Welcome to Part 2 of our series covering all aspects of injection molding: tools, considerations, and applications. Part 2 explores multi-cavity molds.
A multi-cavity mold is a template used to create two or more copies of the same part per cycle using multiple impressions of the part in one mold tool. In multi-cavity injection molding, the mold is designed with runners and gates that allow the molten plastic material to flow to each cavity with similar filling, packing, holding, and cooling times.
Now, let's compare the pros and cons of using a multi-cavity mold for your project.
Pros
- Reduces overall machine time with multiple parts produced per cycle
- Lower price per part over the life of the mold than with single-cavity molds
- Ideal for higher-volume projects
Cons
- Engineering a multi-cavity tool can be very complex.
- Upfront costs are higher due to additional engineering
- Lead times might be longer for design and fabrication
- It can require more frequent and intensive maintenance to confirm every cavity remains up to spec
Next, we will look at typical uses and applications for multi-cavity molds.
Multi-Cavity Mold Uses for Injection Molding
Multi-cavity injection molding is usually the right choice for the following scenarios:
- Volumes over 40,000 parts per month, depending on your overall machine capacity
- High-volume orders where a low cost per piece is the primary budgetary consideration
- Applications when a higher upfront cost is manageable
- Circumstances in which order volume requirements will be high or expected to ramp up quickly
- Commodity-type products where high volumes and fast production are needed, such as plastic fasteners, medical tubing, pharmaceutical packaging, bottle caps, and similar items
At Crescent Industries, we have years of experience with multi-cavity injection molding, making us an industry leader. We are proud to offer injection molding tooling solutions that include options ranging from one to 96 cavities. Our team of experts is ready to learn about your project requirements and help choose your application's most suitable mold type. We can assist you with product design, mold engineering, and production to meet your needs. For more information, contact us today.
This is Part 2 in our injection molding tooling series. To read Part 3 and learn about family molds, click here.
Resources:
https://www.kaso.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-multi-cavity-injection-molds/
https://www.boucherie.com/multi-cavity-injection-molding
https://www.moldprecision.com/blog/how-can-my-project-benefit-from-a-multi-cavity-injection-mold/