Prototype plastic molding is a vital step in the development of plastic injection molding components because it can help to detect design flaws and other issues during the design stage while saving valuable time and money. Plastic prototype molds can be produced quickly to stay within demanding deadlines. They can have the same functionality, shape, and fit as the final product minus specific details such as color or finish.
Benefits of Prototype Plastic Molding
Prototype plastic molding provides numerous benefits. It allows our customers to test the molding process with production material, helping them to discover any design or material flaws early on. This saves our customers a lot of time, money, and stress in the development process. The prototype product can also be used to test a product concept and gain valuable feedback from consumers who test the initial prototype. The part can also be used to present the concept to investors, providing them with something tangible. It is also the perfect way to prep for the manufacturing process, by providing a budget-friendly method to edit your product before investing in large scale production. The prototype plastic mold is a lower cost than a production molds.
Prototype Injection Mold Process
When you choose ICOMold for your prototype plastic molding company, we walk you through a quick and easy process leading up to production. First, you provide us with your 3D CAD file to receive an instant mold and part quote. Once your order has been confirmed, we begin to produce the mold and part order. The tooling design is reviewed by ICOMold engineers. Upon design approval, we begin to build your injection mold. The sample produced is reviewed and approved by you. Our steel molds can be reworked within hours. ICOMold even offers online project management, trouble-free part modifications, and no size limitations. Lastly, production begins.
Why ICOMold is Different
ICOMold differs from other mold design companies for several reasons. While others in the manufacturing industry like to use 3D printers to produce prototypes, ICOMold prefers to use prototype injection molding. Using a 3D printer for prototype mold making creates less than optimal results due to limitations in plastic materials. Injection-molded plastic prototypes are much more reliable than their 3D printed counterparts and are necessary to properly test plastic material characteristics.
Custom plastic prototype molding by ICOMold can produce the same type of parts as a production mold but is only warrantied for 10,000 parts due to tooling materials used. ICOMold can rapidly produce prototype molds using S50C or P20 soft tool steel. It is less expensive than a production mold, versus the production mold.
If you are ready to work on a prototype plastic mold, ICOMold has dedicated project managers and engineers who are ready to talk to you about your custom project. Please call us today at (419) 867-3900, email sales@icomold.com, or use our instant online quote form to get started.
