Glossary

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a process used to create three-dimensional objects by adding layers of material one at a time.

Custom fixturing involves specialized tools holding plastic parts in manufacturing, tailored to specific shapes and dimensions.

Design for assembly (DFA) optimizes product design, aiming to cut assembly costs, time, and challenges by early consideration of assembly processes.

Design for manufacturing optimizes product design for easy, cost-effective manufacturing, focusing on high quality and low cost.

The heat staking process bonds plastics by softening a section with localized heat and embedding another component, creating a permanent join.

Injection molding efficiently mass-produces high-quality plastic parts in various shapes and sizes with rapid and consistent results.

An ISO Certification ensures credibility and trust by verifying companies, products, or systems meet global standards for quality, safety, and sustainability.

Insert molding involves embedding pre-formed parts into plastic molds to create finished products. It’s typically used in aerospace and medical industries.

LED light curing systems use specific wavelengths of light to solidify liquid resins or coatings into solid plastics or polymers, quickly and precisely.

Laser etching is a process where a laser beam is used to remove or modify the surface of a plastic material. It’s used for serial numbers and other identifiers.

Multiple cavity molds contain more than one cavity, allowing for the simultaneous production of multiple identical parts in a single molding cycle.

New product design in plastic manufacturing is the creation of innovative plastic products, tailored to precise market demands. Learn about plastic product design.

Learn the basics of pad printing, a process used to transfer 2D images onto 3D objects. We explore benefits, applications, and more.

Medical plastics injection molding shapes molten plastic into medical devices via high-pressure injection into molds, offering versatility for healthcare products.

Plastic tooling is the designing and creating of molds for precise mass production of plastic parts, vital for shaping melted plastic efficiently.

Plastic product design involves creating functional, appealing products suited for mass production due to plastic's versatility and cost-efficiency.

Overmolding is a multi-step injection molding process where two or more components are molded over top of one another.

Plastics manufacturing involves converting raw plastic materials into finished products to produce a wide range of plastic goods for diverse industries.

Post molding operations are procedures done on injection molded plastic parts after the initial molding to enhance the product’s specifications.

Rapid prototyping quickly creates plastic prototypes using additive manufacturing, offering speed and cost efficiency over traditional manufacturing methods.

Reverse engineering involves analyzing a plastic product to understand its materials, design, and manufacturing, often by dissecting it, in order to improve it.

Secondary manufacturing processes improve aesthetics, functionality, and precision of molded plastic parts, creating a more complete product for customers.

Explore the purpose of sub assemblies as part of the manufacturing process, including advantages and challenges.  

Thermoplastic resins are synthetic materials designed for specific applications, tailored for desired properties like strength, durability, and heat resistance.

Ultrasonic welding is a fast, efficient, and clean process used to join thermoplastic parts together without the need for adhesives or mechanical fasteners.

A vertical injection molding machine is used to manufacture plastic parts by injecting molten material into a mold.

Virgin resin is the purest, unprocessed plastic resin made directly from natural resources, which provides superior performance.