Below is a cost comparison between Nylon, ABS and Polycarbonate (PC) for a simple injection moulded part. The table/graph also compares how the number of parts ordered affects the price and lead time.

In this article Get It Made simulated the production for two different parts, a very simple small part, and a more complex larger part. You can see how prices vary between different common injection moulding materials and part quantities moulded.

Prototype production is a necessary part of the injection molding industry because the costs associated with producing a prototype are significantly less than going straight to large scale production. Injection molding prototyping is a tried and true method for ensuring the mold is accurately designed prior to reproducing hundreds, thousands, or even millions of parts. Nothing can compare to the feeling of confidence that comes with holding a nearly finished version of your product before entering the production phase. This will ensure what you have designed and engineered will be exactly what you receive.

When comparing the three materials, the data shows that ABS is the cheapest material to manufacture with, and polycarbonate is the most expensive. The lead time only increases by a few days going from 500x to 50,000x. This is because the bulk of the lead time for an injection moulding project is manufacturing the mould and sampling. Once the mould produces parts to specification, part production is very fast.

Below is a cost comparison between Nylon, ABS and Polycarbonate (PC) for a complex injection moulded part. There is also a comparison of how the price and lead time change according to the number of parts ordered.

Request your free injection moulding quote today and one of our engineers will personally review your project within 24 hours. They will then help fine-tune your project to make sure you get the best possible price and lead time for your injection moulding project.

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Choose our CNC Turning services for circular cross sections. We also offer Turn & Mill capabilities for more complex turned parts.

However, once you have the moulding tool, the plastic moulded parts will have a very low unit cost. And the tooling is usually CNC machined from a high quality steel, allowing more than one production run using the same tool, so it will last many years.

Optimised for mass production of plastic items, our services in Plastic Injection Moulding are backed by deep expertise and industry-leading knowledge.

Tooling is often a key part of the economics in plastic injection moulding, this is because it is a large up-front investment. And this cost needs to be amortised into expected part volume, over a number of years. If injection moulding isn't suitable, it is very possible 3D Printing or CNC Machining could be a better option. Depending on the parts' features, the machining of a complex mould will require more time and expense, increasing the upfront costs of the project. This is the main reason why injection moulding is mainly used for high volumes.

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The data shows a slightly different trend for a larger, more complex injection moulded part than the simple/smaller one analysed above. There is a saving of 79% going from 500x to 5000x in nylon and a further 12% going up to 50,000x. This shows that there are still substantial cost savings in manufacturing into the high thousands for larger, more complex parts. The price for 500x is comparable to 3D Printing as the tooling cost is a relatively smaller proportion of the unit cost than the small/simple injection moulded part.

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If you want to know more about materials options for your injection moulding project, read our article about choosing the right Injection Moulding material.

Our 3D printing solutions cater to personalised needs with a diverse range of materials and colour options, perfect for intricate plastic components and small batches.

Prototype injection molding produces real injection molded parts for functional testing. Injection molding prototyping can also serve as bridge tooling to fill the manufacturing gap before production tooling or when production tooling goes down.

All projects are assigned a dedicated project manager and engineer to ensure your prototype injection molding project is done on time and in budget. For more information, please check out ICOMold’s Online Project Management System.

The data again indicates that ABS is the most cost-effective to manufacture in out of the three materials, while polycarbonate is the most expensive. With an increase in quantity from 500x to 50,000x, the lead time only increases by a few days. This is primarily because most of the lead time in an injection moulding project is manufacturing the mould and sampling. Once the mould successfully produces parts to the desired specifications, the parts can be produced rapidly.

With many years of experience, sheet metal parts can be a great low-cost option for certain high and low-volume applications.

Injection moulding is a manufacturing process often used to produce high volumes of plastic parts. This manufacturing process starts by creating and machining a mould with precision to form the part’s features. Then molten plastic resin is injected into the metal mould cavity. The plastic moulded parts subsequently cool and are ejected from the mould cavity. If you want to know more about the injection moulding process, read our Injection Moulding Guide.

A prototype mold is essentially the same as a production mold. It can produce the same parts as a production mold but is only warrantied for 10,000 cycles. Production molds will typically last for 100,000 cycles or more. The only real difference between prototype molds and production molds is the mold material. Prototype molds are made of softer steel that is easier to cut but does not last as long. ICOMold’s production molds are all made with high-strength steel and built to last.

Get It Made was founded in 2011 with a mission to make manufacturing simple. Based in London, UK, Get It Made provides outstanding manufacturing services to companies across the globe.

The current manufacturing trend is to use 3D printing to produce prototype parts. While 3D printing is a quick and efficient way to produce prototypes, it does have some serious drawbacks. Material choice is the biggest limitation when using 3D printing for prototypes. 3D printing can only use very specific materials that may not hold up to the demands of testing. Prototype injection molding will produce usable parts in the same material as the final part. This will allow designers to test the form, fit, and function of the part without worrying about differences in the material characteristics.

For Nylon, going from quantity of 500x to 5000x has a 88% total cost per part saving for a simple injection moulded part. For volumes around 500x and below, it can often be cheaper to CNC machine or 3D Print the parts depending on the design. This is because the high tooling costs are spread over a smaller number of parts, making each part more expensive. Going from 5000x to 50,000x sees an additional cost saving of 9%. This demonstrates how increasing the part quantity significantly reduces part cost for smaller volume orders. However, as the order quantity increases, the reduction in unit price becomes less but still significant.

Prototype plastic injection molding can be done very quickly. The initial part will have the shape and functionality a plastic prototype part would need for testing form, fit, and function, but may not have fine details like color or surface finish preference. Prototype molds are built to handle minimum of 10,000 cycles.

It is essential that the design of the injection moulded parts are carefully reviewed before production. Removing unnecessary features from the parts will make the tooling easier to machine. Read our Injection Moulding Design Guide to optimise your parts and get a better price for your project.Â

In general, injection moulding tooling can cost from £2k to £100k. Costs for moulded parts can range from a few pence to a hundreds of pounds each.

Aluminium extrusion is ideal for both single prototypes and large-scale production, offering bespoke, high-standard, consistent cross-sectional profiles.