Fern Plastics

In the plastic manufacturing industry, the durability and longevity of a plastic injection mould or mold are crucial for cost-effective production. Moulds are expensive and represent a significant investment. Mould life expectancy can range from less than 500 cycles to over 1 million depending on aspects like the quality of the mould and the material being moulded. Understanding the lifespan of these moulds can help plastic manufacturers plan for maintenance and replacements as well as allow them to anticipate production capacity. In this article, we’ll explore how long plastic injection moulds are expected to last and the factors that can contribute to their longevity.

How Do Injection Molds Wear Out? 

Several factors can affect the durability and longevity of plastic injection moulds, including material selection and working environments. One significant factor is abrasion from the plastic being moulded, particularly when using glass-filled plastics. Additionally, chemical attack or corrosion from aggressive plastics like PVC or those containing flame retardant additives can cause moulds to wear out quickly. Fatigue from thermal cycling and the wear and tear of moving components, such as slides, lifters, and cores can also impact the mould’s lifespan. This is especially significant for unscrewing mechanisms that create screw threads in parts.

Plastic Injection Mould Material 

Aluminium can be used for moulds processing low melt temperature plastics and low demand, simple parts or prototypes. Aluminium was more popular for these applications before modern mould-making machinery reduced the machining time of steel to be comparable with aluminium. This eliminated much of the cost advantage. More recently aluminium moulds have been made by 3D printing but these are less durable.
Various steels are the most popular mould materials. Pre-hardened or “P20” steels are the least expensive but difficult to machine and refurbish. They do not maintain highly polished surface finishes well. Most plastic injection moulds are made in fully hardened steel “H13” which is more durable and can be refurbished several times. This helps to increase serviceable life and maintain polished surfaces.
Stainless steel or “Stavax” is used for moulds processing chemically aggressive plastics such as those having flame retardant additives. It is relatively expensive but a prudent investment.

The materials used for both the mould and the plastic being moulded play a big role in how long the mould lasts. Steel molds for plastic injection are a common choice for their durability in high-volume production and can exceed one million cycles.  Aluminium moulds for plastic injection are cheaper but they wear out faster making them suitable for low-volume production.

The type of thermoplastics used during manufacturing also matters as some plastics are more abrasive than others. Corrosive resins like PVC for example can damage aluminium moulds.

Plastic Injection Mould Design and Construction

A well-designed and precisely constructed mould will last longer. This is why investing in high-quality engineering is crucial. Higher-quality moulds have a much longer tool life and can last over 1 million cycles. Complex moulds can be more susceptible to wear and may require more maintenance due to their intricate parts. The way the components within the tool are arranged and the overall mould design can also dictate how long the mould will last. 

Plastic injection Mould Maintenance

Poorly maintained moulds not only cause defects and production delays but also significantly shorten the mould’s lifespan. This is why regular maintenance practices such as cleaning, lubricating, and inspecting are essential. With regular inspections, you can help identify any early signs of damage and extend the injection mould life expectancy with a minor repair. 

Production Volume

The number of cycles plastic injection mould tools are put through directly impacts their longevity. High production volumes mean more frequent use, which accelerates wear and tear. Manufacturers should ensure their production demands are combined with increased mould maintenance to avoid overworking the moulds and compromising their durability.

Operational Conditions

Plastic injection moulding operational conditions, including injection pressures, temperatures, and cycle times, also affect mould lifespan. High pressures and extreme temperatures can cause stress on the mould materials, while fast cycle times and increased production speed can also increase the rate of wear. By adjusting these parameters to optimal levels, manufacturers can help prolong the mould longevity.

How Long Does An Injection Mold Last? 

Injection moulding tools can have varied life expectancies depending on the factors mentioned and the injection moulding plastic materials. Here are some general estimates for different types of moulds and production volume levels.

