Process comparison of elastic parts, 3D printing VS injection molding

September 8, 2021
Latest company news about Process comparison of elastic parts, 3D printing VS injection molding

Whether it is in daily life or industrial production, there are lots of plastic parts, such as shoe soles, rubber bands, mouse wristbands, industrial gaskets, and so on. At present, the manufacturing process of elastic parts mainly includes injection molding and 3D printing. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of these two processes?

 

Injection molding process
The heated liquid material is injected into the mold by pressure and solidified after cooling. Molds are usually made of steel or aluminum.
Commonly used materials: silica gel, TPE, TPU
Advantages:
1. Rapid mass production;
2. parts of high precision, good material performance;
3. when the number of parts reaches a certain amount, the unit cost is low.
Disadvantages:
1. High mold cost;
2. There are certain restrictions on modeling.

 

3D printing
Commonly used is the FDM process, the material is made into wire, sent to the 3D printer nozzle, heated after extrusion, layer upon layer of molding.
Commonly used materials: TPE, TPU
Advantages:
1. small-batch manufacturing, low single cost;
2. forming limit is small, can make complex modeling;
3. do not need to make an expensive mold.
Disadvantages:
1. precision and details are not as good as injection molding;
2. mass production slow speed;
Conclusion:
Mass production using injection molding process; Use 3D printing for single or small batch production.