What is the cost of plastic injection molding? The price is a few thousand dollars for a basic, low-volume mold and over $100,000 for a complex tool designed for high-volume production. It’s a wide range. Project specifics finally determine the price.
The overall cost comprises two main components. One is the one-time price of the mold, which is also known as tooling, and it is the biggest upfront cost. The second is the per-part cost, which means the price for each plastic piece you produce.
This guide will let you know about these costs. We will also make you aware of various factors that increase or decrease the prices. In addition, we will provide you with visible measures to limit your expenses. These are the first steps to understanding all the factors involved and getting an accurate quote for your moulage par injection de plastique project.
The 3 Main Parts That Make Up Your Bill
To determine your total injection molding price, you need to consider three major cost components. Your final invoice is the sum of all these three elements. Separating them makes it clearer how your funds are distributed.
Here is a simple table that shows the essential components of an injection molding quote.
| Élément de coût | Description | Key Influencers |
|---|---|---|
| Mold Cost (Tooling/NRE) | This is a one-time fee that covers design and the construction of your custom mold. This is the largest upfront cost. | Part complexity, mold material (steel vs. aluminum), and number of cavities. |
| Production Cost (Per-Part) | This is the cost to run the molding machine and make each part, which includes machine time and labor. | How fast each part is produced (cycle time), labor costs, and use of robots. |
| Material Cost (Per-Part) | This is the price of the raw plastic pellets that are used to create each part. | Type of plastic used, part weight, and any special colors or additives. |
7 Main Factors That Affect Your Cost
A multitude of details is responsible for the final price of your project. By comprehending these seven factors, you will ascertain how much plastic injection molding will cost for your specific needs. They are the ones that affect the amounts you see on the quote.
1. Part Complexity and Size
The design of your part is the biggest mold cost determinant. A simple part always comes at a lower price than a complex one.
- Undercuts: These are features that block the part from being ejected out of the mold directly. They need special moving parts in the mold. These are known as side-actions or lifters. Each one can increase the price of the mold by a few thousand dollars.
- Tight Tolerances: If your part needs to be very precise, the mold must be constructed with greater care. This translates into the use of more reliable machines and thorough quality checks. This brings about the cost increase.
- Surface Finish: A very smooth, shiny finish or a unique texture on your part necessitates a lot of hand-polishing of the steel mold. This manual work is expensive.
- Part Size: Larger parts require larger molds. Larger molds need a greater quantity of metal and a longer time to be machined. This will increase costs. They also use more plastic, which raises the material price per part.
According to industry pros at Formlabs, these tooling costs can be a big portion of the initial investment you make.
2. Mold Material and Lifespan
The type of metal that is used in the construction of your mold influences both its cost and how long it will last. You should consider both the price to be paid now and the volume of production anticipated before a decision is made.
- Aluminum Molds: These molds cost less and are produced more quickly. They are well suited for making prototype parts and small batches of components. Usually, they can produce 1,000 to 10,000 units.
- Pre-Hardened Steel (P20): This is the most common option, providing an excellent combination of durability and price. A P20 mold will be able to manufacture anything between 50,000 and 500,000 parts.
- Hardened Steel (H13, S7): These are the most durable and also the most expensive molds. They are necessary for manufacturing millions of parts or for molding strong, abrasive plastics. A typical P20 steel mold can reliably produce up to 500,000 cycles, while a hardened H13 steel mold can exceed 1 million cycles.
Choosing the right materials is an important step in the fabrication de moules par injection processus.
3. Number of Cavities
A mold can have one or several cavities to make the parts. A cavity is the part in the mold that forms the plastic. A single-cavity mold has one space. A multi-cavity mold has more spaces.
A single-cavity mold is less expensive to build, but it produces only one part at a time. The cost per part is therefore higher as it requires more machine time.
A multi-cavity mold costs more to build, but it produces multiple parts at once. This makes the cost per part much lower. For this reason, it is an ideal choice for high-volume production.
4. Plastic Resin Selection
The kind of plastic that you select has a direct relationship with your per-part cost. Different kinds of plastics come at very different prices.
- Commodity Plastics: These include materials such as Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE). They are cost-effective, usually $1-2 per kilogram. These are common for everyday items.
- Engineering Plastics: This group contains ABS, PC, and Nylon. They are more expensive, costing around $3-10 per kilogram. They have better mechanical strength or resistance to heat.
- High-Performance Plastics: Materials like PEEK and Ultem are very expensive. They can sometimes reach $20 per kilogram or more. They are allocated for special fields like aerospace or medical equipment.
As indicated in manufacturing cost guides, the price of plastic pellets can vary widely between these categories.
5. Production Volume
Your total production quantity is one of the factors that weighs the most when it comes to determining your final cost per part. Injection molding has a high upfront mold cost, which is spread across the total number of pieces manufactured.
For example, a $10,000 mold would cost $10 per part if you only made 1,000 parts, but it would cost only $0.10 per part if it was used for a run of 100,000. This simply explains why injection molding is so profitable for mass production.
6. Labor and Machine Rates
The cost of running the injection molding machine and the labor to manage it also influences the price. Depending on the location of the factory, these rates can differ. They also vary based on the size of the machine required for your part.
7. Post-Processing and Assembly
If your part requires extra work after it comes out of the mold, this will add to the cost. This can include printing logos, welding pieces together, or assembling multiple parts into a final product.
