There might be the occasional person who worked in a plastics factory in high school, or perhaps there is a mechanical engineer who has read about these machines. But, typically, very few have any meaningful concept of these important machines.

 

Just take a look around where you presently are: I imagine there is a computer, keyboard, mouse, water bottle, light switch, electrical outlet and cords, waste basket, chairs, fire extinguisher, room deodorizer, light cover, door stop, fire alarm and so on. All of these items came out of a plastic injection molding machine!

 

So, here are 5 things most people don't know about them

 

1. Plastic injection molding machines can range in size from table top to as large as your garage! Tiny medical parts, for example, are made in micro molding machines. These little parts are so small that you need a microscope to view them! Yet they have incredible detail and accuracy.

 

2. Some high production molding machines can produce over 200 million parts in one year! You would think that the entire world would be full of plastic parts by now and every man, woman, and child would have one of everything produced!

 

3. A high quality molding machine can easily cost $750,000 US. This is just the bare machine, no accessories or special tools and no mold installed.

 

4. Every molding machine requires a mold to produce parts. You would think this is obvious, but, for most people, it is not. They just never even give it a thought.

 

5. Some medical grade plastic can cost over $5000 per pound! Just imagine how unhappy the boss is when there is a high rate of scrap!