Injection Molding Material Selection

Injection Molding Material Selection for a particular application requires an intimate knowledge of its purpose. Depending on the application there might be several suitable plastics. There are only a handful of plastic types to choose from however within each type there are thousands of grades which have been formulated to have particular characteristics. If you are trying to choose the best plastic then below are the main application criteria to consider.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to read about our injection molding material selection service. Applications might include food, medical, drones, lighting, housings, appliances, batteries, building materials, caps, thin wall, fittings, EV, sporting goods, dental, biodegradable, overmolding, gas assisted etc

Materials might include but not limited to:PP, HDPE, LDPE, PS, PC, ABS, PEEK, PEAK, PMMA, PET, SAN, TPE, Cellulose, EVA, PVC, PBT, Nylons, PP+EPDM Rubber, etc Contact us with questions

Can also select a plastic material with renewable resource content such as corn starch.

Indoor or Outdoor Use

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Outdoor use is subject to a range of weather conditions. Sun, wind, rain & fluctuating temperatures means only certain plastics will survive. For example, direct UV light from the sun will degrade plastics quickly if a UV stabilizer is not present. Indoor application might also be exposed to UV light but with much less intensity. Indoor applications might be subject to certain chemicals or electrical demands so only choose those plastics that are made for these applications.

Temperature Range

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Certain plastics are made for extreme temperatures. Some grades of Nylon 6 will perform well at low temperatures whereas PEAK can be used at over 200 degrees Celsius continuously & used as a metal replacement.

Recyclability

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Injection molding material selection criteria will often include recyclability. This is an important point to consider when costing and marketing your product. Recyclability can be used as a marketing point to help sell your product while playing your part in the circular economy. Some virgin pallets are also manufactured with 25% recycled material such as Triesa Plastics Nylon66

Carbon Footprint Reduced

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Some plastics can be selected using this criteria. This means they are produced from renewable resources. Carbon footprint, however, does depend upon manufacturing location such as Avients TPE data sheet states.

Chemical Exposure

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A plastics such as polycarbonate which are very tough & durable under normal conditions will soften or discolour in the presence of some cleaning chemicals such as thinners

Mechanical Loads & Impact Resistance.

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This is especially important for engineering parts but also applies to other industries such as food so that containers can withstand a drop test at different temperatures.

Optical Requirements.

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Does the application required excellent optical clarity or is an opaque or coloured finish needed? For excellent clarity, Polycarbonate is a common choice, however, some grades of PP have been developed as a replacement option for polycarbonates clarity (Invista P9R6K-054A).
Colourability of a plastic should be considered when selection a plastic for a particular application as some grades mix certain colours better than others so check with the manufacturer before purchasing.

Processability

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The ability to convert plastic pallets in to a useful part will directly affect your costs. Some plastics are easier to injection mould than others so choose a grade which will minimize cycle time & quality issues. For example, Eastman's copolyester product that contains mold release for ease of injection

Additives

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There are many different types of additives available in order to tailor a material to a specific application. Here are just a few: flame retardant, hydrolysis resistant (to help withstand exposure to heat & humidity), anti-static, heat stabilizer, lubricant, metal deactivator, mould release, nucleating agent ( to help reduce cycle time), antimicrobial & processing aid.

Conlusion 

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Injection Molding Material Selection of plastics is not always a simple process especially with so many grades available for so many applications. Food, medical, drones, lighting, housings, appliances, batteries, building materials, caps, thin wall, fittings, EV, sporting goods, dental, overmolding etc. this makes it very difficult to find the right material for the right price.

Injection Molding Material Selection Service

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We can help you with selection by offering you up to 4 data sheets from the plastic manufactures all based upon your applications requirements. Price is $AUD95.00 so fill out the form below.

Note we do not make or sell any plastic materials. We just provide Data Sheets from the manufacturers.

Contact us with questions

This Form cannot be submitted until the missing fields (labelled below in red) have been filled in
Material Selection Recommendations
Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.
First Name*
E-Mail Address*
Country*	CountryUnited StatesCanada----------------AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntiguaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribadiNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoFederated States of MicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontserratMoroccoMontenegroMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaS. Georgia and S. Sandwich Isls.Saint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSt. HelenaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSudanSurinameSvalbardSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamUS Virgin IslandsWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenYugoslavia (former)ZaireZambiaZimbabwe
Name of application*
Brief description of application*
Availability*	Africa & Middle East Asia Pacific Europe Latin America North America
Use*	Indoor Outdoor
Lifetime*	minutes hours days weeks years decades
Impact resistance*	high medium low
Optical clarity*	important not important
High Gloss*	important not important
Paint compatability*	yes no
Food safe*	yes no
Moisture ressistance*	yes no
Sterilization required*	yes no
Chemical exposure?
Temperature range?*
Temperature exposure time?
Mechanical loads applied?
Any known required additives?
Any particular regulatory requirements?
Electrical characteristics?
Any other important criteria or comments?
GDPR*	I am at least 16 years of age. I have read and accept the privacy policy. I understand that you will use my information to contact me or send me the information I requested.
Disclaimer*	All products are recommended upon condition that purchasers shall make their own tests to determine the suitability of such products for their particular purposes and uses and purchaser assumes all risks and liability for the results of use of the products, including use in accordance with seller's recommendations.
Please enter the word that you see below.

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