Custom Rapid Injection Molding Service

Injection molding is one of the most often-used manufacturing processes for creating plastic parts. Thanks to its high-precision, repeatability, and cost efficiency at scale, injection molding is used to make a variety of products and parts from the smallest medical insert up to large automotive & aerospace parts.

The injection molding process requires an injection molding machine, raw plastic material, and a machined mold. The raw plastic material is first melted in the injection unit and is then injected into the mold — most often machined from steel or aluminum — where it cools and solidifies into the final plastic part.

The key steps in the injection molding process are:

1. Clamping: The two sides of the mold are closed and clamped shut.
2. Injection: The material is fed into the machine and pushed towards the mold. While this is happening, the material is melted by heat and pressure. The plastic is then injected into the mold — this is called the “shot.”
3. Cooling: The plastic in the mold cools and solidifies into the shape of the part.
4. Ejection: After the part cools, it is ejected from the mold.

Custom injection molding offers a number of benefits not found in other manufacturing processes. Due to the high-pressure nature of the injection molding process, it is much easier to manufacture parts with detailed features or complex geometries that would be too costly for typical CNC machining processes. The ability to use your mold over and over again for a long period of time leads to an extremely high production output rate which is more cost effective and efficient than other manufacturing processes. Lastly, different injection molding processes, such as overmolding and insert molding, allow you to create plastic parts with unique characteristics such as enhanced strength, soft-grip surfaces, or added flexibility. Also beneficial is the ability to combine multiple assembly processes into one injection molding process.

From simple parts to multi-component assemblies, Xometry combines the latest rapid injection molding processes with our Instant Quoting Engine and an experienced injection molding manufacturing team to deliver high quality and defect-free injection molded parts. Xometry utilizes a network of over 2,500 manufacturing partners, including a wide range of dedicated custom injection molding partners. Our partners provide services from tool design and mold-making to prototyping and production runs.

With Xometry you own the mold, providing you with greater flexibility and control over your manufacturing process. Get custom injection molded parts your way — not subject to someone else's production constraints.

Other benefits include:

• Quotes in 24 hours
• First Article Inspections/Dimensional reports/PPAP
• ISO9001 & ISO13485
• Machine presses in the 50 to 2,000-ton range
• Variety of mold construction and mold materials
• Tight tolerances
• Insert molding
• Overmolding
• Multi-cavity, family molds
• Unlimited undercuts
• Custom colors
• Complex and large parts
• All industry standard materials available

To learn more about molding, check out our injection molding glossary.