Injection molding offers a number of benefits. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to produce a part consistently at a very high quality. Plastic injection molding using ensures consistent and repeatable tolerances and a high level of precision. Additional molding options available at SSP: 

1. Hot runner molding: Hot runner tools use a temperature-controlled manifold to greatly reduce or eliminate runner scrap from the cycle. Injection points can be outside the part or directly into the part. This can greatly improve cycle times, as a sprue or runner system is often a determining factor on the mold cycle. And, eliminating the runner saves expensive wasted material.

2. Cold runner molding: Cold runner molds are good examples of more traditional tooling in that they utilize sprues and runners to gate into the part. This is typically the least complicated form, however may result in larger amounts of wasted material and slower running cycles. Depending on the application, a percentage of wasted material may be re-ground and re-processed for future use, though this could affect the physical properties of the resin.

3. Insulated runner molding: Insulated runner tools resemble more traditional cold runner molds but utilize cartridge heaters or other methods of heating to form a surrounding layer of molten resin, forming an insulated “”cull”” to create a similar effect to a hot runner system. This approach is less expensive than using a hot runner which requires a temperature controller and also has the benefit of allowing for faster color and material changes. However insulated runners are not suitable for all types of materials and typically do not work well with more demanding engineering grade resins.

4. Two / three plate: Three-plate molding are cold runner tools, but by adding a third plate to the runner system, you are able to locate your injection point into virtually any location on the tool. This is usually less expensive than adding a hot runner system, however this type of mold often has large and unwieldy runners, which can be more difficult to automate.

With injection molding it is also possible to rapidly develop and test prototypes. SSP has its own in-house tooling center and can develop its own molds, thus reducing costs and time to production.