What is the Difference Between Prototype and Production Injection Molding?
Choosing the right injection molding approach for your project phase is crucial to success.
Understanding the difference between prototype injection molding and production injection molding helps you choose the right approach for each project phase.
Prototype Injection Molding:
- Mold Material: Aluminum or soft steel (P20)
- Lead Time: 1-3 weeks
- Tooling Cost: $3,000 - $15,000
- Quantity: 100 - 10,000 parts
- Purpose: Design validation, market testing, bridge production
- Cavity Count: Typically single cavity
- Part Quality: Production-representative but may have minor cosmetic differences
Production Injection Molding:
- Mold Material: Hardened steel (H13, S136, NAK80)
- Lead Time: 4-12 weeks
- Tooling Cost: $15,000 - $250,000+
- Quantity: 10,000 - millions of parts
- Purpose: Full-scale manufacturing, ongoing production
- Cavity Count: Multi-cavity for efficiency (2, 4, 8, 16+)
- Part Quality: Highest cosmetic and dimensional consistency
When to Use Each:
- Prototype Molding: New product development, design validation, testing, initial market launch, bridge-to-production
- Production Molding: Established products, high-volume requirements, long-term manufacturing programs
We guide you through the right tooling strategy, often starting with prototype molds for validation before investing in production tooling.
Need to Know
Bridge tooling (soft steel molds for 50,000-100,000 parts) offers a middle ground when you need more parts than prototyping allows but aren't ready for full production tooling investment.
Key Benefits
Right-Sized Tooling Investment
Faster Time-to-Market
Design Flexibility
Risk Mitigation
Cost Optimization
#Prototype Molding#Production Molding#Tooling Strategy#Bridge Tooling
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Published on 2024-08-20