China&#;s plastic injection molding cost is much cheaper than of the USA or Europe. Sometimes, for the same quality, the cost generally will be only 50%. Usually, the injection mold is the most expensive part of the project, and can dramatically increase costs for small part runs. With such a competitive price from China, it can totally enhance your product market competitiveness.
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If you are looking for a China plastic injection molding manufacturer to make your plastic molding parts, your first question was likely How much does the China injection molding cost to make my product? Is there any way to lower the mold cost in China?
The larger the part size is, the larger the mold size is, and needs more mold steel, mold cost will increase significantly.
The more complex part will require a more complex mold structure, which then leads to more mold costs. Reduce needless surfaces and corners or features as much as possible, which will save huge mold costs.
The plastic mold and injection molding parts costs will directly influence whether your project goes smoothly and success or failure. When you start to design a plastic part for injection molding, many factors you should consider, such as part complexity, part size, part surface, part material, mold cavity number, and production volume, will affect the price tremendously.
One cavity mold needs less time and process than multiple cavities mold (also called family mold), which will reduce mold cost, but rise the part unit price. If your production volume is small, then one cavity mold is enough; if the volume is large, you could consider multiple cavities mold.
The material cost will vary according to the type and quality of plastic you use. For example, if you choose high-cost fiberglass filler material, the mold material needs hardened steel, which also will increase the cost.
An attractive surface finish will add more processing cost and time, if the part surface is not very critical or the plastic part is invisible in the assembly product, you can choose a lower-level finish, such as SPI Finish B-3 or lower C grade.
3. How to Reduce the Plastic Injection Molding Cost in China
The best way to reduce the plastic injection molding cost in China is to find a professional plastic injection molding manufacturer. With their help, you don&#;t need to know so many skills to reduce the cost, they will do it for you.
However, finding a reliable plastic part supplier is not an easy thing, you can consider the following tips to reduce your plastic injection molding.
1) Save Cost From the Design
A professional plastic injection mold manufacturer knows well how to control the cost from the design stage. It is a very important skill because the design concept can determine the cost of the whole project.
The plastic injection mold manufacturer usually needs to hold a meeting in the early stage, it should consider the injection molding production, product assembly, and then find the best reasonable design. Engineers will design the mold according to this scheme, which can reduce a lot of costs.
2) One-stop Injection Molding Service
One-stop injection molding service includes mold design and manufacturing, product injection molding processing, plastic shell surface treatment (spray, screen printing, etc.), and other one-stop outsourcing services.
Why do so many plastic injection molding factories emphasize one-stop injection molding services? Because it can not only reduce the plastic injection molding cost but also save a lot of time.
One-stop injection molding service can improve production efficiency greatly. The factory with one-stop service is also very professional and has enough strength to provide you with a better service.
3) Sample Test
A sample test is a must before you start your plastic parts mass production. You should require the injection molding factory to provide the proofing services. This process can tell you whether the molding factory&#;s production quality is good or not.
If the sample quality is poor, the next mass production goods are even worse. To avoid unnecessary loss, a sample test is the first thing you should do before you start your project.
4. Cost Estimating methods for plastic injection molding
Of course, we couldn&#;t totally rely on the plastic injection molding manufacturer to give us the price. We can use some methods to estimate the plastic injection molding cost. Here are some common methods to estimate the plastic mold parts cost.
1) Feature-based cost estimate
This feature-based cost estimation tool is suitable for plastic molding in production quantities (more than 10,000 pieces). Since it has a smaller impact on the cost of each component, more durable and expensive tools can be used. The material costs are estimated based on the geometry of the part, and current material prices are used.
In order to reduce production costs, a compatible injection molding machine was selected from a database of more than 50 machines, and the cycle time was estimated based on the part geometry, material properties, and machine specifications.
For the mold cost, use the standard mold size and mold category to select the appropriate mold base, and estimate the required mold processing based on the geometry of the part and other user specifications. These three costs (materials, production, and molds) are calculated for 4 different cavity arrangements (1, 2, 4, and 8 cavities) and provide the most cost-effective option.
2) Low-volume injection molding cost estimate
This feature-based cost estimation tool is suitable for injection molding in small batches (less than 10,000 units). Because of the great impact on the cost of each part, the rapid tool method (high-speed processing of 104 molds) is used to create molds. Material costs are estimated based on the geometry of the part, and current material prices are used. In order to reduce production costs, a compatible injection molding machine was selected from a database of more than 50 machines, and the cycle time was estimated based on the part geometry, material properties, and machine specifications.
