Blog

How to evaluate LSR molding companies: tooling and cold-runner systems, material grades, cleanliness requirements, validation records and the questions that separate suppliers.

What to expect from a liquid silicone rubber injection molding manufacturer: LSR versus cast silicone molds, tooling, validation records and choosing a supplier.

Sink marks in injection molding explained: what causes them, how they differ from ejector pin marks, and the design, gate and process countermeasures that remove them.

Flash in injection molding explained: why material escapes the cavity, which factors decide flash thickness, and the tooling and process countermeasures that actually work.

Injection molding design rules for engineers: wall thickness, draft, ribs, bosses, A-side and B-side considerations, and a checklist that prevents tooling changes later.

Pre-plating preparation explained: cleaning, activation and pre-treatment for difficult metals, why adhesion fails, and what to send with a plating enquiry.

Overmolding services explained: how the process works, which substrates bond, why cost depends on tooling and cycle time, and how to brief a two-material part.

Insert molding explained: when to mould around a metal insert, how inserts are located and retained, design rules for wall thickness, and what the tooling adds to cost.

Bridge tooling explained: what it is used for in development, how it differs from prototype and production tools, and when to retire it in favour of the final mold.

Additive manufacturing explained as a production option: how the process families differ, when printing moves from prototyping into manufacturing, and what changes when it does.

Injection molding tooling costs explained: what the fee covers, what drives the number, how to compare quotes and when tooling is worth committing to.

Co-extruded plastic profiles explained: how two materials run through one die, what co-extruded films are, and when the extra die complexity pays for itself.