Injection Moulding & Tooling

From Conception to Completion

At Formero, we’re able to work with you from prototype to production, reducing lag time in communication between multiple suppliers, and eliminating the Blame Game often played when working with multiple companies.

Injection Moulding Experts

Using injection moulding technology we are able to create pre-production, short-run and mass-production parts in a wide range of plastic and elastomeric materials.

Our capabilities include CAD design, CAM, CNC machining, single & multi-cavity tools, Moldflow®, insert & over-moulding and finishing.

Our experienced Melbourne-based team will walk you through the entire process from:

  • Picking the right type of injection tooling for your project
  • Selecting the right plastics
  • Design validation
  • Final product quality assessment

Working closely with you we’re able to provide a service that is cost-effective, timely and reliable.

Download: White Paper | Design for Manufacture Guideline

Prototype Injection Moulding

At Formero, we understand that successful product development requires more than just high-volume production. That’s why we offer prototype / short run injection moulding—a preferred method that not only helps engineers and designers confirm part quality but also delivers real-world parts quickly.

Prototype injection moulding serves as a crucial bridge to production, minimising risks and enhancing product validation long before mass manufacturing begins. It’s an invaluable step that ensures your designs are thoroughly tested and perfected before entering the production phase.

Prototype and short run injection moulding is ideal in many situations where rapid entry to the market or pre-production samples are required. Whatever your design stage, Formero is here to support you with our comprehensive prototyping services.

Orange handheld scanning device

Close up of plastic orange part with round holes

Benefits of Using Injection Moulding for Prototyping:

Cost Reduction: By leveraging injection moulding for prototyping, we help you reduce overall costs associated with the prototyping phase.

Functional Testing: Our process facilitates functional testing using end-use materials, providing you with accurate insights into your product’s performance.

Faster Feedback: With Formero’s prototype injection moulding, you receive product feedback faster, enabling you to make timely adjustments and improvements.

Minimised Challenges: Anticipate and address unforeseen challenges early in the development process, minimising disruptions during production.

Formero is committed to delivering excellence in both high-volume production and prototype injection moulding. Contact us today to explore how our prototype injection moulding services can elevate your product development journey.

Injection Moulding

Injection moulding is the process of injecting molten plastic into a steel tool to form your parts. We have access to a wide range of plastic and elastomeric (rubber) materials and can use filled materials. We also manufacture two-shot and insert-moulded parts.

Materials

Injection moulding can be used with a wide range of materials, including but not limited to:

  • ABS
  • PC
  • Acrylic
  • PC+ABS
  • TPO
  • Elastomer/Rubber
  • Glass-filled PC, ABS, Nylon
  • Nylon
  • Ultem

Injection Tooling

Plastic injection moulding tools are integral to the modern manufacturing process. We specialise in both low volume and high-volume quantities. Our team will assist you throughout the tooling design process, including:

  • Parting lines, gate locations, ejector pins
  • Drafting
  • Moldflow analysis

With a huge range of production plastic and elastomeric materials, we utilise traditional technologies such as machining and EDM directly from your CAD files to quickly create tool inserts. These parts can have complex geometry, undercuts, threads, etc.

Materials

  • DME Steel Tooling
  • P-20 Steel Tooling
  • NAK 80 Steel Tooling
  • H-13 & S-7 Steel Tooling

Ready to speak with us?

If you have questions please feel free to contact us.

The injection moulding process works by injecting melted plastic into a steel injection tool (or mould cavity) – allowing it to form a specific shape when it cools and hardens.

Before deciding on an injection moulding tool for the project, one of the most important first steps is the creation of the prototype or part design using CAD software. Next, the right material is selected based on the desired properties and functions of the final product. Rubber injection moulding and the use of other plastic materials are often used for prototype production, as the material can be easily manipulated to create complex designs. Once these steps are completed, the tooling process begins, where the design is fed into an injection moulding machine.

These injection moulding machines utilise a combination of heat and injection pressure to melt plastic pellets. This molten plastic flows into a mould tool, which is made up of two halves that fit together and can be opened and closed. The type of plastic used depends on the requirements of the part.

An injection moulding machine is a piece of machinery used in the manufacturing process of plastic parts by injecting molten material into a mould tool. It is mostly made up of two parts – the injection unit and the clamping unit, which both have unique functions and work together to create the final product.

Micro injection moulding is a specialised form of injection moulding that is used to manufacture miniature parts and components with high precision. It employs the same basic principles as standard injection moulding, but the machinery, tools, and moulds used are tailored to produce extremely small parts, often with intricate designs.

The wall thickness of a part significantly impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of the injection moulding process. The maximum recommended wall thickness will differ depending on the material being used. You can contact our team to discuss your individual requirements.

Moulding condition refers to the various parameters that can be manipulated in an injection moulding machine, such as injection speed, temperature, pressure, and cooling time. These conditions can greatly impact the final product’s quality, so ensuring optimal moulding conditions is crucial for successful production.

Multiple cavity moulds are used in injection moulding to produce multiple parts at once. This is achieved by having multiple cavities (impressions of the final product) within a single mould tool. The number of cavities per tool will depend on the size and complexity of the individual parts. Using multiple cavity moulds can significantly increase production efficiency and reduce costs.

Sink marks are defects that can occur in injection moulding, typically appearing as small depressions or indents on an otherwise flat surface. These marks occur when the outer shell of a moulded part cools and solidifies before the inner, thicker sections. As these sections finally cool, they shrink, pulling the outer surface inward and creating a sink mark. Proper design, uniform wall thickness, and optimal moulding conditions can help minimize the occurrence of these defects. Our team can discuss these with you during the ordering process.

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