(2) In contrast, ordinary molds are suitable for mass production and long-term stable production needs, and can meet higher production requirements and longer service life

(2) In contrast, the design time of ordinary injection molds is longer, which may take weeks or even months to complete, because ordinary molds usually have a more complex structure and higher accuracy requirements.

Thermoplastic injection with a prototype mold is the most expensive and slowest rapid prototyping technology. It is also the most efficient because it allows plastic prototype parts made of the “right material” to be obtained. The strength, mechanical properties, and industrialization information are identical to injection-molded series parts because the manufacturing process is the same. The parts can be marketed or used in transition production. The speed of production and unit costs are much more attractive than other technologies. The obstacle to this technology is the often considerable investment in the creation of a mold.

A thermoplastic injection is intended for the production of small series from 100 to several thousand parts. A prototype mold is manufactured to be able to inject the plastic materials under high pressure.

To sum up, there are some differences between rapid molds and ordinary molds in design, manufacturing and use. The rapid mold has the characteristics of short design time, low manufacturing cost, short life, relatively low precision and quality, and is suitable for small batch production and rapid verification. The ordinary mold has the characteristics of long design time, high manufacturing cost, long life, high precision and high quality, and is suitable for mass production and long-term stable production needs. According to the specific production needs and time requirements, choosing the right mold type can improve production efficiency and product quality.

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(1) Ordinary molds usually have higher accuracy and better product quality. Due to its more elaborate design and manufacturing process, ordinary molds are able to produce more accurate and consistent injection molded products.

(1) Rapid inject mold design time is relatively short, usually can be completed in a few days or weeks. This is because rapid tooling usually uses simplified design and manufacturing processes in order to meet customer needs as quickly as possible.

(2) In contrast, rapid molds are usually used for short-term production or small batch production, and their life and durability are relatively low.

Thermoplastic injection by low-pressure vacuum casting is used for production exceeding one hundred parts. The robustness, mechanical properties, and industrialization information are very close to the injection-molded part.

This technology allows the production of small series with the right material. The applications of thermoplastic injection are very varied in the plastics industry and, in particular, cover the automotive, packaging, medical and electronics fields. In a field that requires many tests and certificates, such as the medical sector, a thermoplastic injection can satisfy the regulatory requirements and constraints. The parts produced are mechanically equivalent to series production. In addition, the thermoplastic injection manufacturing technique is used to produce parts that are very small, such as electronic components, or very large, such as car body parts.

(1) Ordinary injection  molds usually have longer life and better durability. Due to their more elaborate design and manufacturing process, ordinary molds are usually able to withstand longer use and higher frequency production.

(1) The manufacturing cost of rapid inject mold is relatively low. Because its design and manufacturing process is relatively simple, the required materials and processing processes are also less, so the manufacturing cost is low.

The use of an aluminum mold (instead of the commonly used steel) allows the investment costs to be reduced. This rapid prototyping technology is more expensive but is the most effective, because it allows plastic prototype parts made of the “real material” to be obtained. The parts obtained are identical to series injection-molded parts. They can be marketed or used in transition production.

This process also called “thermoplastic molding” or “thermoplastic injection molding”, involves injecting a molten polymer (thermoplastic material) into a mold under high pressure. The injection tools are manufactured according to a very specific process. The use of aluminum (instead of the commonly used steel) allows investment costs to be reduced because it can be machined more quickly. The cost of the mold depends on the number of cavities and the complexity of the shapes of the part to be molded. Once the mold has been manufactured, the plastic material is injected under high pressure using an injection molding machine.

(2) However, due to the short design and manufacturing time of rapid mold, there may be certain limitations in terms of accuracy and quality.

(2) Because of the more complex structure and higher precision requirements, the ordinary mold requires more materials and processing technology, so the manufacturing cost is higher.

(1) Rapid tooling is usually suitable for small batch production, sample production and rapid verification needs. Due to its short design and manufacturing time, customers' needs can be met quickly and rapid product development and market validation can be carried out.