3 Ways to Optimize Costs for Custom Plastic Pieces

Should You Optimize Your Custom Plastic Pieces?

While optimizing your custom plastic pieces involves an up-front cost, it can save you time and money on your injection molding operations. Designing for manufacturability can reduce overall production costs and improve efficiency, which allows you to become more competitive in the marketplace. If this sounds appealing, you may be wondering how you get started. In this blog, we’re showing you three easy ways to optimize costs for your custom plastic pieces. Let’s dive in.

How to Optimize Costs for Your Custom Plastic Pieces

Material Selection and Optimization

The material you choose for your custom plastic pieces has a huge impact on your overall costs. For example, opting for engineering plastics like ABS, polycarbonate, and nylon offer various properties that can reduce the need for additional additives or treatments, reducing your costs.

Additionally, using recycled or regrind plastics can be a cost-effective option compared to virgin materials. Recycled plastic is just as durable as new plastic, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. However, it is important to note that recycled plastics won’t be compatible with all projects. Talking to an experienced injection molder can help you understand the pros and cons of using this kind of material.

To further optimize costs, you can look into bulk purchasing. Look into collaborating with suppliers to negotiate bulk purchase agreements. Or, consider forming partnerships with other manufacturers to combine orders and leverage better pricing.

Design Optimization

Optimizing design for manufacturability (DFM) ensures you can streamline production and reduce expenses. The first step is to simplify the design. Complex designs often lead to higher tooling and production costs; simplifying the design can minimize the amount of required manufacturing steps. Additionally, standardizing components and sizes where possible can cut down on the need for specialized tooling and simplify the assembly process.

You can also design for minimal waste in order to cut material costs. This may involve techniques such as nesting parts within each other during the molding process or using thinner walls where possible. No matter what, consulting a qualified injection molding engineering team can help you determine the appropriate ways to optimize the design of your piece.

Process Optimization

Investing in an injection molding facility with high-quality tooling and automation capabilities can also help you save on your overall costs. The better quality your tooling is, the less risk you assume with rework or replacements.

Also, a manufacturer that has automation in the manufacturing process likely has lower labor costs, which they can pass on to you. Automation can come in a range of technologies, but the most useful are collaborative robots — also known as cobots. Cobots are instrumental in automating processes that are repetitive or aren’t ideal for team members to complete. This might include part replacement/removal, de-gating, hot stamping, and applying labels to products. They’re meant to work in tandem with humans, making the process simpler and easier for everyone involved.

Work with Deluxe Plastics to Optimize Your Custom Plastic Parts

When you need to optimize your custom plastic parts, turn to the experts at Deluxe Plastics. Since 1928, we’ve been helping businesses create and optimize their operations, saving them time and money in the long run. With extensive experience, a dedicated team, and state-of-the-art machinery, we’re ready to take on even the most challenging projects.

As a full-service injection molding company, we can help you with everything from the initial design to secondary services. And, with three Wisconsin locations and one overseas production facility, we can accommodate a range of production needs. All of our facilities have rigid quality management systems, ensuring your products are made to your exact specifications, every time. Trust us to create the ideal product for your needs.

Let’s Get Started

Want to learn more about what we can do for you? Reach out to our team for an initial consultation.