Are you looking for a unique way to make your product stand out by
combining multiple materials and colors? Do you need new ideas to improve
its ergonomics and functionality? Megaphos's overmolding services can
help you achieve these goals.
Megaphos's overmolding services allow you to manufacture products that
have both hard and soft areas. A good example is an automotive armrest,
which needs to be strong but also have a cushioned area for the elbow to rest.
In many cases, manufacturers choose it for aesthetic reasons - to provide a
stylish look that appeals to consumers. Contrasting materials and finishes can
bring a unique aesthetic to many types of products. For some applications,
soft areas are needed for ergonomic reasons, such as adding a non-slip grip to
the handle of a screwdriver.
Overmolding allows you to combine two materials and finishes using a single
tool. This not only saves time and money in the production process, but also
eliminates the hassle of manually assembling or gluing parts. It can also
eliminate other secondary operations such as priming, painting or coating.
We provide seamless overmolding for parts that require different materials for better stability or structural features. Complex appearance can be molded in one piece, reducing assembly steps and costs, which is much cheaper than molding parts separately and then assembling them at a later stage.
Thermoplastic materials used in overmolding must be compatible. Our team of design and engineering experts have extensive experience in material handling and can provide you with different material selection suggestions based on your budget and the finished product you need.
Megaphos factory is equipped with the latest overmolding equipment. Coupled with our talented team, it enables us to complete the most complex designs accurately and on time. At the same time, assembly errors and quality issues can be avoided.
Our goal is to help our customers achieve high-quality products while maintaining profitability and conducting business on time. To this end, the product parts and molds we design are highly optimized for the overmolding insert molding process. They are also tested for manufacturability and comprehensive production efficiency.
Overmold is a plastic molding process.
In terms of the process, it is based on an already formed part (usually a part
made of plastic, metal or other materials), and then another material (usually
plastic) is coated on its surface by injection molding to form a product with a
composite structure. For example, a hard plastic product core is first made,
and then a layer of soft plastic is injection molded on the core, so that the
final product has both the structural characteristics of the core material and
the special properties of the outer material, such as soft touch, non-slip,
waterproof, etc.
In terms of application scenarios, it is widely used in many industries such as
electronics, automobiles, tool manufacturing, medical equipment, etc.
Electronics industry: For example, in order to make the mobile phone have a
better grip, an internal hard plastic or metal frame will be made first to
protect the internal electronic components and provide structural support,
and then a layer of soft plastic is coated on the outside through the overmold
process, making the mobile phone shell more comfortable to touch and also
playing a certain role in preventing falls.
Automotive field: The steering wheel of a car is a typical example. The inner
part is a metal skeleton to ensure strength and installation stability, and the
outer layer is covered with soft rubber or plastic by overmold, which not only
increases the comfort of the hand during driving, but also provides better
friction, which helps safe driving.
Tool manufacturing industry: Like the handle of a screwdriver, the inner part
is a harder plastic to provide the basic shape and a certain strength, and the
outer layer is covered with soft rubber by overmold, which can reduce hand
fatigue and prevent the tool from slipping from the hand during use.
Medical equipment field: The handheld part of some medical devices, in order
to avoid harm to patients during operation and facilitate the operation of
medical staff, will first make a harder internal support structure, and then
use overmold to cover a layer of soft, non-toxic medical plastic material.
In the overmolding process, it is usually necessary to select two or more compatible materials. These materials must be able to combine well together at the contact surface, and their physical properties, thermal stability and chemical stability must also be considered. Common material combinations include thermoplastic polymers and elastomers, hard plastics and hard plastics, metals and plastics, etc.
①Product Performance
Enhance Product Functionality
Improve grip experience: For example, in the production of tool handles (such as screwdrivers, electric drills and other tool handles), a layer of soft rubber material is coated on the outer layer of hard plastic or metal core material through the overmold process. In this way, users will feel more comfortable when holding the tool, and the soft material can increase friction and prevent the tool from slipping in the hand, thereby improving the safety and convenience of using the tool.
