Looking for injection molding manufacturer

[dank69]

Anyone have any experience or contacts in this industry?

 

[bbhaag]

I don't have any personal experience with it but I do have a few contacts. Most of them are in the horticulture trade though. What exactly do you need molded and how many? A couple of the companies I deal with are The HC Companies and T.O. Plastics.

Of the two I mentioned TO Plastics might be your better bet.

 

[dank69]

I don't have any personal experience with it but I do have a few contacts. Most of them are in the horticulture trade though. What exactly do you need molded and how many? A couple of the companies I deal with are The HC Companies and T.O. Plastics.

Of the two I mentioned TO Plastics might be your better bet.

A patented cutlery dispenser and the disposable cutlery to go with it.

 

[bbhaag]

Alright I'm not at work today but tomorrow I'll reach out and see if I can get a response. Fridays are always tough to get ahold of people though so it will most likely be early to middle of next week before I hear back. If I get a response I'll PM you with some contact info.

 

[Scarpozzi]

You should have used the YADT prefix on your post and put it in off topic. 🤣


Seriously though, my cousin ended up calling quite a few for a project he was working on. They're vary greatly in cost and capability, depending on the size of what you need. Setting up the molds and design is actually a lot faster now that you can 3D print stuff to get very accurate templates. (Pieces and parts)

 

[dank69]

You should have used the YADT prefix on your post and put it in off topic. 🤣


Seriously though, my cousin ended up calling quite a few for a project he was working on. They're vary greatly in cost and capability, depending on the size of what you need. Setting up the molds and design is actually a lot faster now that you can 3D print stuff to get very accurate templates. (Pieces and parts)

Seriously, this sub is a ghost town. Even I'm just noticing your post just now. Any chance you cousin has any contact info?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Seriously, this sub is a ghost town. Even I'm just noticing your post just now. Any chance you cousin has any contact info?

This was like 13 years ago that he was doing it. Now, not only have all the companies likely changed, I'm guessing there may be startups with newer and better tech.

ICOMold® (Online Quotes in 30 Seconds)

We provide custom plastic injection molding, CNC machining of plastic and metal, and urethane casting. Low cost and fast turnaround. Get an instant quote.

icomold.com

I just searched "injection molding companies" and found a bunch of ads that claim they can go from prototype to product in as little as 10 days with free quotes. I think this is probably what Bruce Wayne did when he was pieces together his bat suit. Just remember that not all plastics and rubbers are created equal. (some of us are living proof that not all rubbers are good quality) You may need to work with the vendors to get material samples for whatever you're doing and find out about UV light as well as temperature and how it affects the plastics over time. That tends to be my concerns when it comes to quality. I've had specific dispensers I purchased for different things that were in cold weather climates. Over time, pieces that had to hold weight failed because of fluctuations in temp.


Having 3D models and that side of the design is one thing, but many companies may have suggestions on how to change the design to cut down waste, parts, or process. They're things to consider for cost, but also design. In some cases, you may want more parts in case certain things wear out and you want the capability to replace specific parts or pieces as they wear. Stuff like that.

If you can design and make the parts in a 3D printer, you can do proof of concept before spending money. Just not sure how big your dispenser is.

 

[dank69]

This was like 13 years ago that he was doing it. Now, not only have all the companies likely changed, I'm guessing there may be startups with newer and better tech.

ICOMold® (Online Quotes in 30 Seconds)

We provide custom plastic injection molding, CNC machining of plastic and metal, and urethane casting. Low cost and fast turnaround. Get an instant quote.

icomold.com

I just searched "injection molding companies" and found a bunch of ads that claim they can go from prototype to product in as little as 10 days with free quotes. I think this is probably what Bruce Wayne did when he was pieces together his bat suit. Just remember that not all plastics and rubbers are created equal. (some of us are living proof that not all rubbers are good quality) You may need to work with the vendors to get material samples for whatever you're doing and find out about UV light as well as temperature and how it affects the plastics over time. That tends to be my concerns when it comes to quality. I've had specific dispensers I purchased for different things that were in cold weather climates. Over time, pieces that had to hold weight failed because of fluctuations in temp.


Having 3D models and that side of the design is one thing, but many companies may have suggestions on how to change the design to cut down waste, parts, or process. They're things to consider for cost, but also design. In some cases, you may want more parts in case certain things wear out and you want the capability to replace specific parts or pieces as they wear. Stuff like that.

If you can design and make the parts in a 3D printer, you can do proof of concept before spending money. Just not sure how big your dispenser is.

We've already done proof of concept with 3D printing, but tolerances are extremely tight and some of the surfaces have to be perfectly smooth which the 3D printers couldn't handle.

This is my late father's design and patent. He had to sand down those surfaces to get the prototypes working and even then he never got the fork dispenser working quite right. His partner (whose name is also on the patent) dealt with manufacturers in China and they had just started working with one when he passed. They got the fork prototype working immediately, so we know we can get all 3 working no problem.

I started working with his partner on negotiations and we were super close to closing the deal, but the partner defaulted on previous unrelated obligations to the same manufacturer and got himself completely blacklisted in China (Sinosure). So now I am dead in the water and the partner is no help and if anything a liability when it comes to manufacturing. I'm still going to need to rely on him for distribution but I'll cross that bridge if I ever get there. I'm not super worried about it because this dispenser will sell itself to anyone already using any kind of dispenser.

I also know the cutlery can be made super cheap. The manufacturer was going to charge roughly $8/case (800 pcs) for the cutlery already stacked for quick reloads. You can't even buy loose cutlery that cheap at a club store. Dixie dispensers charge something like $22/case for their dispenser cutlery and that was years ago before supply problems. I could probably give away the dispensers and just make bank on the refills. I'm hoping I can get some compostable plastic options and push them hard over the shitty alternatives, even if I make less money.

Anyway, thanks for the link, I'll see where it leads.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Anyway, thanks for the link, I'll see where it leads.

Try the Google search too...there are other companies out there. It's really just a matter of what plastics/materials they have available. When I picture that kind of thing, I think of the opaque smoke colored plastics used in paper towel dispensers....or solid gray ones. It's just a matter of finding a company that maybe makes those kinds of things.

 

[herm0016]

I have a friend in a shop that builds pretty precise stuff for medical, and they also do all the mold work in house, run the prototyping and have a full production facility making parts. They make all the molds for magpul for example. He can never tell me who they work for on the medical side, but they did get very busy with the pandemic. I will see him on Sat. and I can ask for some info, if they work with smaller clients/ help with design for manufacturing. I am an ME as well. I'm looking for projects if you ever find yourself thinking about additional help. some d4x experience, and composites manufacturing experience.