Insert molding is one of the easiest ways to combine metals and plastic on single functioning parts. This procedure is really helpful to make plastic resins bond to metal inserts going inside a molded cavity for intricate designs and better performing parts. Creating inserts is a marriage between plastic injection molding techniques and CNC machining services. Is not exactly a complicated procedure since it mainly requires that metal inserts are placed within the casted molds before the resin is melted and the plastic part is cast out. Since the inserts are usually made of stainless steel or brass, they are hardly affected by the temperatures needed to work with plastics. Most of the time the final results are pretty good and require minimal trimming.
Insert molding is also very useful for many reasons when it’s done correctly. These are some of the advantages of working with this procedure:
No Assembly Required
Take it from the customer point of view: almost no one likes to assemble a complex part out of fear of doing it wrong. Even professionals can screw up this step every once in a while. By delivering a finished product that is ready to be used on the go, you will be saving time and hassle for your customers’ with a good chance of increasing your profits because of it.
Reducing Costs
Saving money is always a good motivator when it comes to manufacturing. By choosing to work with insert molding, you will decrease the costs of producing the part by taking the manual insertion out of the equation. You can try and compare quotes if you are not convinced: post-assembly work will increase the overall costs of the piece.
Improvement of the Performance Specs
When you manufacture a part using insertion molding methods the costs of production will decrease exponentially as you chose to work with cheaper materials that can do the same job with better performance rates. The reliability of these products will never be in question since metal and plastic tend to mitigate time wear when combined. You will also be improving the weight of the part, and even shipping costs can be lowered.
More Resistant Products
The unique features of a product manufactured using the one-shot approach offered by insertion molding can give you lasting results for an extended period. Think about it for a minute: have you ever tested the strength of a padlock combining metal and plastic parts? They are some of the most durable security products in the market as well as the preferred choice of many people using them to close down storefronts or yard entrances. They can withstand any weather and even a bullet shot at point-blank range.
Many CNC machining services are capable of offering insertion molding even on already designed products. A company with a good team and the right software will be able to handle your CAD file and improve the device or part at the planning stage to get over-achieving results.