• Prototype Moulds –  These typically last for a few hundred to a few thousand cycles and are used for low-volume production or testing.
• Medium production moulds – These moulds are built for medium production volumes and can last around 500,000 cycles
• High-Production Moulds – Usually made from hardened steel, these moulds can last for over a million cycles if properly maintained.

Plastic Injection Moulds from Fern Plastic

When it comes to effective plastic manufacturing, a well-designed and maintained plastic injection mould is essential. At Fern Plastics we offer plastic injection mould services that ensure your moulds are durable and efficient. Whether you need new moulds, repairs and maintenance or reshoring support for mould transfers, we can help. 

For more information about our plastic injection mould manufacturing, contact us online or call 01902 758282.

Plastic injection moulding is a fantastic tool to create dedicated items in large quantities for a low cost but choosing the right plastic injection moulding supplier is imperative to making your project a success. We talk you through the ways to choose the best plastic injection moulding supplier for your business needs.

Why is it Important to Choose the Right Plastic Injection Moulding Company?

When creating your plastic injection moulded product, it is important that you choose a company with experience in a range of fields that can do the job well the first time, if time is an issue for you, it is also important you choose a company with quick turnaround times to ensure you get your plastic injection moulding and plastic injection moulded product when you need it. If your injection moulding has technical aspects, experienced experts with high-tech equipment are essential.

What to Look at When Choosing a Plastic Injection Moulding Company

When looking at potential plastic injection moulding specialists, it can be hard to make the right decision. We’ve put together a few tips on what to look at when choosing the right injection moulding specialist for your project needs.

Specialist Industry Knowledge

Every industry is different, so having an injection moulding specialist can be incredibly helpful in identifying the unique issues and challenges your industry faces when it comes to creating plastic injection moulded products.

These specialists possess an in-depth understanding of material properties crucial for specific applications, which allows them to select the polymers that align with your product’s performance requirements. Additionally, their familiarity with industry regulations ensures that your moulded products adhere to the necessary standards and certifications. 

Injection moulding specialists also bring valuable insights into unique design details, so they can provide guidance on optimising moulds for enhanced functionality and cost-effectiveness within your industry. This targeted expertise not only enhances the manufacturing process but also contributes to the overall success of your moulded products giving you a competitive advantage over the competition.

State-of-the-Art Technology

State-of-the-art plastic injection mouldings require state-of-the-art machines. At Fern Plastics, we provide a wide range of intricate techniques with high-end machinery to create one-of-a-kind designs and finishes that perform under pressure.

As plastic manufacturers, our capabilities extend to advanced processes like gas-assist injection moulding that not only enhances the structural integrity of complex parts but also helps to reduce irregularities on the surface, sink marks and other cosmetic defects. This results in lighter yet robust components with superior surface finishes. Whether you require intricate designs or structural innovation, our cutting-edge technology ensures precision and efficiency in every aspect of your plastic injection moulding project.

Availability of Materials

When it comes to high-quality plastic injection moulds and plastic injection moulded products, quality materials are key. At Fern Plastics, our state-of-the-art Engel and Arburg machines melt a complete range of thermoplastic pellets to ensure the perfect combination for our injection moulded production.

With over 200 tonnes of readily available polymers in stock, we can meet your unique demands. Examples of thermoplastic materials we work with include versatile options like impact-resistant ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), UV-resistant polyamide and lightweight polycarbonate. 

Additionally, we offer sustainable choices such as recycled ABS in black and variants, which aligns with our dedication to environmental responsibility. Our diverse thermoplastic material selection caters to a spectrum of industries, allowing us to tailor solutions that precisely match the requirements of your specific applications.

Quick Turnaround for Plastic Injection Moulded Products

If you are on a tight time schedule, one of the first things you should check with your prospective plastic injection moulding supplier is how quick their injection moulding time frame is. Some plastic injection moulding specialists such as Fern Plastics feature 24-hour production on 3 shifts for a fast response and short lead-times when creating your plastic injection mould and plastic injection moulded products.