Actionable Strategies to Reduce Your Costs
Based on our experience helping hundreds of clients successfully launch products, the most significant savings are found long before any mold is cut. Strategic planning is a crucial factor in controlling how much plastic injection molding costs. Here are some strategies we continually recommend.
Strategy 1: Embrace Design for Manufacturability (DFM)
The easiest route to cost reduction is to simplify the part’s design. This approach is known as Design for Manufacturability, or DFM. A DFM review helps you locate and rectify design issues that make molding costly.
- Problem: Unwanted undercuts. Solution: Redesign the part so that they are not included. You might use pass-through cores or make the product in two parts that snap together. Potential Savings: $1,500 – $5,000+ for each side-action that is eliminated.
- Problem: Uneven wall thicknesses. Solution: Design walls to have a uniform or consistent thickness. This helps prevent defects and lets the part cool down faster, which reduces the per-part cost.
- Problem: Tolerances that are too tight. Solution: Only apply tight tolerances in areas where they are really necessary. Loosen them everywhere else. Potential Savings: This makes the mold cheaper and reduces the amount of time spent on quality checks.
Strategy 2: Choose the Right Mold Material
Don’t overspend on a mold you don’t need. Match the mold material with the expected production volume.
If you plan to produce only 20,000 parts, buying a hardened steel mold that can make a million parts is not the right choice. An aluminum or P20 steel mold is a much wiser and cheaper investment for that volume.
Strategy 3: Consider Sourcing Molds from Specialized Regions
The mold is a major part of the upfront cost. Sourcing your mold globally can lead to substantial savings.
Some regions have been in the manufacturing business for a long time. They have skilled workers and strong supply chains, which help them build high-quality molds for less money. For many companies, partnering with a provider offering China CNC machining services for their mold making can reduce tooling costs by 30-50% without sacrificing quality, but this only works if your partnership is with a trustworthy entity.
Strategy 4: Use Family Molds for Multi-Part Products
If your product has multiple parts, you might be able to opt for a family mold. This is possible if the parts are of a similar size and are made from the same plastic.
A family mold has cavities for different parts all in one mold base. This saves you the cost of buying a separate mold for each part. It can cut your tooling cost by almost half.
Real-World Cost Scenarios
To help you understand how these factors come together, here are three common scenarios. These cases show how the price of plastic injection molding can vary depending on the project’s scale.
Scenario 1: The Startup Prototype
- Part: A simple casing for an electronic device.
- Volume: 5,000 units.
- Mold: Single-cavity Aluminum mold.
- Material: ABS plastic.
- Estimated Mold Cost: $3,000 – $7,000.
- Estimated Per-Part Cost: $1.50 – $3.00.
Scenario 2: The Growing Business
- Part: A consumer product with a few complex features.
- Volume: 50,000 units.
- Mold: Single-cavity P20 Steel mold.
- Material: Polypropylene (PP).
- Estimated Mold Cost: $8,000 – $20,000.
- Estimated Per-Part Cost: $0.40 – $0.80.
Scenario 3: The Mass-Market Product
- Part: A complex part with strict tolerances for a car.
- Volume: 500,000 units per year.
- Mold: 4-cavity Hardened Steel (H13) mold.
- Material: Glass-filled Nylon.
- Estimated Mold Cost: $50,000 – $120,000+.
- Estimated Per-Part Cost: $0.50 – $1.00.
Conclusion: Upfront Investment vs. Long-Term Value
The key point is that plastic injection molding requires a big upfront investment but returns a very low cost per piece when done in larger quantities. This trade-off makes it the best option for mass production.
The crucial aspect of controlling the plastic injection molding cost is intelligent design and effective planning. By optimizing your part design and choosing the right tooling strategy, your project can be both successful and cost-effective.
Ready to move from estimation to a precise quote? Our team of engineers can offer assistance in design analysis and provide an accurate cost breakdown. Reach out to Mékalite today to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How much does a simple plastic mold cost?
A simple, single-cavity aluminum mold for low-volume production typically costs between $3,000 and $8,000. A simple steel mold for higher volumes could start at around $8,000 to $12,000. The final price will depend mainly on the size of the part and the choice of the mold-making partner.
2. What is the cheapest way to make a plastic part?
For just a few prototypes (1-10 parts), 3D printing is the most economical method. For low volumes (100-5,000 parts), urethane casting or a simple aluminum mold can be cost-effective. For mass production of 10,000 parts or more, injection molding almost always provides the lowest cost per part.
3. Why is the injection mold so expensive?
Molds are expensive because they are custom, highly accurate tools made from hard metal. Creating them requires skilled experts with technical expertise in design, computer-controlled machining, and careful hand-finishing. The complexity needed to make thousands or millions of identical parts is what drives the high cost.
4. How do I get a quote for my injection molding project?
To get an accurate quote, you need a 3D CAD file of your part design. You should also specify the plastic material, the surface finish you want, and your estimated production volume. This information allows a manufacturer to calculate the mold and part costs correctly.
5. Does the mold cost include the price of the parts?
No, the mold cost is a separate, one-time charge to create the tool. The part price is a per-unit cost that you pay for each production run. Your total project cost will be the mold cost plus the cost of all the parts you order.
