Achieving High Quality in Custom Molded Plastic Parts

When manufacturing plastic components, quality is always one of the top priorities. But it’s a more complex process than many realize. Ensuring high quality in custom molded plastic parts requires a combination of process controls, quality assurance measures, and collaboration. This is important for any manufacturing project, but it’s especially essential in mid- and high-volume manufacturing, where a single unchecked error can result in the loss of hundreds or even thousands of parts. 

In order to avoid this, injection molders have several methods in place to achieve and maintain high quality for custom parts.

Why is Quality So Important for Mid- and High-Volume Injection Molding?

When it comes to mid- and high-volume injection molding, quality is critical in part because these processes usually aim to capitalize on economies of scale. 

Producing large quantities of parts helps distribute fixed costs over a greater number of units, reducing the cost per part. To fully leverage these economies, consistent and high-quality production is needed. This helps avoid unnecessary expenses related to defects, rejections, or rework.

High-volume injection molding is also often a key factor in supply chain stability. For this reason, it’s important to avoid unplanned downtime due to inspections, rework, or the need to produce replacement parts. Robust quality control systems contribute greatly in this case.

And finally, quality control systems help reduce the risks associated with warranty claims and recalls, because quality control systems help manufacturers identify and rectify issues before they become widespread problems. 

How Manufacturers Ensure Quality for Custom Molded Plastic Parts

So, how do manufacturers go about ensuring quality in custom molded plastic parts? It can be a complex and multi-faceted process, but in general, most manufacturers will hone in on a few key areas, including:

• Design and engineering support — The quality of custom-molded plastic parts begins with a well-designed mold. Manufacturers provide engineering and part design support to support the optimization of the manufacturing process. This involves mold flow, cooling, and part ejection considerations.
• Material selection and validation — Material selection is one of the most crucial aspects for ensuring quality in custom molded plastic parts. Manufacturers work closely with material suppliers to select materials that meet the project’s specifications. Validation involves testing and verifying that certain characteristics such as strength, durability, and resistance to environmental conditions align with part requirements.
• Process optimization and in-process monitoring — Manufacturers use advanced technologies to monitor and control key parameters during the manufacturing process. In-process monitoring involves real-time feedback on variables like temperature, pressure, and cycle times. This allows manufacturers to make quick adjustments to optimize the process throughout production.
• Automated and computerized systems — Automated systems are invaluable for controlling various aspects of the injection molding process and reducing human error. 
• Tool maintenance and calibration — Over time, wear and tear on tooling can cause defects and deformities. Scheduled maintenance and calibration help prevent issues such as dimensional variations, flash, or defects, ensuring the consistent production of custom molded plastic parts.

Get High-Quality Custom Molded Plastic Parts from the Experts at Thogus

At Thogus, quality is at the center of everything we do. We own and maintain a fleet of advanced equipment to help ensure precision and maintain consistency throughout the entire injection molding process. Our quality management system has been ISO 9001 certified since 2001, and it supports us in offering new project risk assessments, advanced product quality planning, process optimization and validation, and more.

We are a high-volume injection molder that specializes in working with highly engineered resins to deliver the highest quality custom molded products. 

Are you looking for a quality-driven injection molding partner for your plastic parts needs? Contact us today to get started.