For the cost of plastic molds, use the standard mold size to select the appropriate mold base, and estimate the required mold processing based on the geometry of the part and other user specifications. These three costs (materials, production, and molds) are calculated for 4 different cavity arrangements (1, 2, 4, and 8 cavities) and provide the most cost-effective option.
3) Standard estimate
This standard injection molding cost estimator does not require any part geometry but requires more input of process parameters to calculate a more accurate estimate. Material costs are estimated based on the number of parts and runners, and an up-to-date material database containing pricing, and customizable process parameters. For production costs, cycle time, as well as machine rate and labor rate must be specified. After adding mold cost, a detailed cost breakdown of material, production and mold costs is provided.
4) Plastic mold cost estimate
This feature-based cost estimator calculates the mold cost for plastic molding. According to the geometric shape of the part and the requirements of the mold, such as the number of cavities, use the standard mold size to select the appropriate mold base. The required mold processing is for the selected SPI mold type and the rapid plastic mold method can be selected for 104 types of molds or low-volume products.
5. China Plastic Injection Molding Cost FAQ
Here are some problems that our injection mold buyers faced:
1) Is 3d printing cheaper than injection molding?
If mass production is required, traditional molding methods such as injection molding are inseparable. Just need a separate product or sample, try 3D printing.
2) Is a small injection mold cheaper than a large injection mold?
The injection mold price is not only determined by the size of the product, but also according to the complexity of the structure of the product. Small injection mold requires higher accuracy, so the cost of production may be not cheap.
3) How do you know if you have got a good price for your plastic injection molding?
Plastic injection molding is a very competitive industry, there is no standard price at present. To win the customers, some plastic injection molding factories even don&#;t add any profits to the price, only add some processing charges.
Holly plastic has a client who needs a plastic mold for e-cigarettes, before contacting us, they worked with a plastic injection molding supplier in Dongguan. Because using poor material, their mold suction holes are easy to burst.
The price was nearly double that of the first supplier, and it really scared the customer. Because we need to use food-grade material to make this mold, this material will not deform at a temperature of 80 degrees, and it is a special non-toxic material. The client finally agreed to our offer, we finish this project together successfully. So you see, the price is not the only thing we need to consider!
4) Can I choose a small plastic injection molding factory in China as my partner?
In China, especially in Guangdong and Zhejiang, there are many small plastic injection molding factories, some of which can not only give you a great price but also guarantee quality. However, small may not mean cheap, it also means poor quality. Scientific team management can help small plastic mold factories lower the cost and improve the quality, if you find a professional engineering team, a small factory will help you save a lot of money and time.
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There are a few common reasons for a price variance, and some or all may be at play in your situation.
The top reason is that R&D costs are not calculated in the initial mold quote. (Sometimes this is referred to as NRE: non-recurring engineering costs.)
Development, prototypes, and testing all cost money, and if it&#;s not spelled out in your quote, you&#;re probably going to be paying for it later&#;at rates you didn&#;t get to discuss beforehand.
Another reason for a higher final price is the vendor&#;s unreliable materials supply chain.
Suppliers aren&#;t always paid in full or on time in China, which means inconsistent sourcing and pricing as some vendors shop around to see who&#;ll take their order. You pay for this unreliable system with higher prices.
A different reason is&#;payola. Many brokers are paid exorbitant fees by mold makers in China to get your business. And that money&#;s gotta come from somewhere.
And last, for some less ethical vendors, the low initial price is simply the hook to get your business and nothing more. They always expect to go over&#;even though they may not tell YOU that.
Choose a partner who discusses R&D up-front. Bonus points for a partner who reviews your design at the quote stage and points out potential problems or opportunities for improvement.
We&#;re still surprised when a new client tells us we were the only bidder to point out potential design flaws or discuss R&D efforts.
Click here to get a quote for your next mold and see what we mean.
It&#;s the Midwesterner in us. We can&#;t help but speak plainly and clearly in an effort to do a good job.
Also, ask about supplier relationships. If your new partner says they can get supplies at the price and speed they want from just about any supplier, be wary.
We have long-term relationships with top-quality suppliers in China who know our expectations. And because we pay on time, every time, our suppliers treat us like royalty. Which means our customers get consistent pricing and quality every single day of the year.
If you&#;re working with a broker or middleman, understand where his or her motivation lies. If their biggest payoff is from the mold maker, then you&#;ll get the vendor that&#;s best for the middleman, not the one that&#;s best for you.
Last, if the price sounds too good to be true&#;it probably is.
A cultural norm in China and other Asian countries is to tell you what you want to hear, even if it&#;s wrong.
