Plastic Injection Molding as an Alternative to Fabrication

If you’re thinking of finding an alternative to plastic injection molding for your project, there are a few things you should consider during your search.

Although injection molding has higher upfront costs, you’ll be glad you invested in your product once it picks up momentum on the market. Fabrication is less expensive initially, but it limits your product when you need it most.

Today, we’re going over why injection molding is more advantageous in the long run than plastic fabrication. Luckily, if you’ve already begun a project, we can help you switch from fabrication to injection molding (details below).

Plastic Fabrication vs Injection Molding Costs

One of the most difficult obstacles preventing product developers from having their product injection molded is the initial tooling investment. At first glance, many product developers form the conclusion that plastic injection molding is too expensive. These folks are placing more importance on short-term needs, most likely during a prototyping phase, when true return on investment is realized once a new product has been brought to market and begins to gain momentum.

For a more detailed breakdown of injection molding costs, please read our informative guide here.

What is plastic fabrication?

Plastic fabrication is a general term for manually producing plastic products. Plastic fabrication may include the machining, saw cutting, laser cutting, forming, and fastening of plastic parts. It is a versatile and effective way to prototype and market test a new product with very little initial investment. However, it does not scale well in higher volume scenarios.

What are the limitations?

The limitations of plastic fabrication come into play when a product actually gains market traction— terrible timing, as this should be the goal for any new product. When this happens, the part manufacturer will experience difficulty meeting demand due to the labor-intensive nature of fabrication. With so much part-by-part labor involved, the capacity to output parts remains low. It’s at that point that people often begin to investigate plastic injection molding.

When should I consider using plastic fabrication?

Plastic fabrication is typically the best option for projects that have a low run. You don’t need to invest in tooling, which makes it ideal for prototyping, testing a product in the market, or producing small batches where precision and customization matter more than volume. 

If you’re unsure whether your idea will gain traction, fabrication allows you to keep costs low while maintaining flexibility in your design. Once your product begins to scale and demand increases, however, fabrication quickly becomes less efficient compared to injection molding.

When should I consider plastic injection molding?

Plastic injection molding is the right choice once your product has proven demand and you’re ready to scale production. If you expect medium to high-volume runs, injection molding significantly lowers your per-part cost while keeping each part consistent and durable across thousands or even millions of units. 

It’s also ideal when your design has been finalized, since tooling is a long-term investment that pays off as sales volume grows. In short, when you’re moving from prototype to production and need efficiency, reliability, and cost savings at scale, injection molding is the best path forward.

Case Study

Consider the following scenario:

If a product is fabricated for $2 each and has a sales volume of 500 units per month, the annual cost of production would be $12,000. If a single cavity plastic injection mold (one that produces one part each machine cycle) can be built to produce that same product for $5,000, and be produced for $.70 each, that product owner can recoup their tooling costs in less than eight months ($5,000/$1.30 savings on each part, which is just short of 4,000 parts).

At that point, the product owner’s margin increases by $1.30 per part, allowing for higher profits or the option of lowering prices to gain market share.

Contact Rex Plastics Today

Injection molding alternatives may end up limiting your product’s reach. At Rex Plastics, we are proud to have helped many product developers save money by switching their product from plastic manufacturing to plastic injection molding. Our customers are consistently able to achieve a return on their tooling investment – if their sales volume is there to support it. 

If you feel you may be a candidate to convert your product manufacturing practice to plastic injection molding, please give us a call or submit this form. Rex Plastics has engineers on staff to help you determine your best path forward.

Frequently Asked Questions