Manufacturing
Understand tooling and per-part costs, how production quantity changes the average cost, and which additional expenses to include in an injection-molding budget.
The quick take
Injection molding has two major costs: manufacturing the custom mold and producing each plastic part. Production quantity determines how many units share the tooling cost.
A mold is typically aluminum or steel. A relatively simple mold might cost a few thousand dollars; complicated molds can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands.
Part size, geometry, surface finish, and tooling complexity all matter. Undercuts may require moving mechanisms inside the mold, increasing its cost considerably.
A simplified example
The production price stays at $2 in both examples. Spreading the same tooling cost across more units lowers the average cost per part.
| Cost | 1,000 parts | 10,000 parts |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Parts at $2 each | $2,000 | $20,000 |
| Total | $12,000 | $30,000 |
| Average per part, including tooling | $12 | $3 |
These totals exclude sample approvals, finishing, inspection, shipping, and potential tooling revisions.
Changing a mounting feature or connector opening after the mold is manufactured may require expensive tooling modifications. In some cases, an entirely new mold is necessary.
The AVA Labs approach
At AVA Labs, we generally recommend doing this before investing in expensive production tooling.
Injection molding can be extremely economical when production quantities and design requirements justify the initial tooling investment.
Injection molding has two major costs: the cost of manufacturing the mold and the cost of producing each plastic part.
The mold is custom tooling, typically manufactured from aluminum or steel.
A relatively simple mold might cost a few thousand dollars, while more complicated molds can cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The cost depends on the size of the part, its geometry, surface finish, and the complexity of the tooling.
For example, a part with undercuts may require moving mechanisms inside the mold, increasing its cost considerably.
Once the mold is manufactured, the cost of producing each individual part can be relatively low.
Here’s a simplified example.
Suppose an injection mold costs $10,000, and each plastic part costs $2 to manufacture.
If you order 1,000 parts, your total cost is $12,000. That’s effectively $12 per part when the tooling is included.
But if you manufacture 10,000 parts, that same tooling cost is spread across more units, bringing the average down to just $3 per part, assuming the production price remains unchanged.
This is why production quantity is so important when evaluating injection molding.
Another important consideration is design changes.
Once a mold is manufactured, changing something as simple as a mounting feature or connector opening may require expensive tooling modifications.
In some cases, an entirely new mold may be necessary.
At AVA Labs, we generally recommend validating the product’s functionality and stabilizing the design before investing in expensive production tooling.
It’s also important to account for additional expenses like sample approvals, finishing, inspection, shipping, and potential tooling revisions.
Injection molding can be an extremely economical manufacturing method, but only when the production quantities and design requirements justify the initial tooling investment.