow molds, die casting and other tooling.
When is a custom mold needed?
If you intend to create a custom designed product, or make changes to an existing product design, you need an injection mold.
Injection molds are used for various materials, including plastics, glassware, ceramics, stainless steel and alloys.
As such, injection molds are used when making everything from phone cases and plastic buttons – to wristwatches and jewelry parts.
What what stage should I buy a mold?
Your supplier needs the mold before they can even make a sample for you. As such, you need to buy the injection mold before the manufacturer starts the sampling process.
That said, you can use the same mold, as is used to make the prototype or sample, for mass production.
Most molds can be used to make hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of units. Thus, the mold can be used for many orders – and may even outlast the product design itself.
Can I expect my supplier to pay for the mold?
No, importing from Asia is like flying with a low cost airline. No extras are included, be it lab testing or injection molds.
As an importer, you must therefore finance the cost of the injection mold (and other types of molds and tooling for that matter) before you can start the sampling and mass production process.
How much should I pay for the mold?
That depends entirely on the size, complexity and material. For a simple component, say a watch case, the mold cost can be as low as $200.
However, for more complex products with narrow dimensional tolerance requirements (i.e., plastic pallets), the mold cost can be as high as $40,000.
That said, for most consumer goods, the mold fee is somewhere between $150 to $800.
As mentioned, the mold can be used for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of units. Therefore, the cost per unit is often extremely low.
What are the standard payment terms for molds?
That depends mostly on the mold and prototype cost. If the total is below $1000, the buyer normally pays the entire sample and tooling cost up front.
If above $1000, you may pay 30% before they start producing the mold, and 70% upon completion and successful testing.
Keep in mind that most suppliers don’t make any profit of the mold itself, and therefore need to secure, at a minimum, a deposit before they order the mold and other tooling from their subcontractor.
Where can I find mold manufacturers in China?
Specialized injection mold manufacturers are present all over China, and its industrial cluster. However, there is a higher concentration of mold suppliers in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangdong province.
Many mold suppliers are also based in Taiwan, even though a large percentage have moved production to the mainland.
That said, buyers rarely need to source mold suppliers on their own. Instead, the majority of importers use the injection mold suppliers, already used by their assembly manufacturer.
In the Watch industry, for example, none of the so called ‘Watch suppliers’ (they put the pieces together basically), manufacture injection molds for the various components needed.
Instead, they subcontract this to specialized mold and tooling suppliers.
For most products, it’s better to just use the suppliers existing network of mold suppliers.
That said, if they cannot match your technical specifications, you may want to consider contacting a mold supplier directly.
How can I protect mold ownership?
As you pay for the molds, you may assume that they are by default owned by you. That said, the ownership is practically impossible to claim, unless it is written on paper.
For example, you must state in the sales contract, that the mold is owned by your company, and can be collected at the supplier’s facility with short notice.
Does mold ownership equal IP ownership?
No, there is no relation between the two. Owning the mold doesn’t mean that your design is protected in any way. To ensure that your designs are protected, you need to file for a design patent (or design protection, if you are based in Europe).
That said, you can only protect a design that is ‘new and unique’. Hence, it’s not an option for most importers.
Where should the mold be kept?
The injection mold, and other tools, is normally kept in the supplier’s production facility, even when not used. This can pose a serious risk, as the supplier may use your mold to manufacture products for themselves – or other buyers – without letting you know.
To reduce the risk of this ever happening, you can store the injection mold at the premises of a trusted third party in China – and return it to the supplier before production, only to collect it once again after production completion.
How can I prevent my supplier from making a copy of my mold?
The short answer is that you can’t prevent them from making a 2nd version of your injection mold. As explained above, there are ways to make it harder for the supplier to steal your design, but you cannot stop your supplier if they really, really, want to copy your product.
The only way to truly protect your designs is by filing for design and utility patents, and get your brand and logo trademark.
This costs money, but there are no shortcuts.
That said, I think many importers overestimate the supplier’s interest in replicating their products.
It’s good to be aware of it, and implement measures that will at the very least make it harder for the supplier to copy your products – but the risk of IP theft should not hold you back from launching a product.
Do I need a mold when buying private label products?
By definition, a private label product is an existing factory designed product, and therefore you should not need to invest in new injection molds and other tooling.
Reality, however, is often quite different.
In China, most suppliers are primarily OEMs. Hence, they manufacture products according to specification – rather than developing their own products.
They are, for the most part, not true private label suppliers. At best, you may find that they have some generic designs available off shelf, with ready made injection molds.
Many of the products they upload on Alibaba.com and Globalsources.com are ‘for reference only’. In fact, what you see on their supplier page is in many cases products they have never even manufactured.
There’s nothing wrong with that. They use these directories to showcase what they have made in the past, and what they can make.
But don’t assume that there is a complete set of tooling for every product they list.
