Assembly services are an essential part of any plastic injection moulding process, as well as other high-volume manufacturing solutions. Once the parts for more complex projects have been moulded, cooled and quality tested, they must be assembled before they can be delivered to the customer. There are a number of ways this can be done. Customer can engage separate injection moulding and assembly services companies, or opt to hire one integrated provider to oversee both processes at one site.
Benefits of integrated plastic injection moulding assembly services
Integrated plastic injection moulding assembly services are one of the most useful and versatile manufacturing solutions currently on the market. This is for a number of important reasons. Companies offering both plastic injection moulding and assembly services as a one-stop-shop help speed up production, eliminate needless transportation and save customers cost. Providing assembly services at the same location as plastic injection moulding also ensures co-ordinated quality control checks.
When the plastic injection moulding team hand assembles connecting parts in-house, this also helps to reduce variability, cut out bottlenecks and prevent scheduling problems with other suppliers that could delay the whole project. A single same team can work on a manufacturing project from initial brief to final assembly and delivery. This reduces inventory costs too, since stock control can be more easily monitored and components can be bulk-packed for customers rather than sent separately to external assembly services suppliers, which adds another stage to the overall process.
Sectors that can benefit particularly from integrated plastic injection moulding assembly services include construction, industrial, medical, agriculture and consumer goods. Customers can request bespoke assembly services for unusual applications or smaller order sizes to streamline smaller projects and ensure top quality. Lead times are compressed too, resulting in faster turnaround times. This can make all the difference if a customer is bringing a new or upgraded product to market and is under time pressure to beat the competition as a result.
Challenges of Outsourcing Assembly Services
While it can be tempting to shop around to see if you can find the assembly services part of plastic injection moulding cheaper elsewhere, there are several challenges that accompany the multi-supplier approach. For a start, there are now two or more companies needing to fit into the process and align with each other in terms of timings and logistics. Parts must be transported between sites, which can lead to delays and even potential problems with damage en route.
Then, there could be discrepancies with the quality control checking methods and consistency between two or more different teams. Customers will need to do their due diligence around two or more companies before choosing who to place the work with. Opting for a single one-stop-shop for plastic injection moulding assembly services combined will save time when checking competencies and performance ratings. It is easier, too, to build up long-term working relationships with, and entrust repeat business to one single provider, rather than several at the same time. There can also be economies of scale available from using a single supplier. This is because there will be fewer production costs and overheads needing to be passed on to the customer, particularly with larger orders.
Types of Assembly Services available
Assembly services for plastic injection moulding can vary depending on the methods used and type of components being manufactured. Manual assembly is as the name suggests – teams putting parts together by hand, matching components carefully to ensure solid cohesion and a quality finished product. This is an effective type of assembly services for both finished and sub-assemblies.
Another assembly service that can be used with plastic injection moulding is ultrasonic welding for plastic components and filter materials. Assembly techniques can also be helpful for pressure and vacuum leak testing, sterilisation, clean room assembly, printing and packaging. In addition, some finishing processes, such as coatings on the inside of plastic casing parts, can only be completed during final assembly stages.
Assembly services can be provided in a custom-built assembly facility or in a cleanroom for projects requiring highly controlled conditions for sensitive mouldings and assemblies. Cleanroom assembly is ideal for medical projects, electronics and food and beverage packaging components, where sterilisation is essential to avoid contamination.
