The home appliance industry is estimated to reach $55.34 billion by the end of 2022 and there is always a potential for further growth. Injection molding plays a crucial role in this industry, as plastic is one of the basic materials used for production.
Although plastics are common in everyday life and many people take them for granted, they have made affordable, more versatile, and longer-lasting home appliances that revolutionized the way we live.
Companies that provide injection molding services experience many benefits, from cutting down costs to time efficiency. In the following, we’ll talk about the benefits of injection molding and the most common home appliances that contain molded components.
What Is Injection Molding?
Injection molding is a manufacturing process that turns liquid plastics into solid parts. It is a popular process because it is quick, inexpensive, and produces parts of high quality.
Injection molded parts are made by melting plastic and forcing it under high pressure through a mold. Afterward, the plastic cools down and hardens, providing you with a solid finished product.
4 Stages of Plastic Injection Molding
- Clamping. This is where the two parts of the mold are connected together and tightly secured. There are also one-part molds, but they are rarely used as they aren’t as efficient as the regular ones, and once you use them, reusing them is not always possible.
- Injection. Plastic is melted at a high temperature and poured inside the mold. The process is safe, as workers are trained and follow protocols that guarantee their safety.
- Cooling. This phase allows the plastic to cool down and harden.
- Ejection. The two parts of the mold are separated, and the finished product is placed with the rest.
Benefits of Plastic Injection Molding
Cost-Effective
The cost-effectiveness of plastic injection molding is undeniable, as you can produce tens of thousands of parts in just a few days.
It has a low setup cost and the machinery is relatively cheaper than other production methods. The material cost is also lower.
Mold cost reduction helps to reduce the cost of production. This is achieved by designing the mold in such a way that it can be reused.
This reduces the need for new molds to be created for every product and also reduces the time taken for the production of new products.
High Quality
Plastic injection molding helps create high-quality products with precision. It is a process that can be used to manufacture various types of plastic products such as medical devices, automotive parts, and toys.
For instance, the healthcare industry uses plastic injection molding to create pregnancy tests and blood sample analysis cuvettes
Fast Turnaround Time
The process of injection molding takes anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 minutes. This makes injection molding perfect for rush orders and mass production and is one of the main reasons why companies implement it.
Environmental Responsibility
The process involves melting plastic pellets and then injecting the molten plastic into a mold cavity, where it cools and hardens. It is eco-friendly because it does not require any solvents or other hazardous chemicals to produce the final product.
This means that there are no harmful emissions released into the environment during production, which can have an adverse impact on natural resources.
Sometimes, the melted plastic can leak through the cracks of the mold, creating extra pieces of plastic. They can easily be cut off and sometimes reused, minimizing the overall waste.
Home Appliances That Contain Injection Molded Parts
Refrigerator
The parts of the fridge where you store your condiments and jars are molded parts, as well as the drawers and door handles.
Fridge components such as plastic ice cube trays are also created from a mold, providing you with perfectly shaped ice cubes in a matter of hours.
Dishwasher
Modern dishwashers are mainly composed of injection molds. This includes the door and the detergent dispenser, as well as the silverware caddies, dishwasher racks, and water-spraying arms.
Kitchen Gadgets
The toaster exterior can be completely created by using a plastic mold, as well as the blender shell and the blender interior parts.
If you use plastic storage containers, you probably noticed that they have the same material and shape, but have different sizes. They are usually created by using molding too.
Bottom Line
Knowing the benefits of injection molding and how it can be used to produce parts for home appliances can be quite beneficial for your business.
With injection molding, you can efficiently cut down the costs and the time needed to produce parts in your company, making your business stay ahead of the competition through mass production.