An example is asking for directions&#;even if the person doesn&#;t know how to get where you&#;re going, he will give you an answer. It&#;s the socially acceptable thing to do.
This cultural norm works the same way in business. If you say you need the injection mold by a specific date, you&#;ll get hearty agreement.
Yet when the date comes and goes with no injection mold, you&#;ll quickly realize you&#;ve been told what you wanted to hear instead of what you needed to hear to make smart business decisions.
A language translator is not always adept at translating cultural differences. It&#;s a different skillset, and it often requires an immersive experience in both cultures.
Rely on a partner who understands and accepts your requirements AND knows how to make sure you get them in China. You should know without a doubt your partner is on your side and willing to go to bat for you.
We&#;ve been building injection molds in China since . Our president, Patrick Smith, lives full time in China and oversees the day-to-day operations of our factory.
Add this to our 150+ years of combined US engineering experience, deep understanding of Western business practices, and compliance to US production standards, and you can see why our clients never get caught in an expensive or frustrating cultural misunderstanding.
Will your mold make 50,000 pieces or 1,000,000? It&#;s hard to know, given the lack of standardization in China. You may see a drastic difference in the lifespan of two different molds made by the same mold maker.
The lack of standards applies to materials, too. Even if you get a stamped certificate of authenticity, you may not know your material was substandard until it fails.
Unclear communication between you and the team designing or building your mold also affects the lifespan. Is something getting lost in translation?
Turnover on the factory floor of most injection mold makers is fairly high. You may not notice this because the front office staff stays the same. But you will notice inconsistency in your mold quality and lifespan.
Find a vendor who is trained in US mold-building standards and adheres to them for every single mold&#;not just when requested by a client.
Quality doesn&#;t come from an occasional effort. Quality comes from consistent effort, day in and day out.
If you can&#;t speak directly to your engineer, then there are gaps in your communication. How could there not be?
Jade Molds employs talented technicians in China and we have one of the highest retention rates in the industry. Our technicians tell us working here is the easiest job they&#;ve ever had&#;because of our consistent processes, we do it right the first time instead of &#;grinding it out&#; to resolve mistakes at the end.
Our US engineers have a combined 150+ years of experience, and you can speak directly to them with no middleman.
Want to talk to an engineer about your next mold? Click here for two easy options to get the help you need.
And as we said in problem #1, our consistent relationships with top suppliers means you never have to worry about substandard materials or substitutions.
This is the real test, isn&#;t it? You start using your injection mold and get a variety of problems.
Flashing, burning, short shots, warping, weld lines and similar production defects mean your injection mold is wasting valuable resources and costing you money and time on the production floor.
Your &#;bargain&#; mold just became a whole lot more expensive.
This happens because design problems were overlooked in the planning stage and those problems got built into the mold.
Require Moldex3D simulations for your molds.
This software is expensive and takes skill to run, and many mold makers simply don&#;t have the resources in-house to do it. You pay the price for this oversight with a shorter mold lifespan.
Jade&#;s engineers are certified Moldex3D technicians. Our expertise with this technology as well as our detailed planning and design processes mean your mold works exactly as planned on your production floor.
Unlike in the US, even with a contract there is no guarantee that you as the paying customer will own your tooling. And even if you can move it, your new vendor might refuse to use it.
(Though if you&#;re changing vendors because of a poor mold performance, you may not want your tooling.)
This issue is similar to problem #2 in that it boils down to cultural and business practice differences between countries.
In China, there is also no guarantee your tooling won&#;t be used to duplicate your product and sell it in another market&#;or even your own.
You have to trust the integrity of the company you&#;ve chosen. Are you confident they&#;ll adhere to your contract terms? Protect your intellectual property?
As an American company, Jade Molds operates on American business principles. We often surprise potential new customers by offering a signed boilerplate NDA agreement during our first conversation.
We want our customers to know we take intellectual property and contracts seriously.
If your vendor gives little importance to NDAs, contracts, or privacy, your assets are not secure. And if you don&#;t know how they&#;d act if you chose to take your business elsewhere, then take your business elsewhere.
If you&#;re experiencing any of the problems above, know you&#;re not alone.
Also know you have options.
You can attempt to solve the problems with your vendor using the suggestions above.
Now that you better understand why these problems are happening, you&#;re a whole lot closer to resolving them.
You start looking for a better partner.
You can start by talking with us about your next mold or your overall mold needs in a friendly call. Call us now at 888-549-.
Either way, you owe it to yourself to test what it&#;s like to get a mold at China prices with American service and quality.
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