Injection Molding

Manufacturing

Plastic parts & Enclosures

• High Setup Cost
• Low Part Cost
• 6 week Turn Around
• Stringent Design Requirements

Injection molding is the main way to produce plastic parts. It's most effective for complex parts in medium to high volume. While the upfront cost is usually in the $4,000 - $20,000 per component. The part cost is extrememly low, around $1-5.

More Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Injection_molding
Design Guide: http://www.plastics1.com/CIM/DesignGuide.php

Machining

Manufacturing

Metal Enclosures & components

• Subtractive Process
• High Part Cost
• Quick Turn Around
• High Precision

Machining offers low set up cost and a quick turn around for metal parts and some precision plastic components. The modern systems use computer controlled CNC machines that build the part automatically from the 3D CAD file.

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milling_machine
Machining Design Guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Design_for_Manufacturability_for_CNC_machining

Casting

Manufacturing

Low volume Enclosures and Parts

• Strong Parts
• High Labor cost
• Post production work needed
• Mid level part cost

Metal and Urethane Enclosures that need to be strong

Prototyping

Manufacturing

Quick Mockups & Proof of Concept

• Low Setup Cost
• High Part Cost
• Short Turn around time
• Low Precision

Thermo Forming

Manufacturing

Packaging & Formed Sheets

• Mid to Low Setup Cost
• Low Part Cost

Extrusion

Manufacturing

Research & Industry Trends

• High Setup Cost
• Low Part Cost
• Low Accuracy
• Rough Surface Finish

Composites

Manufacturing

Strong Fixtures & Paneling

• High Setup Cost
• High Part Cost
• Long Turn Around
• High Strength

Sheet Metal

Manufacturing

Electronic Enclosures & Fixtures

• Low Setup Cost
• Mid Range Part Cost
• Short Turn around time
• Limited Styling