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Why is plastic injection molding used to produce many medical products? It’s a proven manufacturing process that supports high-volume production with low per-part costs. Injection molding also supports design and manufacturing complexity with part-to-part integrity. Yet not all medical devices and equipment are injection molded. In fact, there are some medical products that don’t contain plastic at all.
An alternative to plastic injection molding isCNC machining，当是时候选择机器的材料时，聚合物并不是您的唯一选择。例如，金属用于手术手术刀，陶瓷用于骨螺钉，并将硅胶弹性体用于从伤口管理到药物输送的所有物质。那么，为什么要使用塑料注塑成型来进行您设计的医疗产品？
了解塑料医学注射成型的利弊是沿正确方向迈出的重要第一步。
What are the advantages of plastic injection molding for medical products?
使用医学塑料注射成型的原因有很多，但这是前三名。
- 高卷，每部分成本低
- Design and manufacturing complexity
- Wide selection of medical materials
Let’s examine each of these reasons in more detail.
高卷，每部分成本低
Medical injection molding通常是大量制造过程。钢模或工具的成本可能很昂贵，但是该成本分布在许多部分。支付注射模具后，您已经支付了项目的大部分费用。仍然有劳动力和材料成本，但对于任何制造过程都是如此。
Compared to CNC machining, plastic injection molding is significantly faster. With automated equipment and a multi-cavity mold, an injection molder can make many parts simultaneously and with cycle times measured in seconds. Processes like plastic machining take significantly longer and might not be able to produce a large number of parts in the timeframe that you need.
设计和制造复杂性
医疗注射成型还支持高度的复杂性。例如，塑料注射成型可以产生诸如boss，肋骨，孔，线，自定义颜色和纹理之类的功能。无论您需要结构支持还是美学吸引力，注射模制剂都可以制造出使用其他方法很难或成本高昂的医疗塑料组件。
即使您的塑料医疗组件并不复杂，准确性和精确性。精度是指测量与真实值的距离，而精度是指同一项目彼此之间的测量程度。通过塑料注射成型，您可以以紧密的公差形式获得高度的准确性。您还可以在高部分卷中获得精度或部分一致的一致性。
Wide Selection of Medical Materials
Medical injection molding lets you choose from various materials with different properties, price points, regulatory approvals, and compliance with published standards. Yet, it’s not the sheer number of choices that matters. Instead, it’s the ability to select a material with the specific attributes that you need. For example, a disposable applicator can be made from a commodity plastic that is cost-efficient and impact-resistant.
With some medical products, you may need a more robust, yet also more expensive engineering plastic, a biocompatible material, or an antimicrobial polymer. There are also plastics that can withstand repeated sterilization with steam, radiation, or ethylene oxide (EtO). Material suppliers, such as those in Fictiv’s Manufacturing Partner ecosystem, offer polymers that are traceable, and you can find medical-grade plastics with FDA approvals.
Compared to metals, plastics are lighter in weight and generally less expensive. Yet, you can still use metal parts (if you need them) with insert molding and overmolding. Both of these plastic injection molding techniques can create bonded assemblies with multiple materials. In the case of overmolding, a softer silicone can be molded over a harder plastic part made of a polymer such as polycarbonate.
医用塑料注射成型提供了很多优势，但这并不意味着它是您项目的正确选择。现在您了解了专业人士，现在该看看缺点了。
What are the disadvantages of plastic injection molding for medical products?
The downsides of injection molding fall into three major areas:
- High tooling costs
- 设计挑战
- 处理问题
Let’s take an in-depth look.
高工具成本
Plastic injection molding always requires tooling. If your production volumes are too low, your return on investment (ROI) could be too long. Plus, medical injection molds can be more expensive because of the importance of part quality. In medical device manufacturing, the difference of a few millimeters or microns can make the difference between a functional component and a plastic part with a quality assurance failure.
如果您的医疗产品需要高度的精度，则可能需要具有高质量饰面的钢模具。虽然塑料注塑成型可以使用添加剂制造的模具使用较便宜的工具，但3D印刷模具支持更有限的循环，并且可能缺乏所需的准确性和精度。
设计挑战
注射模具的成本并不是唯一与工具有关的考虑因素。正确设计模具并说明诸如分开线几何，门控，排气和饰面等变量很重要。还有要考虑的部分本身的设计。当注射模具的两半打开时，塑料部分需要平滑弹出。否则，可能会损坏零件。
If you’ve already designed your part and are looking for a manufacturing process, you might need to make some design changes in order to use plastic injection molding. The size of the part matters, too. Because of the higher cost of tool steels, injection molding a larger plastic part could be cost-prohibitive.
处理问题
医疗注射成型,问题会出现ecause of the way that plastics are processed. Even if you design your mold properly, the tool may not fill fully if there are problems with pressure and temperature of the molten plastic. A skilled injection molder can address changes in viscosity, but making constant equipment adjustments increases the potential for part quality issues, longer run times, and higher scrap rates.
Plastic injection molding can be environmentally friendly since some waste materials can be reprocessed. Even the sprues and runners can be reground. Some medical products require virgin plastics, however, and it’s better to avoid waste since regrinding incurs labor costs and extends project timelines. During molding, excessive shrinkage can also occur depending on part thickness. During post-processing,mold flashmay need to be removed.
Who can help you weigh the pros and cons of medical plastic injection molding?
Plastic injection molding is used in so many medical products that it might seem like the only option for your application. That’s not necessarily the case, however, so it’s important to choose a partner whose advice you can trust. Fictiv is the smart choice for your next medical manufacturing project and can help you to weigh the pros and cons of injection molding and make the right choice.At Fictiv, we also have the resources, know-how, and product network to deliver the plastic injection molding products that you need. Learn more about ourinjection molding services和创建一个帐户立即获取即时报价！
