Conventional injection molding typically uses steel tooling capable of producing millions of parts, however, it often takes months to manufacture a mold and a capital investment of $50,000 or more. But what if production demands call for smaller quantities? That`s where aluminum tooling is ideal. Here`s a quick look at the differences between steel and aluminum tooling.
Low-Volume Production with Aluminum Tooling
- Mold production AND parts within 15 days or less
- Low manufacturing costs with molds beginning around $1,500
- Production quantities of up to 10,000 parts or more; depending on material type and geometry, some molds are capable of producing hundreds of thousands of parts
- Simplified mold designs decrease manufacturing time and cost
- Single and multi-cavity tooling: 1-, 2-, 4- and 8-cavity molds are possible depending on part size and complexity
- Thermoplastic and thermoset materials identical to that of high-volume production materials; more than 100 different materials can be used including ABS, PC, PP, LCP, POM, and liquid silicone rubber
- No maintenance fees and lifetime replacement of mold if damaged
- Improved heat dissipation and without the need for messy cooling lines
- Inexpensive mold-safe tooling modifications
- Lower part cost when quantities increase
- Part production in the millions
- Multi-cavity tooling greater than 8 cavities
- Part complexity can be increased
- More finishing options
If you part volumes don`t stretch into the millions, if you need on-demand production parts within days, and if you`re looking to avoid risky tooling investments before your part design is truly validated, low-volume injection molding with an aluminum tool might be good option.