If you’re thinking about selecting a thermoplastic urethane (TPU) for your next injection molding project, this article explains TPU’s material properties, advantages, disadvantages, design guidelines, and processing parameters. And you can plan your project’s timeline using this handy tool.

Actually, the opposite is true. Custom injection molding done without a prototype tool typically leads to a series of required production tool adjustments that are both costly and disruptive. The perceived savings of skipping prototype tooling quickly evaporate, and the higher risk of part defect introduces the possibility of incurring legal expenses and other related costs.

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TPU injection molding is used to produce parts made from thermoplastic urethane (TPU), a type of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). There are six major types of TPEs, a group of materials that combine the properties of plastic and rubber. TPUs can be based on either polyester or polyether urethane. They’re recyclable and provide excellent tear strength, abrasion resistance, and flex fatigue resistance.

Prototype tooling is intentionally designed to accommodate low-volume production. Therefore,  any plastics up for consideration can be efficiently performance-tested and comparisons assessed without a major financial investment. Having the luxury of physically evaluating materials is a major advantage in making a final selection.

An injection molder experienced in Design for Manufacturability (DfM) analysis can provide the insights needed to properly place gates, and also guide prototype tool welds and cuts for appropriate gating adjustments. Doing so within the realm of prototype injection molding eliminates the cost and lost time in modifying the production tool. Moreover, it maintains production tool performance and lifespan.

These design guidelines are general and your mileage will vary depending upon the TPU grade you select and your application.

We exist to eliminate bottlenecks in new product development by integrating the people, processes, and platform you need to source custom parts.

There is a keen interest in rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing these days — however, prototypes made using these processes lack access to the valuable production data gathered from prototype tooling, such as ideal gate locations, fill rates, cooling rates, etc.

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Now that you understand the TPU injection molding process, it’s time to find out the best way to achieve project success.

A surprising number of projects are completed without using a prototype tool. The general idea is that prototype tooling is an extra, unnecessary step that increases cost and decreases development and production times.

Kaysun has the resources and experience to design, create, and revise prototype tools in-house — a competitive advantage in the industry. The information learned during prototype injection molding will:

Create high quality custom mechanicals with precision and accuracy.

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Keep in mind that these disadvantages can be mitigated or eliminated through proper processing, formulation, and optimal TPU grade selection.

Tooling components like lifters and slides that are used to form undercuts in production tools are very complex and expensive, making it impractical to include them in a prototype mold. However, to test these features during prototype injection molding, hand-loaded inserts can be used in place of actual lifters, slides, and other challenging geometries.

Our trained employees ensure your parts will be delivered on time and to spec.

Depending on the complexity of the application, prototype tooling generally accounts for about 20-40% of overall production tooling costs. It's not an insignificant investment, but one that's well worth it when you consider the advantages.

Unlike final production tools that are built to last a long time, the main goal of the prototype tool is to gather data.

Accelerate development with instant quotes, expert DFM, and automated production updates.

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TPU injection molding offers many advantages, but it can also pose some challenges. When you partner with Fictiv, however, you’ll get expert design for manufacturing (DFM) feedback along with your quote. Fictiv understands the unique properties of TPU and has a global network of manufacturing partners who know how to process thermoplastic urethanes correctly, and so that your final parts meet your target specifications.

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We exist to eliminate bottlenecks in new product development by integrating the people, processes, and platform you need to source custom parts.

Prototype tools are constructed from softer tooling materials and are usually simplified to a single-cavity prototype instead of multi-cavity production. The prototype design gives OEMs a glimpse into an application's possibilities. Working with an experienced custom injection molder to understand the nuances through the lens of prototype injection molding helps verify information prior to decision-making:

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This is the perfect opportunity to see if the part fills properly without defects (voids, weld lines, flow marks, burning, sinks). If there are problems, it is relatively simple to  revise the prototype tool with cuts or welds.

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Likewise, adding or removing wall thickness, ribbing, or radii may be necessary to perfect part geometry for production. With prototype tooling, new dimensions can be applied, tested, and verified.

It’s important to note that the specific properties of a TPU vary by material grade. That’s why you need a partner who can help you with material selection and solve processing challenges.

The focused results from prototype tooling give engineers the information they need to identify and correct any part design or production challenges well before a production tool is made or the first batch runs. The time and cost savings are further augmented by a production process that maximizes manufacturability and speed to market, as detailed in our eBook, 5 Steps to Get New Injection Molded Products to Market Faster.

Gating allows the material runners to interface with the tool cavity, making their location and design pivotal in molded part quality.