Having finished the Tools of the Trade series on circuit board assembly, let’s look at some of the common methods for doing enclosures. First, and possibly the most common, is injection molding. This ...

Keeping moldability top of mind during the design process not only ensures that parts perform as intended, but can help save time and cut down on production costs. Before it even hits the factory ...

Common Injection Molding Design Mistakes and Optimization Guide was not just breaking news within the First Mold, but a major ...

Ejector pins are the “bouncers” of the injection molding world. They let technicians apply a force to eject a part from the mold, and, in some cases, can leave marks. The goal for engineers and ...

Injection molding, one of the most widely used manufacturing processes for plastic parts, is also one of the most complex. From tool design to process validation, there are countless opportunities for ...

Although everyone knows that plastic injection molding can produce mass volumes of parts with precision and low cost, not every manufacturer gets the process right, which could defeat its purpose and ...

One of the greatest disadvantages of plastic materials is their flexibility and relatively low stiffness. One of the greatest advantages of plastic materials is their flexibility and low stiffness.

3D printing is great for prototyping, and not bad for limited runs of parts. Unfortunately though it really doesn’t scale well beyond a few pieces, so when you’re ready for the mass market you will ...

Optical grade polycarbonate and biomedical grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) were used for injection molding with silicon tooling. Micro and sub-micro features with a range of aspect ratio were ...

Injection molding has long been the workhorse for producing plastic parts. It’s economical for high volumes and offers reliable and repeatable methods for most designs. Additive manufacturing, also ...