Selecting the Right Engineering Plastic for Your Injection Mold Project

As you know, material matters when you are creating a new plastic injection mold. This article briefly introduces some of the key questions to consider when choosing an engineering plastic for your injection molded part, and suggests possible engineering plastics for specific applications.

What’s so special about engineering plastics?

Engineering plastics are specialty plastics capable of high performance in a variety of environments. Their excellent mechanical performance, chemical and thermal properties, combined with light weight, high strength and dimensional stability, allow them to replace metals and glass in many applications, ranging from automotive and electrical components to medical, construction, industrial and consumer appliances.

How do I select the best engineering plastic?

The wide range of engineering plastics on the market makes selecting the right one for your engineering plastics components application difficult. It depends on a variety of factors, all of which are related to your intended use of the mold. Here are some of the questions you need to consider:

• What is the primary function of the part?
• What is the maximum continuous use temperature?
• What is the load or stress on the part?
• Is FDA or other agency compliance required?
• Will the part come into contact with chemicals, humidity, strong sunlight?
• Is toughness or impact resistance critical during use?
• Should the part be flame-resistant?

Then there are questions regarding the size and shape of the part, its paintability and color. Further considerations are the type of molding you will need for your end product, as well as countless options for additives and customization. The answers to all these questions will direct you to the right engineering plastic for your application.

What engineering plastics can you recommend?

Below are some engineering plastics used by Permian for specific injection molded applications:

What’s your next step?

Our highly knowledgeable engineering plastics experts at Permian Plastics are available to help you discover the right engineering plastic to select for your specific application. We will analyze your requirements and suggest a solution.