With a robust project management approach, Fern Plastics ensures efficient coordination across shifts, streamlining the entire production process while maintaining the highest quality standards to meet your project deadlines effectively.

Design Capabilities for Injection Moulds

At Fern Plastics, we have vast experience creating bespoke plastic injection moulds for a range of industries. Our qualified technical staff use CAD design with mould flow analysis to assist with product and mould tool design whilst project managers take time to get to know your business needs to ensure a fully-customised design that works for your individual needs. Our in-house tool room is perfectly equipped for the manufacture, modification and repair of mould tools, jigs, fixtures and gauges with every element carefully considered.

Environmental Impact

In recent times, it has become more important than ever for brands and companies to consider their environmental impact. One of the easiest ways to limit your effect on the environment is to work with companies that also monitor their impact. As a company, sustainability is an important element of how we work. Alongside our aim to recycle up to 100% of our plastic waste, we also use recycled packaging and aim to swap out our single-use plastic tape for paper tape, you can read more about our environmental policy statement here.

In-House Tool Production

When it comes to creating the moulds and tools for your plastic injection mouldings and moulded products, keeping every aspect of the production together is the key to the smooth running of your project. Producing tooling in-house allows complete control over your finished product with the ability to adapt your design according to any necessary changes to the design and use. Our fully-equipped in-house tool room allows for complete control over the professional manufacture, modification and repair of mould tools, jigs, fixtures and gauges to keep your plastic injection moulding project running smoothly.

Additionally, Fern Plastics offers reshoring opportunities, allowing new customers to relocate the manufacturing of their plastic injection moulds to our facilities, further ensuring efficient production processes.

Quality Finishes

When it comes to the production of plastic injection moulded products, the moulding is just the first step towards a finished product. Plastic injection moulded products often have a range of finishes to help them look the part. This could include elements such as paint finishes, chrome plating on highly polished ABS polymers or even insert or over moulding to create independent parts to your plastic injection moulding, all of which can be performed in-house by our specialist team. 

If you require laser marking such as indelible marking or etching for example for medical instruments, expert pad printing or any other type of high-quality finish, it is important that you check this is a service your plastic injection moulding specialist can provide before signing the dotted line.

Now you have an idea of what you need to consider when choosing the right injection moulding company, you can improve your chances of having a successful project from start to finish. Whether you are looking to move your custom plastic molding  production to another company or you’re looking for sustainable injection moulding options, Fern Plastics offers you a comprehensive service at competitive rates. For more information about our services, contact our team of experts today.

When it comes to plastic injection moulded products, quality and expertise are key. Fern Plastics have a number of years of experience in plastic injection moulding making us leaders in our industry. From technical know-how to state-of-the-art technology, we tell you what makes us specialists in our field.

Specialists in Highly-Technical Plastic Injection Mouldings

Whatever your project, we have the expertise to bring it to life. Over the years we have worked with individuals and companies from all types of industries with no project too big to set our minds to. Our state-of-the-art Engel and Arburg machines can melt a full range of thermoplastic pellets before injecting them into intricate custom moulds for impeccable product quality.

Over 60 Years in the Injection Moulding Industry

We’ve spent over 60 years being experts in our field so are confident that whatever project you have, we have the tools and the expertise to help. We’ve created a number of highly-bespoke and intricate plastic injection mouldings and moulded parts over the years so have learned the particular nuances of the trade.

High-Precision Moulds to Close Tolerances Every Time

Fern Plastics are specialists in technically challenging plastic injection mouldings with outstanding specifications for leak-free and pressure-tight plastic injection mouldings. We’ve built up a reputation so that you can be assured your injection mouldings will be right first time every time. Our gas injection mouldings improve aesthetics and reduce the material content in thicker sections for accuracy.

Efficient Plastic Injection Mouldings That Don’t Compromise on Quality

Fern Plastics operates a 24-hour production on three shifts in order to respond fast to demand and create short lead times for all of our plastic injection mouldings. Our 6-axis robots ensure consistent cycling and improve both productivity and quality whilst our experts can create insert mouldings or over mouldings which include two or materials for complete flexibility.

