Vacuum Forming Plastic Shells | Prototyping, custom enclosures, low-volume production | Material Thickness: 2-4 mm (Base) ▲ 2-6 mm (Advanced ISO 3167 compliant) Durable: Withstands 30+ chemical exposures (Industry Standard) ▲ 50+ (Advanced ASTM D543) | Lower tooling costs, rapid turnaround, ▲ Advanced: Thicker material for structural needs | Limited to flat/curved geometries, requires secondary finishing for complex shapes |
Injection Molding | High-volume production, complex geometries | Material Thickness: 0.5-4 mm (ASTM D638) Precision: ±0.01mm (ISO 2768-mk) | High-volume consistency, ▲ Industry Standard for mass production | High initial tooling cost, long lead times, material waste in prototyping |
Blow Molding | Hollow containers (bottles, tanks) | Material Thickness: 1-5 mm (ISO 13765) Lightweight: 20% lighter than injection molding | Cost-effective for hollow parts, lightweight designs | Limited design flexibility, unsuitable for intricate shapes |
Rotational Molding | Large hollow parts (tanks, toys) | Material Thickness: 2-10 mm (ASTM D1998) Corrosion-Resistant: Passes ASTM B117 salt spray test (1000+ hours) | Uniform wall thickness, corrosion-resistant ▲ for harsh environments | Slow production cycle, limited to thermoplastic powders |
3D Printing (FDM) | Prototyping, small-batch production | Material Thickness: 0.2-0.4 mm layers (ASTM F2792) Customizable: Supports intricate geometries | Rapid prototyping, design flexibility ▲ for complex geometries | Lower mechanical strength, higher per-unit cost |
CNC Machining | High-precision parts, small-medium batches | Material Thickness: 1-20 mm (ISO 5459) Precision: ±0.005mm (ISO 2768-mk) | ▲ Industry-leading precision, wide material compatibility | High per-unit cost, material waste, slower for large volumes |