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3D Printing and Injection Molding - How to Design a Low-Cost CNC Injection Mold

3D Printing and Injection Molding - How to Design a Low-Cost CNC Injection Mold

  • Friday, 01 November 2024
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3D Printing and Injection Molding - How to Design a Low-Cost CNC Injection Mold

Injection molding is the process used to manufacture the majority of plastic products in the world today.cnc injection mold It uses pressurized equipment to force liquid plastic into a metal mold, which then solidifies and is ejected from the injection molding machine. This allows for high-volume production at very low cost, which makes it the ideal manufacturing technique for mass-produced consumer goods and industrial components. However, traditional CNC machined metal injection molds have prohibitively high costs and lead times for prototyping and low-volume production needs, especially for small runs of 10-1000 parts or less. Thankfully, advancements in 3D printing have made it possible to print and machine high-quality injection molds for small-run injection molding at an order of magnitude lower cost than traditional CNC machining.

When designing an injection molded part, there are many important factors to consider.cnc injection mold First, choose a good starting material. Injection molded parts require strong materials to withstand high temperatures and pressures during the injection molding process. Most often, this means selecting a strong polymer or a blend of polymers. Injection molded parts should also be designed with the desired dimensions and tolerances in mind. For example, if the part is going to be used with other components, it is wise to design the joint with a larger diameter than necessary in order to allow for future adjustments to the fastener or fitting.

Next, it is important to avoid undercuts in the injection mold design.cnc injection mold Undercuts add cost, complexity and maintenance requirements to the injection mold. For example, undercuts on the sides of the part can prevent it from snap-fitting with other components. Fortunately, it is often possible to eliminate undercuts with a simple redesign. For instance, by using a shut-off (also known as an interlock) to stop molten plastic from flowing past the overhanging section of the mold.

Another way to cut injection mold cost is to minimize the number of surfaces that need to be finished.cnc injection mold Injection molded parts need to be able to withstand high-temperature and high-pressure conditions during the injection molding process, so the more surface area that needs to be finished, the higher the cost. For example, if your design requires a smooth or textured surface on both the A and B side of the product, make sure to use the boolean subtract operation in Blender to separate each half into two distinct objects. This can be easier if you use the orthographic view mode, engaged via “toggle perspective/ortho,” to aid in this task.

Lastly, by reducing the thickness of the walls of your design, you can significantly decrease the injection molding cycle time. About 50% of the injection molding cycle is dedicated to cooling and solidification, so minimizing wall thickness is one of the best ways to speed up this process.

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