Value-Added Services to Create a Superior Product

Alongside our standard plastic injection moulding services, Fern Plastics also provide a wide range of added services to ensure a superior product and complete flexibility when it comes to the useability of your product. To find out more about our added services, take a look at the blog.

Contact the Plastic Injection Moulding Specialists

Whatever your project, our team of highly specialised experts are ready to make your project a success. We always deliver on time and pride ourselves on creating the highest-quality product to extremely close consistencies each and every time. We can provide specialist injection mould services no matter how big or small the project.

To find out more about how we can help bring your plastic injection moulding ideas to life, contact our team now.

If you are searching for a custom plastic injection moulding company that offers a bespoke suite of services and won’t let you down, Fern Plastics is here to help. Our custom plastic moulds are completely unique to you with your involvement every step of the way from design to production so you can be sure to find the perfect custom plastic mould to suit your businesses needs. Read on to find out how we are one of the leading plastic mould manufacturers, creating custom plastic moulds to impress.

Highly-Technical Bespoke Plastic Injection Mouldings

We work closely with our clients to ensure we understand exactly what their custom plastic injection moulding requires. Our fully-trained and experienced staff use CAD design alongside mould flow analysis to assist with product and mould tool design to ensure the perfect fit whilst our prototyping is done through partners in the UK and internationally for a wide pool of talent. We consistently develop high-quality, highly-technical plastic injection mouldings for a range of industries with fast lead times and low unit costs whilst maintaining the highest level of accuracy.

A Quality Custom Plastic Mould Manufacturer You Can Trust

With over 60 years in the industry, we have developed tried and tested methods of creating the custom plastic injection mouldings you need. We have countless happy customers who return to use our custom plastic mould services time and again with the same fantastic and reliable service each and every time. Our attention to detail is undeniable as we create intricate plastic moulds for a variety of purposes in our fully-equipped in-house tool room, designed for the bespoke manufacture, modification and repair of mould tools, jigs, fixtures and gauges. We can make new, cost-efficient moulds for new plastic injection mouldings or use your existing plastic moulds for a flexible service.

A Personalised Injection Moulding Service

From the start of your journey with us to the end, you will be assigned a project manager to overlook and coordinate your project and ensure you are happy with the outcome. We offer a selection of value-added services from assembly and test to just in time logistics, fire retardant mouldings and high quality finishes to provide a plastic injection moulding service that is bespoke to you and your company’s needs. Your project manager will create the most effective product for your needs through in-depth understanding of the requirements, demands and uses of your plastic injection moulds and conveying these to our experienced design and production teams.

If you are looking for a trusted plastic injection moulding service, get in touch with our team to find out more about how we can help you achieve your company’s goals.

At Fern Plastics, we recognise that as a plastic injection moulding business, responsible consumption and production is key to ensuring a lasting legacy for our company and the planet. Avoiding waste and recycling up to 100% of our plastic and other waste is key to ensuring we do not play a heavy part in filling the world’s landfill sites and oceans with our discarded by-products.

Up to 100% Recycled Waste

When it comes to getting rid of waste in the plastic industry, we know that our choices are important. That’s why we aim to reuse and recycle up to 100% of our plastic and manufacturing waste to be used for future projects. Our in-house robots and granulators supplied by our partners Geiger Systems help maximise the amount of plastic waste we can reuse in future projects without a compromise in quality. Doing this ensures that every bit of plastic we use and produce is used to its highest capacity, reducing the amount of waste we as a company produce every single day.

Of course, quality is paramount for us and some plastic waste we are unable to reuse using our in-house recycling methods. Any waste materials that don’t meet the strict technical requirements our customers need, including any bags, is collected by our partners Recycled UK who can then re-process it for other non-technical markets. We have put multiple steps in place to create a circular economy in our plastic injection moulding process in order to reduce the environmental impact our industry and do our bit as a company to ensure our practices are as sustainable as they can be.