Can I use existing injection molds to make my product?
Yes, but as explained above, don’t assume that they have an organized catalog of ODM products for your choosing.
At best, they have a limited number of designs you can choose from.
But even then, you may for any of the following reasons not be able to use their existing injection molds:
a. Design changes: If you intend t make even the slightest design change, you need a new injection mold.
b. Ownership issues: Buyer ownership goes both ways. There are loyal and trustworthy suppliers out there, and they will not rent out molds from their customers to other (especially new) buyers.
c. Material changes: Injection molds can often only be used for specific materials. Even if you find a design you like, you can only use it for the material (i.e., PP plastic or Zinc Alloy) that it was made for. If you want to change materia (i.e., to TPU plastic or 316L Stainless Steel, you need to pay for a new mold.
Can I take the mold with me if I change suppliers?
Yes, at least in theory, and assuming that you are the actual owner of the mold. That being said, don’t assume that your supplier will let you take the mold without putting up a fight.
They can make up all sorts of reasons, and some suppliers will not care about previous agreements.
If you plan to ‘break up’ with your supplier, collect your molds weeks or even months before you let them know.
You may even want to create a 2nd set of molds, to use as a backup, if you ever get into a dispute with your supplier (in which case, they are very likely to use your molds as a collateral).
If you would ever lose access to your molds, you will face a severe supply chain disruption, as you will be forced to source a new supplier and buy an another mold – a process that can easily take 4 to 5 months.
How long time does it take to make the mold?
That depends on the complexity and size of the mold, but smaller molds normally take around 30 to 40 days to produce and adjust.
Adjusting the mold can be both time consuming and unpredictable, which is why it takes such a long time.
In many cases, additional adjust are needed, even after the initial 40 days spent.
What should I look for when selecting an injection mold supplier?
As mentioned, you may not even need to source an injection mold manufacturer by yourself. For most products, it’s easier and even safer to use the supplier’s existing mold supplier.
That said, if you for any reason decide to try finding one on your own, use the following checklist:
1. Do they make molds related to your product?
2. Do they make molds for the same type of plastic or metal you plan to use?
3. Does their business scope include the term ‘mold’ or ‘tooling’?
4. Do they have a registered capital of at least RMB 1,000,000?
5. Do they have a quality management system in place? (i.e., ISO 9001:2015)
6. Do they have any references from customers in your target markets?
7. Do they allow you to store the mold with a trusted third party? (rather than keeping the mold in their own factory).
Can I find mold suppliers on Alibaba.com and Globalsources.com?
Yes, there are thousands of injection mold suppliers listed on Alibaba, and at least a few hundred of Globalsources.com.
Use can use their supplier filtering functions, and use the data, to ensure that the suppliers match the requirements outlined in the checklist above.
Can I find mold suppliers at Trade shows?
Yes, there are often molds and tooling suppliers present at the Canton Fair, and the various trade shows in Hong Kong hosted by HKTDC and Globalsources.com.
That said, most are specialized to make molds for a specific industry, so you will find them as part of the broader supplier spectrum.
Do I need to pay import duties, VAT or other taxes on the mold?
The cost of the injection mold must be included in the customs value. As such, you will need to pay import duties and other taxes.
This is the case even if the injection molds remain with the manufacturer in China, and never even crosses the border.
You can either choose to include the full cost of the injection mold in the customs value of your first shipment, or split it up over several shipments.
Notice that this is applicable also to samples costs and service fees paid to the supplier, and not only the injection mold.
Are there any regulations or safety standards applicable for molds?
Product safety standards are normally not applicable to the mold itself, but to the finished product.
Product regulations do affect the injection mold, in the sense that you need to ensure that the design is safe for the end consumer.
In addition, the material must also comply with relevant chemical and heavy metals regulations.
Do you want to launch your own private label or custom designed product?
It can be hard to go from a design drawing to finished product. To help you manage the entire process – from creating a specification, to sampling and quality control – we created a Starter Package:
a. Private Label & OEM Product Manufacturer Lists
b. Product Specification Templates
c. Product Label Samples
d. Tutorials, Video Walkthroughs and Task Lists that guide you step-by-step through the entire process
In addition, you can also book quality inspections, lab testing and shipping directly from the platform. Click here to learn more.
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Plastic injection molding is a manufacturing process with the principle ability of handling extremely large amounts of bulk parts production. It is important to note, however, that there are several processes when it comes to plastic manufacturing. Many companies also prefer this method over others, and because of this it affects other business sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and hospitals.
In today’s global economy, plastic has become well ingrained as an intrinsic sector in the world market. More and more businesses are constantly in search of the most reliable and cost-efficient method for generating their products and optimizing revenue streams.
