Timeline for Injection Molded Project Development

We are often approached by potential customers that need guidance on the basic steps for developing an injection-molded project at IMC. What is routine for us can sometimes be harder to grasp for those not involved in this complex and multifaceted industry. Here are the basic steps in developing a plastic injection molded product-from start to finish.

Engineering Drawings and Resin Selection

The first step in the process is to understand the size and shape of the product. This is most easily accomplished with formal engineering drawings that detail the component. If you have informal sketches, we can assist you in developing the formal engineering drawings, or you can contact a local engineering firm for this process. The engineering drawings should also include the resin to be used to make the product. If the resin is unknown, we can assist you in selecting a grade of resin once you describe the application in detail. If the product is an assembly of plastic and other components, the engineering drawings must also define these details. It is a good idea to have engineering drawings for each individual component, then one for the assembly. 

Estimate the Cost of Tooling and the Molded Components.

A fair amount of information is needed to estimate the project. Please click on the “Request a Quote” link for information needed to develop the quotation. Once all the information has been reviewed, an official quotation is submitted for your approval. The quotation will include the following details:

• Tooling cost if the project requires new tooling. If the tooling already exists, modifications to existing tooling may be listed instead.
• Tooling lead time in weeks
• Prototype tooling cost and lead time if specifically requested by the customer
• Part selling price: the selling price is affected to a great extent by volume, and we usually note purchase volume that the pricing is based upon. In relative terms, greater purchase quantities are usually less expensive and fewer purchase quantities are more expensive
• A description of the resin used for the project
• Engineering Concerns if any
• Packaging to be used for transport of the components
• Part Weight

 Release of the Purchase Order

Once the quotation is accepted, a Purchase Order is then needed to signal the beginning of the development process. Once the PO is received and accepted, an acknowledgement of receipt, and a date of sample submission is provided to the customer. 

Advanced Product Quality Planning

As the project begins, a cross-functional team reviews the project and details of the design using Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) systems. The intent is to identify actions needed to promote a successful project. It is at this point that methods for controlling product quality, development of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) documents, and early product control plans are discussed. The Project Engineer then begins to satisfy the identified actions over the course of the development of the project.

Tool Design  

Initial tool designs are developed and are reviewed by cross-functional personnel for approval prior to the beginning of the tooling development. Once a basic tool design is approved, detail tool drawings are then completed. Detail drawings are used for the actual tool construction. If other tooling is required, such as gauging, fixtures, etc., these are included at the same time, and parallel to the mold development.

Tool Building

Many man-hours of skilled labor are needed to create the tooling. Several sub-components of the tool details are crafted individually to fit into the finished tool that is truly a one of a kind product.

Tool Trials and Corrections

Once the tool construction is complete, the tools are sampled for the initial evaluation of the product. Process Engineers work to establish a robust molding process that includes recommended process settings from the resin supplier. Samples of the initial trial are provided to metrology for a full and complete dimensional analysis. Once the dimensional analysis is completed, the project engineers begin the task of verifying conformance to specifications. If particular dimensions were judged to be critical or challenging during the initial review of the project, the tooling is designed to be “safe” on these characteristics. Once the initial samples are produced, actual dimensional shrinkage calculations are used to fine-tune the product to the targeted dimensions. If the tooling feature needs to be adjusted based on the initial trials, a subsequent sampling is conducted. Samples of the second trial are again provided to metrology for dimensional analysis. This process continues until all customer requirements are satisfied. 

Submission

Once all customer requirements have been met, samples of the product, along with supporting dimensional information are provided to the customer for “approval”. The approval serves to signal that the project is ready for normal production servicing. 

Routine Production

The product now moves to a routine servicing account and purchase orders are used to signal the need for goods to be shipped.