Thermoplastic Injection Molding
How can ASH help me prototype?
For early-stage projects that aren't ready for production tooling or can't yet justify the investment, we can produce your first prototypes using 3D printing or CNC machining. When you're ready for the next steps, or if your project requires the quality only achievable through injection molding, ASH offers the SUPERMOLD Program.
SUPERMOLD provides a cost-effective way to produce high-quality injection-molded parts with lower upfront investment and shorter lead times. This allows you to accelerate time-to-market, validate demand, and bridge the gap between prototyping and full-scale production without sacrificing part quality or your budget.
Can we supply our own material?
Yes, customers can supply their own material for production. Reach out to us to learn more!
Does ASH color match?
Yes, ASH Industries can provide color matching for your parts. We work with customers to match custom colors as closely as possible to meet branding, product, or aesthetic requirements.
Is injection molding cheaper than 3D printing?
Yes and no.
Injection molding offers a significantly lower cost per piece than 3D printing can ever achieve, without sacrificing quality, consistency, and more.
However, 3D printing does not require the upfront tooling costs of injection molding, making it ideal for one-off prototypes or low-volume production.
At ASH Industries, we help bring the break-even point down even further with our SUPERMOLD Program — allowing customers to obtain production tooling and parts at less than the cost of many 3D-printed projects.
If you’re moving beyond prototyping and need repeatable, production-quality parts, injection molding may be more affordable than you think.
Silicone Injection Molding
What is the difference between HCR and LSR?
HCR (High Consistency Rubber) and LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber) are both silicone materials, but they differ in processing and performance. HCR is a pre-mixed, gum-like material that requires heat curing, while LSR is supplied in two liquid components that are automatically mixed and injection molded. LSR offers excellent consistency, precision, and scalability for high-volume production. ASH Industries specializes in LSR molding and does not manufacture HCR parts.
What is the difference between TPE and LSR?
Choosing between TPE and LSR depends on your application requirements. TPE is a flexible thermoplastic that is often more cost-effective and easier to process for simpler designs. LSR offers superior heat resistance, elasticity, chemical resistance, and biocompatibility, making it the preferred choice for demanding industrial, automotive, aerospace, and medical applications.
How flexible is silicone rubber?
Silicone rubber is known for its exceptional elasticity and can typically stretch from 100% to more than 1,000% of its original length before breaking, depending on the formulation. This flexibility makes it ideal for seals, gaskets, diaphragms, and other applications requiring repeated movement or compression.
What is the tensile strength of silicone? The tensile strength of silicone varies by
The tensile strength of silicone varies by grade and formulation, typically ranging from approximately 200 to 1,500 psi. Reinforced silicone compounds can provide even greater strength while maintaining the flexibility that silicone is known for.
How long does a silicone injection mold last?
The tensile strength of silicone varies by grade and formulation, typically ranging from approximately 200 to 1,500 psi. Reinforced silicone compounds can provide even greater strength while maintaining the flexibility that silicone is known for.
What is the difference between thermosets and thermoplastics?
The tensile strength of silicone varies by grade and formulation, typically ranging from approximately 200 to 1,500 psi. Reinforced silicone compounds can provide even greater strength while maintaining the flexibility that silicone is known for.
Metal Injection Molding (MIM)
What is the difference between metal injection molding and casting?
Metal Injection Molding (MIM) is ideal for producing small, highly detailed components with complex geometries that would be difficult or costly to manufacture using traditional casting methods. Because MIM utilizes an injection molding process, it excels at creating intricate features, tight tolerances, and consistent repeatability in high-volume production.
Die casting, on the other hand, is generally better suited for larger components with simpler geometries. While die casting is highly effective for many applications, it is most commonly used with non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, zinc, and magnesium.
MIM also offers greater material flexibility, supporting a wide range of ferrous and specialty metal alloys while maintaining excellent mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy.
What is the difference between CNC and injection molding metal?
CNC machining and Metal Injection Molding (MIM) are two very different manufacturing processes designed for different production needs.
CNC machining is a subtractive process that removes material from a solid block of metal to create highly precise components. It is ideal for low-volume production, prototypes, and parts requiring extremely tight tolerances or custom modifications.
MIM, on the other hand, is a molding process that forms complex metal components using fine metal powder blended with a binder material. The feedstock is injected into a mold, then debound and sintered to create a dense, high-strength metal part. MIM is especially effective for producing intricate geometries in high volumes with minimal material waste.
While both processes support a variety of metal materials, MIM commonly uses stainless steels and other engineered alloys that perform well during sintering. The result is a cost-effective solution for manufacturing complex, repeatable metal components at scale.
Is metal injection molding cheaper than CNC machining?
In high-volume production environments, Metal Injection Molding (MIM) is often more cost-effective than CNC machining due to its efficiency, scalability, and reduced material waste.
While MIM requires an upfront investment for tooling and mold development, the cost per part decreases significantly as production volumes increase. Once the mold is created, parts can be produced quickly and consistently with minimal secondary operations, making MIM an excellent choice for large production runs.
CNC machining, by comparison, is typically more economical for low-volume production, prototyping, or highly customized components. Because CNC machining removes material from a solid metal block, it generally requires longer cycle times and produces more material waste than MIM.
For complex metal components produced in high quantities, MIM provides a strong balance of precision, repeatability, and long-term cost savings.
Is metal injection molding cheaper than 3D printing?
Yes and no.
Injection molding offers a significantly lower cost per piece than 3D printing can ever achieve, without sacrificing quality, consistency, and more.
However, 3D printing does not require the upfront tooling costs of injection molding, making it ideal for one-off prototypes or low-volume production.
At ASH Industries, we help bring the break-even point down even further with our SUPERMOLD Program — allowing customers to obtain production tooling and parts at less than the cost of many 3D-printed projects.
If you’re moving beyond prototyping and need repeatable, production-quality parts, injection molding may be more affordable sooner than you think.