Recycled Packaging

Disposable packaging makes up the bulk of waste in industries across the world. Product boxes are produced, used once and sent to landfill for the whole process to begin again. As part of our commitment to reducing waste at Fern Plastics, we have created a circular process to ensure our cardboard waste is put to use. Our cardboard packaging supplier Allpack take away all of our cardboard waste and recycle it into new cartons that can be used to transport our goods. This reduces the amount of materials we consume as a company and creates a reusable alternative to the single-use box.

Making the Whole Process Recyclable

When looking at ways to reduce our environmental impact during the plastic injection moulding production process, one of the biggest issues of waste we found was the use of plastic tape to keep items together when sending out to our clients. This plastic tape would then be cut and thrown away, creating further avoidable waste. In order to combat this, we are trialling swapping out our plastic tape for paper tape. This has the same purpose, but can be easily recycled after use and is not as harmful to the environment to produce. This is just one of the changes we are trialling to make our process completely recyclable at every stage.

Fern Plastics is a one-stop-shop for a range of plastic injection moulding needs with a number of added services such as chrome, paint or printed finishes, welding, assembly and testing, delivered Just In Time and more. If you would like to find out more, get in touch online now or call us on 01902 758282 to talk to a member of our team.

Established in 1959, Fern Plastics is a Wolverhampton-based company providing plastic injection moulding and more. Our well-trained workforce is highly motivated to supply customers in the UK and Europe from our modern and efficient purpose-built plant based on a prime 9000 m2 site in Wolverhampton. As a proud West-Midlands plastic injection moulding company, our primary objective is to retain and increase the company’s strength and security whilst providing an unparalleled service to every one of our valued customers. Over the years, we have established ourselves a great reputation for innovation and flexibility in the industry and we are widely recognised by our loyal customers. 

For added peace of mind and confidence, our quality and environmental management systems are independently accredited to ISO9000 and ISO14001 respectively. 

What Do Fern Plastics Do?

At Fern Plastics we create bespoke plastic injection moulding solutions for a range of industries. We are proud to include a number of very demanding ‘blue-chip’ international customers in our portfolio and strive to provide world-class service to each and every customer. Our modern Arburg and Engel plastic injection moulding machines produce high-quality, technical plastic injection mouldings with close precision, accuracy and repeatability up to 2.5kg in all thermoplastics and finishes.

We are proven to be agile and cost-effective service with 24-hour production for short lead times. We have the capability to make new, cost-efficient, custom moulds or transfer your existing moulds to us for a reliable and responsive production service for both small or large quantities. 

We are with you every step of the way from concept through production even supporting spare parts legacies. Supporting you with material selection, problem-solving and DFM our excellent new product introduction process and superb project management will be executed by our incredibly knowledgeable, experienced team. You are in safe hands. 

Value-Added Services from Fern Plastics

Whilst we are industry leaders in plastic injection mouldings, our fantastic service doesn’t stop there. We also provide a range of essential, complementary services for your business. These include:

• Gas-Assisted Injection Moulding
• Insert Moulding / Over-Moulding
• Ultrasonic Welding and Heat Welding
• Assembly and Testing
• Tampo Printing / Pad Printing
• Laser Marking
• Decorative and Resistant Finishes
• Just-in-Time Logistics

Where Are Fern Plastics Based?

Our team of highly-trained, qualified and experienced technical staff primarily work from our purpose-built Wolverhampton factory in the West Midlands. Fern Plastics injection moulding conveniently sits close to the M6 and M54 motorways and is just 15 minutes away from the main Wolverhampton railway station. Three major international airports are also less than an hour away from our Wolverhampton factory site.

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Get in Touch

Contact us now on 01902 758282 to discuss how we can help your business thrive or get in touch via the website to send us an email.