In brief, plastic injection molding involves feeding a melted plastic resin into a carefully designed mold and ejecting the cooled, finished product.

Versatile and popular, injection molding is one of many ways to create plastic products, but how does it stack up against the competition?

Blow molding works by blowing a tube of melted plastic into a mold until the plastic fills it. It offers a fast, low-cost production method for hollow, one-piece parts such as bottles and watering cans. Injection molding is a better option for solid or detailed parts, those with multiple cavities, or when high precision is needed. Injection molding also generally produces less waste and can take advantage of a wider range of plastic resins and colors.

3D printing is an increasingly popular process, particularly for creating prototypes, very small runs, and those requiring extremely brief lead-up times. 3D printing also requires little setup time, but injection molding wins every time for speed and volume production.

Thermoforming creates shapes by pressing heated plastic sheets over the surface of a mold. It's better suited to simpler shapes requiring less precision, and lower volume production. Injection molding offers much tighter tolerances, greater capacity for detail and complexity, and is suited to larger production runs. 

Rotational molding creates hollow plastic parts by heating plastic in a mold and rotating it to coat the interior evenly. Injection molding allows for faster production of a greater range of shapes and geometries, with a wider variety of materials than those suitable for rotational molding. 

At Bennett Plastics, we have decades of expertise in plastics manufacturing, from design and prototyping through production, finishing, and fulfillment. With our commitment to superior customer service and quality, we'll work with you to choose the best processes and materials for your products. Contact us today to learn more about partnering with us for your injection molded plastic needs.