Injection molding machines can work with 3D printed molds, and this combination is becoming increasingly popular for prototyping and low-volume production. Here's a quick breakdown of how and why this works:
✅ Why Use 3D Printed Molds in Injection Molding?
- Cost-Effective for Low Volumes
- Faster Development Cycles
- Customization
Traditional molds (usually metal like steel or aluminum) are expensive to machine.
3D printed molds are much cheaper and quicker to produce, ideal for runs of 10–1000 parts.
Rapid prototyping with 3D printed molds helps designers iterate quickly.
A mold can be designed and printed in a few hours to a couple of days.
Easily modify the mold for different versions or custom parts.
✅ How It Works
- Mold Design:
- 3D Printing the Mold:
- Using with Injection Molding Machine:
Design the mold in CAD software, typically in two halves.
Include gates, vents, and ejector pin holes if needed.
Common materials: high-temp resins (e.g. Formlabs Rigid 10K or High Temp Resin), or metal-filled filaments.
SLA (resin-based) printers are usually preferred for higher detail and thermal stability.
Fit the printed mold into a small-scale or desktop injection molding machine.
Inject melted plastic at lower temperatures and pressures than you’d use with metal molds.
Eject the finished part and repeat.
✅ Ideal Applications
- Product development/prototyping
- Custom or limited-edition items
- Educational settings
- Bridge tooling before committing to metal molds