Overmolding - A Branch of Plastic Injection Molding
Overmolding is an injection molding process to combine multiple material into a single part in a seamless way. Overmolding includes a rigid, plastic-base part overlaid with a thin and pliable rubber exterior layer or other materials using a single-shot or two-shot technique. Overmolding is increasingly popular in industries. It you consider the benefits that overmolding offers, you will find overmolding is a great rapid manufacturing process for your next projects.
Why overmolding?
Overmolding process is used in a wide range of industries and manufacturing industries. Overmolding process involves injection molding and it is by urethabe casting to produce prototypes with high quality. The injection molding allows to mold two or more than two layers of material together. The overmolding is helpful in plastic and rubber overmolding. The overmolding is useful for industries which need to manufacture prototypes quickly of various industrial machine parts. The overmolding is also useful when customized parts are made by overlaying plastic or rubber with other materials. Overmolding reduces shock and vibration. It provides electrical insulation and improves chemical or UV resistance. It increases product longevity. Overmolding improve product viability and customer satisfaction but it reduces the production costs.
What is overmolding process?
Many of the products we use in our daily life are made out of rubber and plastic. These materials are strong, flexible. They can be made in nearly any shape we need them for industrial applications. Some specific rubbers and plastics can resist extreme conditions and help us to perform the tough jobs. WithOvermolding Process, manufacturers can take the efficiency of rubber, plastic and other materials to the next level. The overmolding process allows to use more than a single layer of rubber or plastic to make parts stronger, more aesthetic or with more functions.
How does overmolding work?
With overmolding, a machine parts can be produced by combining two or more materials into one. The used materials can be the same materials or different materials. The combinations of materials are endless. Each overmolding projects breaks down into two parts. The first part is the substrate and the second one is the overmold. The substrate is the base material. Substrate can be any type of materials. And the overmold is the secondary material which is used to mold over the substrate. In some cases, there are two or more overmolds in the process. The number of overmold depends on the end product and the creative level of manufacturers.
What are the benefits of overmolding?
1. It makes the products have better performance.
Using overmolding to design and produce a part can improve product performance. For example, TPE is a good material to produce a soft, non-slip grip for any quantity of parts when tactile sensitivity is not comfortable but important, such as surgical instruments. TPE surface is an barrier to protect the product and extend its life by reducing shock, vibration and noise.
2. Overmolding increases shelf appeal
With overmolding, product can stand out from other competitors. TPE can be used to produce an attractive surface. TPE can be made in a wide range of colors. Transparent TPE surface with a logo, message or operation instruction can be overmoled on customized or patterned substrates.
3. Overmolding reduces production cost
Overmolding lowers production cost by reducing the manufacturing steps. For example, in automotive market, it eliminates the injection molding need, assembly and secondary finishing like printing, painting or coating.
Is overmolding suitable for your projects?
The overmolding process is suitable for making many applications. Before determining if overmolding is right for your projects, you should consider some factors which include product design, materials selection, injection molding and equipment budgets, labor cost and order quantity. Working with a professional custom injection molder like TEAM Rapid, our team of expert help to navigate the advantages and disadvantages of using the overmolding process for your projects. And we will guide you to the best decision for application. To learn more about overmolding process and how to use overmolding to improve performance and aesthetics and reducing production, feel free to contact us today.
What are the overmolding material options?
Which material work best for overmolding? The possibilities of combinations are endless. It depends on the desired results. Different materials have different advantages and properties. Some are best for flexibility and some are best for strength. Some can withstand extreme conditions. When it comes to choosing overmolding materials, manufacturers will reply on the evaluation process for all kinds of materials. New materials are being developed which help to have a standard evaluation process to compare different materials instead of evaluating each material one by one.
Temperature
Some materials good for flexible application they cannot withstand extreme temperatures. Most of overmolding methods involves heat, especially for injection molding. So, when choosing materials for overmolding, just make sure they can withstand high temperatures without losing original features. This applies to overmold material and substrate material.
Hardness
When choosing materials for overmolding injection moulding, just make sure the materials are strong enough to stand up to indentation in overmolding process. It is also necessary to evaluate if the material will bend. If The material bends, it will affect the grip of your parts. If the grip is compromised, the two materials may not hold together.
Thickness
In some cases, the overmolding process is used in applications with sound or vibration dampening. These kinds of applications need thick material to ensure the end products will work. The thicker material will absorb vibration. It has a soft feel. When it comes to dampening vibration or sound, thinner materials will not work well.
Bonding
The purpose of using overmolding is to get the materials bond together. But in some cases, some materials have difficulty to bond together. At this point, making indents or undercuts in one of the materials will help the process done.
Friction
It is varied for the friction level of every material used in the overmolding process. The friction level will impact two materials move against each other. Every material has its own coefficient of friction. It will dictate how much friction the materials create. The coefficient of friction and surface textures are important factors to bond materials together successfully. The more surface texture and frication, the easier it is to bone two materials together.
Why choose TEAM Rapid for overmolding?
If you need overmolding parts, you are at the right place. TEAM Rapid produces high quality and on-demand injection molding parts for both prototypes and production parts. With overmolding, you can combine multiple materials together. Overmolding is a great way to produce plastic parts perform and look better. Our experienced engineers specialized in complex projects. We aim to offer long term overmolding solution. We offer overmolding solutions for every industry which includes medical injection molding all around the world. Contact us today if your need overmolding services.
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