How Does Rapid Injection Molding Work? Find Out Here

1. How Does Rapid Injection Molding Work? Find Out Here Rapid injection molding is a production process that helps ensure consistency in both the quality and speed of production for various types of parts and products. It is essentially done by introducing thermoplastic resins into the tool’s cavity, just like how production injection molding works. The term “rapid” in rapid injection molding refers to the technology that is typically used to produce rapid injection molds. Unlike conventional injection molding, rapid tooling makes use of aluminum in place of hardened steel to produce molds. This cuts down the required time to build molds by a significant amount, enabling manufacturers to being the molding process much faster as opposed to waiting for production molds to be produced. Rapid tooling affords faster mold and tool creation as they make use of materials that are easier to shape and work than what conventional tooling calls for. Rapid injection molding follows a simple to understand process where in material granules are melted down a heated chamber or barrel, after which the melted material is injected into the mold or cavity. Once the material is injected, the mold is then held under immense pressure until the material sets and cools. Once hardened, the pressure is released so that the mold can be opened and the part can be released from the cavity. Replicating parts is a matter of repeating the process over and over until the required number of parts is met. Although rapid injection molding is typically used as a bridge manufacturing process, meant for prototyping purposes, the resulting parts can have equally as strong, durable, and excellent finishes as final production parts, provided that all design specifications are met. One of the most widely used production technologies today, there are also many advantages to using rapid injection molding, including flexibility in materials that can be used to produce parts.