10 Questions to Ask When Sourcing an Injection Molder

How often do you source aplastic injection molder?  If you are like most companies and purchasing managers, probably not very often.Typically, once you have selected an injection molder to work with, you are likely to stay with them for a long time as long as they keep producing quality plastic parts.

There are several scenarios in which the need for an injection molder may arise:

-Your company has designed a new product that requires injection molding

-Your engineers have re-designed an existing injection molded part

-Your current injection molder is no longer meeting your quality requirements

-Your business wants to move its manufacturing from overseas to the U.S.

When youarein the market again, you want to ensure you have selected the best plastic injection molder for the job.Our resource guide can help.

We call it "10 Must-Ask Questions for Choosing an Injection Molder."

We have condensed the top 10 issues into questions and then provided answers to each.  By reviewing these questions before sourcing an injection molder, you are more likely to get the information you need to make a proper assessment.

Here is a sampling of the questions you will find inside the guide:

1.How many injection molding presses does the company have and what are the machine's capabilities?

Answer:  Molders with a greater number of presses will be able to accommodate more projects during a given period.  However, they must also have a wide range of machine sizes.  Injection mold machines are measured in terms of pressure or tonnage.  Plastic injection machines can run from 40 to 4000 tons.  The large machines can accommodate larger molds.  However, not all parts run well on large machines.  Your molder will determine the best machine to use based on the number and size of the part, as well as the material.

* At the Rodon Group, we have118 injection molding presseswith capacities from fractional to 107 ounces, and clamping force from 46 to 720 tons.

2.Does the injection molder have an experienced in-house design and tool building team?

Answer:  Using an injection molder that has the in-house capabilities to steer your project through from concept to completion has several advantages.

-In the early stages of development, refinements in design are often made.  Working with a turnkey manufacturer, these changes can be made, reviewed, and refined within a short time frame.

-Design engineers are trained to build the best possible design for the project.  They have the expertise required to build molds that will produce the highest quantity and quality parts.

-The plastic injection molder should utilize the latest in precision EDM machine tool equipment.

* At The Rodon Group, we take every step of this process very seriously, working closely with each client from concept to completion to achieve top quality at the best price.

3.Does the injection molder guarantee the molds for the life of the project?

Answer:  This is an important question to ask.  When you work with a manufacturing team who has designed and built the mold, they should offer guarantees.  If slight adjustments need to be made to the mold or repairs, the molder should stand behind their work.

* AtThe Rodon Group, we fabricate thebest tooling in the industry, and our tool warranty reinforces our claim.As long as we are running a tool that we have built, there will never be any repair or maintenance charges.

Narrowing the list

With several thousand plastic injection molding companies in the United States, selecting the right molder for your project can be a daunting and time-consuming task.  We hope this guide will help you compare and contrast competing injection molding companies and determine the best manufacturer for your next project.If we can assist with your next high volume project, please contact us.