How much do we depend on plastic in this day and age? The answer is quite a bit — more than you might think. Yet despite the fact that much of what we use and rely on is made of plastic, many of us don’t know how it is made in the first place. Surprisingly enough, many plastic products are made through the same basic process. Plastic molding manufacturers utilize a production process that is both efficient and intelligent. The genius of the plastic molding process is that it can make a large amount of identical products and parts in a short amount of time. This is part of what makes plastic products cheaper than alternatives made of different materials. Below, we’ll explore not only the process used to make plastic molded parts, but what is made through this process. The more we know about this process, the more we’ll be able to understand the plastics manufacturing industry and how certain products are supplied — meeting a strong demand. The plastic products made through this process not only serve a wide variety of purposes, but can serve as models and prototypes for final products that aren’t made of plastic. For that matter, this process can often make small parts that are just small pieces of larger products. Without further ado, let’s explore the plastic molding process and what it produces.

How The Plastic Molding Process Works

A plastic molding company can focus on one type of product — like commercial rolling laundry trucks — or a number of products, like plastic lockers and custom recycling bins. No matter what the product, the process usually works in one of a few basic manners. Essentially a heated plastic is molded and set into the product that it is meant to become. Usually, the molding process involves the oven being heated through convection, conduction, or even in some cases radiation. The temperature it’s heated to range from around 500 degrees Fahrenheit to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. This depends on the type of polymer used. It will then be rotated — usually at a slow pace of less than 20 rotations per minute, in a non-centrifugal motion. The timing of this process is extremely critical. An estimated 80% to 90% of all material used in the rotation process is polyethylene. There are two types of rotational machines that are most commonly used. These include independent arm and fixed arm turret machine. In the case of a fixed arm turret machine, all arms, usually three or four, operate at the same time.

What The Plastic Molding Process Creates

Again, a wide range of products can be made through this process. Often, they are made on a commercial level — commercial rolling laundry trucks, for example, are usually made out of plastic and thus are perfect candidates for this process. Commercial rolling laundry trucks serve a wide audience — they are usually bought by Laundromats, and then supplied to customers. These coin laundries command a surprising revenue — with a market value between $50,000 and $1 million, they generate between $15,000 and $200,000 each year. Commercial rolling laundry trucks make it easier for consumers to handle their laundry, and therefore are very necessary to the process and produced in large volume. Of course, these aren’t the only products made in this process. Plastic lockers can also be made through this process, as well as recycling carts and custom plastic parts.

The Benefits Of The Plastic Molding Process

The benefits of the plastic molding process are clear — it’s perfect for large-scale manufacturing, something necessary to many commercial industries. A large amount of pieces that are completely identical can be made in a short amount of time, and cheaply as well. It offers more economic tooling processes than other molding processes. It also produces one seamless piece, which creates virtually stress free parts. Therefore, the value of this process cannot be undervalued.