5 Modern Plastic Injection Molding Trends

A manufacturing process will remain popular, usable, and suitable only if it continues to evolve and improve constantly. Luckily, plastic injection molding companies near your location always keep in step with demands for parts and components across numerous industries by continually changing. This way, you can count on molding to keep producing the elements your company requires. But what exactly are the current trends in plastic injection molding?

What are important current trends in plastic injection molding?

Plastic injection molding keeps increasing in popularity and scope. On the other hand, this manufacturing method continues to improve to meet the modern demands of different industries it caters to. Here are the five most modern trends in injection molding today: 

Sustainability

The plastic manufacturing industry, both traditional and injection molding, is undergoing a global shift toward greater sustainability and environmental friendliness. Numerous manufacturers are reexamining their operations and finding ways to create injection molded products using completely recycled materials for different industries. 

What’s more, these companies are also looking into ways to implement various hybrid or renewable energy sources in their manufacturing facilities. Finally, companies that produce plastic parts and components are also enhancing their waste disposal solutions, ensuring they reduce the potential harm for the environment. 

Bioplastic

The renewed interest manufacturers have for different types of bioplastic is directly related to the rising efforts for higher sustainability. PLA bioplastics represent an eco-friendlier alternative to petroleum-based materials. They are derived from various sustainable sources, including shrimp shells, seaweed, sugarcane, corn, and others. 

What’s more, this material is completely carbon-neutral and biodegradable, breaking down into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass in nature. This way, manufacturing facilities are creating a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional plastics with similar or identical properties required in many industries. 

Alternative materials

One of the leading trends in plastic injection molding is certainly the use of materials that are very resistant to extreme temperatures and completely free from corrosion. This way, they’re able to further boost the durability and longevity of various components. 

What’s more, the use of new materials also lowers their weight, improving their usability in different applications. This is vital for improving the general performance of certain products, such as boosting your car’s gas mileage or giving it longer battery life without sacrificing performance. 

Greater automation

A big part of plastic injection molding is already automated. However, this industry is looking to further boost automation through use of advanced software, analytics, and machine learning. This way, manufacturers achieve quicker production cycles, efficient maintenance, and reduced downtime. 

Also, increased automation provides more control over the different stages of the molding process through use of different software tools for fine-tuning the entire production cycle. Finally, greater automation also lowers manufacturing costs, creating a more profitable business model. 

Reshoring

Finally, the pandemic has shown the greater need for returning manufacturing facilities back into the USA from their locations overseas. The global logistics of shipping have increased the price of such transactions, making it sensible to reshore manufacturing efforts and focus on enhancing production efficiency. 

Who is the leader among plastic injection molding companies near me?

Plastic injection molding is a manufacturing process that’s constantly changing, evolving, and improving, which is why it continues to offer many benefits over other methods used for making plastic parts. There’s also other interesting information about plastic injection molding. For example, it’s extremely fast and efficient, which is why it’s used in a wide range of industries and applications. 

Plastic injection molding is capable of producing intricate parts and components, so if your company has a need for plastic parts, reach out to Wunder Mold. We’re your go-to manufacturer of various simple and complicated plastic parts, and you can count on us to make them according to your exact specifications. We use high-quality molds and materials and apply rigorous testing. Give us a call now or contact us at sales@wundermold.com.