When it comes to Injection Molding Prototypes vs Injection Molding Production Products they may seem like similar items, but there’s really a substantial difference. The good news is we created a video to explain the difference between the two. The better news is we do both and we’re happy to work with you to determine which option is best for you.

While creating your quality custom plastic parts we may use a prototype. This prototype allows us to produce a sample of what your finished product will be like. We can continue to expand on it to reach the highest quality finished product or what we refer to as your production product.

For more information on prototypes vs production, have fun watching this short video presented by our President, Brett.

Hello everybody, my name is Brett Pennefeather, President of ECK Plastic Arts. I just want to take a quick minute to talk to you about the difference between prototype plastic injection molding and production plastic injection molding. There is a difference between the two. They’re both great services, but they both have their place. We do both of them here, but just to talk a little bit about that.

So prototype injection molding, you’re basically getting best efforts with your part.

So there’s not, I mean they work very well relative to the CAD model—they come very close to the part—but it’s not necessarily perfect. Okay? You’re also going to find differences from lot to lot.

Here’s why:

This here is essentially a setup for a prototype tool. This is called a MUD frame. This frame goes in the mold and it’s interchangeable with the actual tool, the part that holds the cavities. Right, so in there you have an ejector system and then you also have the cavities where the parts go where we shoot the plastic into.

Now with this you have limitations on what you can gain.

With this we’re also constantly taking it in and out so there’s actual wear and tear. There’s actual wear and tear over time as things go, there could be misalignment. Right?

On top of that, the quality procedures that go in place around that are not necessarily as robust and as strong as they are when you are doing production tooling.

So this right here, because you only have to buy the frame, they often make them put of aluminum, they move quickly, you can get them fast. You can get them slightly cheaper than the tooling but your piece price is significantly more expensive, because they’re harder to work with and there’s more risk around working with aluminium or a prototype tool that’s built this way.

Production tools however…

With a production tool, you:

• Build a tool
• Doa full FAI
• You build the print
• Document your process
• Get consistency from run to run to run

At ECK Plastic Arts, we have 99.98% quality parts delivered, with very very little rejections. And that’s not because it’s about effort to make the print.

This here is a full production tool. All these here, you can see when you look at him, down in here you have a full ejector system that’s built in. In here the cavity blocks, these molds aren’t opened we can show you in different shots. But this here, you can see all we have to do is take up a few ejection system to the outside, clamp it into the mold, line up the O-ring, and that’s it.

This tool right here, this hardened steel tool will make millions and millions of parts, and we’ll warranty it for its lifetime as long as it’s here at ECK. It will continue producing high-quality parts the entire time.

All you need to worry about is placing POs and taking delivery.