Overmolding: What It Is and What It Brings You?
Overmolding is a popular injection molding process. Through it, we can seamlessly combine multiple materials into a single part or product. It usually consists of a rigid plastic-based or iron-based part, covered with a thin, flexible LSR exterior layer using either a single-shot (insert molding) or two-shot (multiple-shot molding) technique.
Why Choose Overmolding？
1. The main reason for using overmolding to design and manufacture products or parts is to improve product performance. Liquid silicone is a perfect material that can provide products with soft, non-slip properties. These characteristics are not only to improve comfort, but also essential for some products, such as respiratory mask pads for medical products. And it acts as an environmental barrier to protect the product by reducing impact, vibration and noise.
2. Overmolding can make the product more attractive because LSR can be used to create a visually appealing surface. LSR can accept a variety of colors customized by customers, and can make different designs for different needs. At the same time, it can also design LOGO or patterns on LSR outerwear.
3. Overmolding can reduce production costs. For some products, overmolding can reduce the manufacturing steps involved. For example, in the automotive market, it can eliminate the need for injection and assembly of parts (such as gaskets or bumpers) and secondary finishing operations (priming, painting or coating).
Is Overmolding Suitable for Your Projects?
Overmolding is suitable for many applications, but the following factors must be considered before deciding whether to apply it to your projects:
3. Injection mold quotation and equipment budget
4. Labor cost
5. Production quantity
Working with experienced custom injection molders—especially those with scientific molding expertise like Newtop Rubber—will help you understand the pros and cons of using overmolding in your projects, and guide you to make the best decision for your project.