Overmolding - Full Technologies to Meet Your Needs
Through the overmolding process, designers add a soft-touch exterior onto their parts to enhance the grip feeling or mold the part in 2 or more different materials to implement the functions. The part in overmolding looks more attractive to consumers. There is plastic overmolding, rubber overmolding, silicone overmolding etc. Here's a more in-depth look at its advantages:
1. Implement the functions.
Overmolding Taking an electric front cover, for example, consists of 2 parts, part one is in hard plastic (typically PC/ABS), and part two is a window in clear PC, molding these 2 parts into one single component by plastic overmolding, we can get a plastic cover not only with clear window but also strong strengthen.
2. Enhance the products performances.
Overmolding injection molding soft touch rubber (typically TPE) on the grip can reduce shock and vibration, provides electrical insulation, dampens sounds, and improves chemical/UV resistance, which highly enhances the performances of the products after rubber overmolding.
3. Increased shelf appeal.
The overmolded part can be in 2 or several colors or materials by over-molding, which helps the product stand out from the competition, it increases shelf appeal.
4. Production available in cost effective way.
The overmolding process is mature in the industry. The overmold parts can be produced cost-effectively, even for low-volume production.
Overmolding Materials
Choosing the right overmold material is critical to your part's success in its application and the product's performance. For overmolded parts, we can have the materials:
1. Soft plastic (usually for rubber overmolding) is molded into a second hard plastic.
2. Hard plastic, such as overmolding nylon, PMMA, etc., is molded into a second hard plastic.
We need to consider the materials' compatibility before using the specific material. If the material is incompatible, the rubber on the Hogue over-molded grip will easily peel off or even not adhere to the material, directly leading to the part's functional problem. TEAM Rapid is one of the best overmolding suppliers. We have strong partner relationships with resin manufacturers. We can get special-purpose resins to meet your products' over-molding requirements at a competitive cost, no matter whether overmolding nylon, cable overmolding, or others. We can give you the best solution. Contact us today to learn more now.
Manufacturing Perspectives of Overmolding
It's important to know about clearly of the process, which allows you to have over-molded parts manufacturing more easily. Here, we share our considerations from overmolding suppliers' perspectives:
1. For hard plastic molding hard plastic
We need to confirm if these 2 materials are compatible and can adhere well. The thickness of the molded layer is suggested to be thicker than 0.8mm to avoid the short shot and reserve enough sealing areas on the mold to avoid the flash issue. We can take overmolding nylon for reference.
2. For soft plastic molding hard plastic.
Soft plastic, such as the overmolded parts, besides the same considerations as hard plastic over molding hard plastic, we also need to think about the TPE's thickness effects, hardness, and coefficient of friction, as all these will directly affect your part's performance. We can take Hogue overmolded grip and cable overmolding for reference.
3. Overmolding vs Insert Molding - Molding Plastic on Metal.
Molding plastic on metal is popular and wide in the industry, and with rapid manufacturing, both hard and soft plastics are available. Overmolding vs. insert molding? It usually depends on the molding areas and parts structure. We need to take full consideration of the metal part's structure. How can the molding material layer stick to metal firmly? How can the metal part locate in the mold?
TEAM Rapid - One of the Best Overmolding Suppliers in China
The overmolding cost at TEAM Rapid is affordable. Our advantages:
1. Overmolding Production1. Advanced injection molding equipment can achieve highly precise over-molded parts such as Hogue overmolded grip.
2. Molding parts with consistent quality guaranteed by instrumented molds.
3. Improved part functionality (i.e., creating an adjust-resistant seal or clear plastic window).
4. Low-volume production is available and cost-effective for mass production through robotics and automation.
5. Diversities over molding injection materials are available, which allows you to get the right properties parts.
6. Significant reduce the risk of assembly operations failure modes and save your cost by cutting down the high fall-out rates.
Looking for low-overmolding cost suppliers in China? To receive a quote or start a discussion about your project, don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Overmolding？(What is Plastic Overmolding?)
Overmolding is a process that involves combining multiple materials to create a single part. This process, which is usually performed in a mold, involves the insertion of a wire and a connector into a mold. The first material covered by this process is the substrate, while the other materials are used to cover the other components. The over-molded part can be either a rigid plastic component or an overlay layer of a TPU. There are two overmolded components: the insert molding technique and the multiple-shot method.
An over-molded cable is a type of full assembly consisting of a wire and a connector combined into one seamless part. The process begins by placing the cable assembly inside a mold. After the plastic material melts, it solidifies and conforms to the mold's shape. This then seals the junction point of the wire and the connector.
How does Overmolding Work？
In the manufacturing industry, overmolding is a widely used process. One of the most common types of this process is multiple-material molding. Multiple-material mold is also known as 2K or Two-Shot molding. This process involves creating a bond between over-molded parts and a substrate. The multiple material molding processes involve creating two sets of cavities, known as cavities 1 and 2. The first holds the substrate, while the other molds the over-molded component. This process is commonly used to produce various products, such as flexible components and industrial equipment. This technique has various advantages, such as superior part quality and low cycle time.
Multiple Material Molding Options：
Elastomer over Thermoplastic Substrate
Thermoplastic over Thermoplastic Substrate
Multiple Material Molding Steps:
Step 1: Mold the parts that need to be over-molded.
Step 2: Put the molded parts into cavity 2.
Step 3: The injected molten plastic is cooled, followed by the separation of the core and cavities.
Step 4: In this step, the mold is closed, and the molten plastic is injected into cavity 2.
Step 5: After cooling, the material, the part, is ejected from the injection mold.
What is Overmolding in Injection Molding?
Overmolding is one of the important parts of the injection molding process. In addition to creating a single part, overmolding involves combining two different materials. This process is usually performed in two shots. The first shot is usually made from more rigid plastic. The second shot, called the over mold, is made from a more flexible plastic-like material. Through overmolding, product designers can create functional and beautiful components by combining two different plastic materials.
What is Overmolding Process?
The materials can be very different in the overmolding process, which involves creating a single component from the combination of several materials. Understanding the various materials used in the overmolding process is very important. The two main categories of these are the substrate and the overmold.
substrate and overmold
The over-mold is molded onto a substrate, while the base material is the substrate. Depending on the end product and the manufacturer's creativity, there are typically two or more over-molded components.
What is the Difference between Insert Molding and Overmolding?
Overmolding and insert molding are structural differences. The former involves the creation of a base or substrate inside a mold, while the latter involves the addition of a layer to enclose it. The most common process in this mold is adding plastic components to a metal part, such as a screwdriver.
What Files to Send for Cable Overmolding?
We need the STEP or IGS format 3D files of your products. Our engineers will suggest the available proposals according to your design and demanded quantities. The vacuum casting process makes your over-molding prototypes or rapid tooling for over-molding small-volume prototypes.
What is Overmolding? How to Design It?
Mechanical Interlock
Overmolding follows the same principles as traditional injection molding processes but a few additional quirks in design:
1. Proper draft angles and uniform wall thickness with smooth transition lines maintained in both parts.
2. The wall thickness of over-molding areas should be equal to or less than that of the substrate below.
3. The overmolding materials should in lower melting temperature than the substrate.
4. Mechanical interlocks can be used to repair practical chemical bonding.
5. Texturing on the substrate part can help with adhesion.
Have no idea about insert molding vs. overmolding? Contact us for more design tips for your project today. Our engineer will tell you the differences between insert molding vs. overmolding and give you the best selection!
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