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Plastic Injection Molding

Rapid tooling in 14 days.
Production molds that run 1 million cycles.

50+ thermoplastics. 12 presses from 50 to 650 tons at our dedicated Dongguan molding facility. Overmolding, insert molding, two-shot. DFM review included with every quote.

01 · Tooling

Pick the right mold for your volume.

The fastest way to waste $15,000 is building a production tool for a product that hasn't been validated. The second-fastest is building a rapid tool for a product that's shipping 500K units. Here's how to decide.

Rapid Tooling

Tool materialAluminum 7075
Build time10–14 days
Tool life10,000 shots
Tool cost$1,500–6,000

Use for 500–10,000 parts. Ideal for pilot runs, market testing, crowdfunding fulfillment, pre-production validation. Same production materials and process as steel tools.

Production Steel Mold

Tool materialP20 / NAK80
Build time4–5 weeks
Tool life500,000 shots
Tool cost$4,000–25,000

Best for 10K–500K parts. Hot runner, texture, polish, multi-cavity available. Standard for consumer products, EV components, medical housings.

Hardened Steel Mold

Tool materialH13 / S136H
Build time6–8 weeks
Tool life1M+ shots
Tool cost$15,000–80,000

For glass-filled, abrasive materials, or million-unit programs. Mirror polish (SPI-A1) achievable. Standard for optical, medical, and high-volume consumer electronics.

02 · Cost model

The break-even math.

Injection molding wins at volume. Here's where it crosses over.

Volume Best Process Setup / Tool Per-part range Lead time
1–20MJF / SLS 3D print$0$15–803–5 days
20–50Vacuum casting$600–1,500$30–1207–10 days
50–500CNC machined plastic$200–800 setup$8–605–10 days
500–10KRapid Al tooling + IM$1,500–6,000$0.80–814–21 days
10K–500KProduction P20 steel$4,000–25,000$0.20–34–6 wks tool
500K+Hardened H13, multi-cav$15,000–80,000$0.05–1.506–8 wks tool

Indicative ranges. Actual prices depend on part size, complexity, material and surface finish. Get a firm quote in 24 hours.

03 · Capabilities

Beyond the basic single-shot.

Modern products rarely consist of one material. Our Dongguan facility offers the advanced molding techniques that let you combine rigidity and soft-touch, plastic and metal, in a single integrated part.

Overmolding

Bonding soft TPE/TPU onto rigid ABS or PC substrates. Common for grips, handles, seals, soft-touch housings. Requires two molds or a rotary/shuttle tool.

Insert Molding

Plastic molded around pre-placed metal inserts: threaded brass inserts, electrical contacts, magnets, fabric layers. Eliminates secondary operations.

Two-Shot (2K) Molding

Two plastics in one molding cycle using a rotary platen tool. Both plastics bond chemically or mechanically. Common for toothbrushes, hard/soft enclosures, consumer electronics.

Gas-Assisted Molding

Injected gas creates hollow cores in thick sections. Reduces material use, cycle time, and warp. Common for handles, automotive interior trim.

Living Hinges

Thin integrated hinges in PP or PE that flex indefinitely without fatigue. Enables complex one-piece enclosures and closures.

Cosmetic Finishing

SPI-A1 mirror polish, VDI textures, custom graining (wood, leather), soft-touch coatings, in-mold labeling (IML), pad printing, silk screen, laser engraving.

FAQ

Injection molding questions.

Rapid tooling uses aluminum 7075 molds built in 10–14 days, capable of running 500 to 10,000 parts in production thermoplastics. Use it for pilot runs, market validation, bridge-to-production, or any project under 10K units where steel tooling cost and lead time aren't justified.
Simple single-cavity steel molds: 4 weeks. Multi-cavity family molds or hot-runner systems: 5–7 weeks. Complex two-shot or overmolding tools: 6–8 weeks. Tool steel typically P20 for general use, H13 for high-temperature or abrasive materials, stainless 420 for medical/optical.
For injection molding, practical MOQ is 500–1,000 parts because tooling amortization drives unit cost above those quantities. Below 500 parts, vacuum casting or CNC machining are usually more economical. Above 500, molding wins quickly.
Yes. Overmolding (plastic onto plastic for soft-touch grips, hard+soft combinations), insert molding (plastic around pre-placed metal threads or electronics), two-shot (2K) molding with rotary tools — all produced in-house at our Dongguan facility.
50+ thermoplastics in stock or sourceable: ABS, PC, PC/ABS, PP, PE (HDPE, LDPE), PA6, PA66, PA66-GF30, POM (Delrin), PBT, PET, PMMA (acrylic), TPU, TPE, TPR, silicone (LSR), PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PPS, PSU. Medical grades (USP Class VI) and food-contact grades (FDA) available.
Our engineers run a free DFM review on your CAD before tooling starts. We flag: inconsistent wall thickness (target ±10%), missing draft angles (minimum 0.5° per side, 1.5° on textured surfaces), sharp internal corners (fillet minimum 0.5×wall), undercut features requiring side actions, gate location, ejector pin placement, and parting line visibility on cosmetic surfaces.
Yes. Injection molding, ultrasonic welding, heat staking, pad printing, laser engraving, assembly of components, final packaging (blister, box, retail-ready), and drop-ship-to-Amazon services are available. Ask about turnkey programs for consumer products.
You do. The customer owns all tooling built by CIFProto. Tools are stored at our Dongguan facility at no charge for active projects; long-term storage fees apply after 2 years of inactivity. Tools can be shipped to you or to another supplier on request.
Ready When You Are

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Get an engineering-reviewed quote in under 24 hours.

No minimum quantity. Free DFM feedback from a senior manufacturing engineer. NDA signed before file review on request.

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