February 9, 2017—Proto Labs, an online and technology-enabled quick-turn manufacturer, launched its insert molding service at Pacific Design & Manufacturing in Anaheim this week, expanding on the company’s rapid injection molding offerings. This capability can produce 25 to 10,000-plus insert-molded parts in 15 days or less.
Insert molding is the process of overmolding thermoplastic material around a preformed component (an insert) to create a finished part that incorporates multiple materials. The inserts are generally metal parts that are used to reinforce the mechanical properties of the plastic part. The metal inserts are placed into the mold to form the part.
A variety of components are manufactured with insert molding, such as electronic parts, medical equipment, housings, knobs, handles and dials, and are found in several industries, such as medical, automotive and consumer products. Product designers and engineers frequently turn to insert molding for improving part strength while trimming part weight and reducing assembly costs, production time and labor.