Injection Molding Service

An injection molding service is a manufacturing partner that produces plastic parts by heating thermoplastic resin, injecting it under pressure into a metal mold, cooling it, and ejecting the finished component. The service includes mold design and tooling, material selection, production, inspection, and finishing—so you receive ready-to-use parts without owning equipment.

Tooling ranges from $1,000 for a simple single-cavity aluminum prototype mold to $100,000+ for complex multi-cavity steel production molds. Per-part cost typically runs $0.10–$5.00 at volume, depending on material, size, and cycle time. A typical single-cavity aluminum mold for a small bracket costs $1,500–$3,000 with per-part prices under $1 at 1,000 pieces.

Prototype aluminum tooling takes 1–3 weeks. Production steel tooling takes 4–8 weeks. First-article samples ship 1–2 weeks after tooling completion. Once the mold is approved, production batches ship in 3–7 days. Total timeline from CAD to first production parts runs 2–6 weeks for prototype tooling and 6–10 weeks for production tooling.

Baetro has no minimum order quantity. Prototype aluminum molds can produce as few as one part for design verification. Other providers commonly require 100–1,000 part minimums; we’ve built our process to support everything from single prototypes to 100,000+ production runs.

We mold 50+ engineering thermoplastics including ABS, polycarbonate, nylon (PA6, PA66), polypropylene, polyethylene, POM (Delrin/Acetal), PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PPS, TPE, TPU, and liquid silicone rubber (LSR). Glass-filled, mineral-filled, flame-retardant, UV-stabilized, food-grade, and biocompatible grades are available on request.

Standard tolerances are ±0.005 in (±0.127 mm) on dimensions under 6 inches. Precision tooling and dimensionally stable materials like ABS, PC, and POM can hold ±0.001–0.002 in on critical features. Tolerance capability depends on material shrinkage, part geometry, and mold construction—discuss tight-tolerance requirements during DFM review.

3D printing wins for quantities under 50–100 parts because there’s no tooling cost. Beyond that threshold, injection molding typically becomes cheaper due to dramatically lower per-part costs. The crossover point depends on part complexity, material, and mold cost—a $2,000 aluminum mold breaks even against $20 printed parts at 100 pieces.

Injection molding injects molten plastic into a reusable mold, making it ideal for high volumes of identical plastic parts. CNC machining cuts material from solid stock, making it ideal for prototypes, metals, very tight tolerances, and low volumes where tooling cost isn’t justified. Many customers use both—CNC for prototypes, molding for production.

Yes. Rapid aluminum prototype molds produce 1–500 parts in 1–3 weeks at a fraction of production tooling cost. This gives you real molded parts in production-intent materials for functional testing, fit checks, and user validation before committing to steel tooling.

You do. Tooling you pay for is your property. Baetro stores, maintains, and protects your mold at no charge while you’re actively ordering. On request, we ship molds to your facility or another molder. Mold ownership is documented in every quote.

Evaluate seven factors: (1) tooling capability across prototype and production, (2) material breadth, (3) minimum order quantity, (4) lead time transparency, (5) quality certifications (ISO 9001, AS9100 for aerospace, ISO 13485 for medical), (6) DFM support quality, and (7) communication responsiveness. The cheapest quote often hides tooling costs, quality issues, or long delays—total cost of ownership matters more than piece price.

Yes. We run two-shot and pick-and-place overmolding for soft-touch and sealed parts, and insert molding for threaded brass inserts, electrical contacts, and structural reinforcements. See our overmolding and insert molding pages for details.