Plastic Machining Vs Injection Molding

We have been machining plastics for decades, gaining industry knowledge and expertise in custom applications across various industries. There are different methods of plastics fabrication, with machining and molding as the most common solutions.

Plastic machining involves precisely removing material layers from a piece of raw material to provide the final product. With Vanderveer Plastics specializing in CNC plastics machining, we can provide extremely precise tolerances across many different materials with few restrictions.

Molding, known as plastic molding or injection molding, is a manufacturing process that involves injecting melted plastic materials into a mold at very high pressures.

Why Precision CNC Plastic Machining?

Vanderveer Industrial Plastics specializes in plastic machining & close tolerance plastic fabrication for materials, such as G10 and PEEK, for over 60 years. Machining can be beneficial for considerations such as:

Tolerance

Plastic Machining can be produced at much tighter tolerances than injection molding, reaching +/- .001” or better, depending on the material. This precision can be beneficial for industries such as aerospace, medical equipment, military, oil & gas and more.

Geometry / Design

If your product has a complex geometry or design, plastic machining provides more flexibility and less cost than injection molding. With higher tolerances than injection molding, plastic machining allows a for a smoother finish and fewer imperfections. The cost of creating a mold can also be very high, creating a more expensive process with design changes or updates. 

Production

Creating a mold for injection molding can end up being more expensive than your actual order itself.  When considering plastic machining vs injection molding, it is important to consider the faster turnaround time, higher precision and uniform surfaces that plastic machining provides without having to create custom tooling for your mold. You need to be more than certain that the tooling costs justify the costs of the machined parts.

Material

Based on process and material specifications, plastic machining can provide a much greater selection of materials that can be used for parts. When considering a specific application or standard, it is important to be able to use the material required.

 

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