This article offers a general overview that covers the basic surface-level skeletal structure of everything that goes into the economics of plastic processing, but ultimately focuses on injection molding and serves as a guide to understanding all the operative cogs that go into the process and the many ways in which this method can assist in boosting accumulative efficiency.
When it comes to plastic manufacturing there are intertwined and integral factors that go into considering the most fitting method for your purposes: The Form in which the shape of the final product is desired, the Budgeting of resource cost added with manufacturing parts cost, the Volume of the targeted total quantity, the Time of manufacturing that adheres to an approximated ideal deadline, and the Material which depends on final product output and desired method of manufacturing in relation to the other aforementioned factors.
The synthesis of all these factors is important because it dictates the direction in which you take your output line approximation by delineating the most appropriate method of production. Before we move on, we first need to cover the general types of common plastic formulas used in production:
Polyethylene – High Density, Low Density, or Ultra-High Molecular Weight, this material covers a wide range of durability levels; everything from plastic bags to cleaning bottles to bulletproof vests.
Polyethylene Terephtalate – Polyester fiber is usually utilized for apparel purposes. This more environmentally sound as light plastic is also recyclable in its substance.
Polyvinyl Chloride – PVC is commonly known as an industrial and construction plastic, but its versatility can also be used in the making of furniture, cables, and vinyl records.
Polyamide – Widely known in its pseudonym Nylon, this plastic is utilized for its flexible edifice; durability levels extend to ropes, cables, and heavy-duty machinery.
Polypropylene – This plastic formula is very adaptable and relatively low in cost to produce. The high melting point makes it more suitable in the production of food containers.
Polystyrene – Commonly known as Styrofoam, this plastic is repeatedly used to protect certain items from impact damage. Expanded Polystyrene is often used as padding.
Acrylontirile-Butadiene-Styrene – ABS is a plastic that is widely available and invulnerable to corrosives of a chemical nature.
Polyoxymethylene – Acetal’s plastic formula, after the molding process; reinforces and secures that a product keeps its initial shape. This product is normally used for cogs and various mechanical gears.
Polyurethane – This plastic is exceptional in its flexibility and versatility. Highly durable yet soft in texture; it can withstand even the harshest of conditions. Polyurethane material is also used as material for skateboard wheels.
Polycarbonate – Usually used as window type material, its transparent nature and high durability is made as the material of riot shields.
Acrylic – Similar to Polycarbonate in their transparent elements and high impact nature, this plastic can also be used for screen type gadgets.
This section provides as an illustration that outlines the different methods of plastic product manufacturing divided by quantity sizing, and identified by source material and tools.
These methods operate on a more of purely grinding and cutting procedures for shaping.
The product shaped with a non-digital process of carving, welding, and gluing.
A block of material is computer controlled, and the product is shaped through a series of drilling and grinding.
Plugged into a computer is a 3D Model, and the machine shapes the product through structure printing.
For Medium Volume and higher quantities of the required output, the molding and shaping is the most effective and necessary procedure for manufacturing.
Thick parts and wall sections are very possible outputs, however, this entails a lengthier production time of solidification post-cooling of mold.
Sheet plastics are heated and vacuumed onto a mold. However, it is limited in shape due to only being determined by a single-sided-mold.
Molten formula is poured into a large mold and rotated until the formation of a hollow shape.
2-part mold with heat and pressure processing, but only complies to limited shapes.
High volume outputs require more highly industrial methods that incorporate large machinery in its mass production scale.
Similar to a sausage mincer, the plastic formula is seeping through a die and comes out into a steady length of the final form.
A pre-fabricated tube pushes slightly molten plastic by blowing hot air into it and forming a mold.
The injection of plastic to a 2-part mold, cooling and solidifying warrants a laser sharp precision when it comes to shaping.
There are many reasons for going with injection molding as your chosen process in plastic manufacturing. First off, it continually proves to execute absolute accuracy with its consistency of detailed features. High precision in handling prototypes of complex geometry is done so in a fast and highly efficient manner.
Another major reason is the enhanced strength and flexible qualities of the post-mold product. It’s a resourceful method with the high strength components of its machinery. It also carries the means to deal with diverse plastic types simultaneously, and because of its power in Co-injection molding, it can handle varieties. It holds low scrap rates and is rapidly repeatable in nature.
Finally, it is widely used and arguably the most popular method because of how much it saves overall manufacturing costs through its low labor costs. In the long term scheduling operations, it greatly saves on costs in contrast to plastic machining. Not to mention, how it is also an environmentally friendly means of mass producing.
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Injection molding is a manufacturing process with the principle ability of handling extremely large amounts of bulk parts production. With the utilization of an injection molding machine, here are the 6 major steps that surmise the entire injection molding process:
The initial jumping off point for any injection molding project is always part design. The other major factor that comes to play in the injection method is the mold—the hollow and formulaic substance that would later be manipulated into the desired shapes. It fills the machine’s cavities; and finally takes form in the cooling process. The building of the mold is a huge component that dictates the overall material quality of the final output. Testing the mold means a scrupulous monitoring of the molding condition. Often times, it is the case that manufacturers further boost efficiency levels by using reprocessed materials.