Improve sealing performance: In some products that need to be sealed, such as the joint between the wiper rubber strip and the wiper frame of a car. Using the overmold process to coat the rubber material on the frame can make the wiper fit tightly with the windshield, effectively prevent rainwater from leaking, ensure a good field of vision, and improve the safety of driving in rainy days.
Improve Product Impact Resistance and Durability
Buffer protection: Taking the mobile phone shell as an example, the internal hard plastic or metal frame provides structural support, and the outer layer of soft plastic or rubber material coated by overmold can absorb and disperse the impact force from the outside. When the phone falls accidentally, the soft material on the outer layer acts as a cushion, reducing the risk of damage to internal components due to collision, thereby extending the service life of the phone.
Wear protection: For product parts that often come into contact with the outside world and generate friction, such as soles. By overmold, a wear-resistant rubber outer layer is added to the hard sole of the sole, which can reduce the wear of the sole, improve the durability of the shoe, and enable the shoe to withstand more complex road conditions and long-term walking.
②Design Flexibility
Realize the Combination of Multiple Materials
Complementary material properties: Materials with different characteristics can be combined together. For example, in the production of electronic product shells, metals with good heat dissipation performance (such as aluminum alloy) and plastics with good insulation performance and beautiful appearance (such as ABS plastic) are combined through the overmold process. The metal part can effectively dissipate the heat generated by the internal components, while the plastic part can protect the user from electric shock, and provide a variety of colors and appearance design options to meet the aesthetic needs of different users.
Meet complex functional requirements: In the field of medical equipment, the probe part of some detection instruments may need to be coated with a soft, biocompatible material (such as silicone) on the hard sensor shell. This makes the probe gentler when it contacts human tissue, while not affecting the normal operation of the sensor. This material combination can be well achieved through the overmold process.
Create Complex Product Shapes and Appearances
One-piece molding of complex appearance: Overmold allows products with multiple shapes and textures to be formed in one molding cycle. For example, in the manufacture of automotive interior parts, a plastic skeleton with a basic shape can be made first, and then a soft coating with leather texture or wood grain effect can be formed on its surface through overmold, and various decorative lines or patterns can be added to the coating to make the interior look more upscale and refined, while avoiding appearance defects such as gaps that may occur in traditional processes where parts are made separately and then assembled.
Customized appearance design: For some sports equipment, such as skis. Through overmold, plastic or rubber materials of different colors can be combined on the surface of the skis to form unique patterns and color combinations to meet consumers' demand for personalized products, and these patterns and colors can be better integrated with the overall shape and function of the skis.
③Production Efficiency and Cost
Reduce Assembly Steps and Cost
Integrate multiple component functions: In traditional production methods, some products may need to make different components separately, and then assemble them by gluing, screwing, etc. The overmold process can integrate the functions of multiple components that originally needed to be assembled into one molded part. For example, in the production of some toys, it was originally necessary to assemble multiple components such as sound-generating devices and decorative shells together. Through overmold, the sound-generating device can be encapsulated inside the plastic shell, and a decorative coating layer is formed on the outer layer of the shell, reducing the assembly process and the corresponding labor costs.
Avoid assembly errors and quality problems: Since the assembly process of components is reduced, quality problems caused by improper assembly are also reduced, such as excessive assembly gaps and loose components. In the production of automotive parts, if the connection parts of some pipelines use the overmold process to form the seals and connectors in one piece, it can avoid liquid or gas leakage caused by improper installation of seals, and improve the overall quality and reliability of the product.
Improve Production Efficiency
Shorten production cycle: During the molding process, overmold can complete the molding of multiple materials in one mold, which greatly shortens the production cycle compared to the traditional method of making multiple parts separately and then assembling them. For example, in the production of electronic equipment shells, if the overmold process is used, the internal structure and external decorative layer can be completed in one molding, while the traditional method may require the internal structural parts to be made first, and then the appearance painting or outer coating layer to be made, and the production cycle of the latter will be longer.
Achieve mass production advantages: This process is suitable for large-scale mass production, and its advantages in efficiency and cost will become more obvious as the scale of production expands. Because the initial investment in the mold can be spread over a large number of products, and the degree of automation in the production process can be high, a large number of products that meet quality requirements can be produced quickly.
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