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Home Xometry Community Manufacturing Injection molding for prototypes?

Injection molding for prototypes?

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Hey, I’m prototyping small plastic parts with tight tolerances and a polished surface finish. My initial plan was to use injection molding, but I’m concerned about the high upfront tooling costs for this stage. Are there any alternative methods that could help reduce costs while still providing functional parts for testing? I’d also like to understand how such alternatives compare in terms of surface quality and precision.

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Solved by Fabio Renda
I see. If that's the case there are a few alternatives. You can have the parts machined from plastic, provided the product design is suited to machining, alternatively, you can try polyurethane casting which requires a machined and polished mold into which a thermosetting elastomer is cast.
    • S

      Hey, I’m prototyping small plastic parts with tight tolerances and a polished surface finish. My initial plan was to use injection molding, but I’m concerned about the high upfront tooling costs for this stage. Are there any alternative methods that could help reduce costs while still providing functional parts for testing? I’d also like to understand how such alternatives compare in terms of surface quality and precision.

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    • F

      It depends on what you are trying to achieve with the prototype.

      For example are you in the early stages of research and ideation or are you in the market testing phase?

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      • S
        Fabio Renda

        I am currently just testing the function of the prototype, it needs a tight tolerance and smooth finish, not for aesthetics, but rather for the proper function of the device.

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      • F
        Spencer Ball

        I see. If that’s the case there are a few alternatives. You can have the parts machined from plastic, provided the product design is suited to machining, alternatively, you can try polyurethane casting which requires a machined and polished mold into which a thermosetting elastomer is cast.

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    • D

      Injection molding can be suitable for prototyping in some cases, it all depends on volumes though. If you want to test market feedback you would most likely need a large number of products to get sufficient data. Some companies provide cheaper molding solutions specifically suited to prototyping and achieve this by making use of aluminum molds instead of polished and plated tool steel.

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Injection molding for prototypes?
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