Before beginning with the actual mechanical procedures, the final configuration for manufacturing process and colors are finalized before execution. Injection molding machines are segregated into a clamping unit and an injection unit. The injection unit essentially is in charge of heating plastic to a molten degree and then inputs the mold. Speed controls and pressure controls are then calibrated to a certain fixed value. The final fine tuning of mold and materials means the machine is ready to do its magic.
The development of Injection Molding technology dates back to the invention of plastic substance itself. In 1847, the first condensation polymers were produced. John Wesley Hyatt’s introduction of the plastic derivative Celluloid reinvented the global manufacturing market. Hyatt, together with his brother, would later go on to construct the crude yet innovative prototype for the first ever injection molding machine in 1897.
Early in the 20th century, the invention of Bakelite gave rise to the everyday usage factor of plastics. Leading to the 1930s, the invention of major vinyl thermoplastics such as PVC and Polystyrene makes its way to becoming household essentials, even in the current day. With the rampages of World War II going on, the world’s industry sectors needed to call for cheaper means of mass production; leading to the breakout wonders of Nylon in 1941. From 1945 to the mid-50s saw the transition of Polyethylene to Polycarbonate. And the widespread use of injection molding methods in the 1970s set for gas fueled and assisted injection molding process.
In 1985, Japanese firms broke out with the premiere of purely electric molding machine; and when 1990 rolled around, Aluminum molds widely used in injection molding. To this contemporary day, injection molding has firmly planted its roots in the world’s economic trade.
Literally everywhere you turn, it’s impossible not to find any consumer products that haven’t been made with the mass producing constructive abilities of injection molding.
Everything from automotive bumpers and dashboards to virtually every type of lid is produced in bulk through injection molding.
In the average household, electrical switches and CDs—central technological systems are built from the reliability and consistency of injection molding. The everyday demand for medical supplies in the Healthcare industry is also supplied by the mass production prowess of injection molding.
When it comes to reinforcing cost effectiveness in the process of injection molding, its key to constantly keep in mind one of the main pros of the manufacturing method: bulk production.
Here are some points you need to remember when undergoing bulk production:
Always remember to produce the maximum quantity with as little time as possible. Reduce tryout times by minimizing secondary processes and getting rid of superfluous features. Make sure to use core cavities during production; and make notes to reduce cosmetic finishes and appearances.
In the final cooling stages, eliminate undercuts for a more efficient mold–build. The major takeaway here is to always keep things as simple as much as possible.
In terms of purchasing mold materials and standard parts, guarantee that you’re only using qualified plastic parts and materials that strictly meet your needs. For long term fortitude in cost efficient molding, always keep design longevity in check; use family molds (multi-cavity). Keep in mind that It can only be beneficial to modify and reuse molds. With all this being said, don’t forget to only choose a consistently reliable shop.
Although injection molding is an almost completely seamless process of mass production, it also carries within it a methodology that requires a practiced and trained skill set. Thus, it’s normal to run into a few troubles in initial runs, but remember that mistakes can cause a big dent in costs. What’s important is to always practice preventive measures and learn. Here are some of the common defects that can still possibly be remedied: Flow Lines, Sink Marks, Vacuum Voids, Surface Delamination, Weld Lines, Short Shots, Warping, Burn Marks, Jetting, and Flash.
In order to avoid these common mistakes in injection molding, it’s necessary to do everything in your power to facilitate the occurrence potential symptoms by making sure of proper design, size, and location of materials and tools. Improve proper wall thickness and design to avoid running into the labelled and aforementioned troubles; use textures because adding gloss will cover up and prevent mistakes that would be costly to mitigate design for stress avoidance, failing to do so may lead to major cost spikes.
The splash Injection Molding makes on the waters of manufacturing technology sends ripples to every major material market; medical devices, for instance, are decreasing in size and at the same time, improving on the front of effectiveness. In the current world of thriving minimalism in almost every aspect of everyday life, automotive parts are becoming lighter in weight; this means that consumer electronics are seeing innovations on every front.
Plastic injection molding companies are a tight-knit group that support each other. We would like to thank the Feedspot blog for including our site for the top 40 Blog Plastic Blogs and Websites for Plastic Industry Professionals.
Capably navigating the complexities of plastic manufacturing, China has emerged as a leader in the injection molding industry. Expertly utilizing advanced techniques such as plastic overmolding, Chinese manufacturers produce durable, high-quality products, distributed globally. Significant among these markets is the USA, which benefits from China’s efficient, cost-effective production scales. Consequently, China continues to influence the international standards for plastic mold production and distribution.