Leading injection moulding company, Proto Labs has officially launched its insert moulding service at Pacific Design & Manufacturing, taking place this week.
Expanding on the company’s rapid injection moulding offerings, this new capability can produce 25 to 10,000-plus insert-moulded parts in 15 days or less.
Insert moulding is the process of overmoulding thermoplastic material around a preformed component to create a finished part that incorporates multiple materials. Generally, the inserts are metal parts used to reinforce the mechanical properties of the plastic part. The metal inserts are placed into the mould to form the part.
“We’re delighted to now be delivering a new service that designers and developers have been asking us for,” said Proto Labs CEO Vicki Holt. “As we help companies large and small accelerate their product development with our digital manufacturing methods, insert moulding offers another important tool for these companies to make prototype or end-use parts as quickly as possible.”
Proto Labs has added this new capability to its range after insert moulding has become commonplace in manufacturing processes. A variety of components are manufactured with insert moulding, such as electronic parts, medical equipment, housing, knobs, handles and dials, and are found in several industries, including medical, automotive and consumer products.
Product designers and engineers often use insert moulding to enhance the strength of a part, while trimming its weight and reducing assembly costs, production time and labour. Proto Labs has already received glowing feedback of its insert moulding service from one of its clients.
“With quick-turn insert moulding services at Proto Labs, I was able to receive functional prototypes in weeks,” said Chris Mazzucco, Design and Development Engineer at Zebra Technologies, an Illinois-based information technology company that manufactures and sells marking, tracking and computer printing technologies.
Proto Labs will be at the Pacific Design & Manufacturing Show in Anaheim between February 7th – 9th. Stationed at Booth #3415, the company is available to give more information on its insert moulding services and other rapid manufacturing processes.