919-404-2080 
Serving South Carolina from Our Central Location in North Carolina
At Advanced Plastiform, Inc., we design and manufacture high-quality, custom plastics for companies across South Carolina in all types of industries, including automotive, medical, materials handling, and telecommunications. Using both thermoforming and injection molding to produce plastic parts, components, and products, our customers rely on us for short lead times, competitive per-unit pricing, and most of all, making a durable, custom product that is accurate to design and consistent, no matter how many pieces we produce.
Our Injection Molding Process
API is a full-service plastics manufacturing company, which means we not only produce plastics, we have an experienced design and engineering team here to help you create your design, develop a prototype, and help you determine what type of manufacturing process, thermoplastic material, and customization options will work best for your finished product.
While many of our products are created through thermoforming, there are times when injection molding is a more efficient method that can create a more accurate part. Injection molding is a manufacturing method where we heat thermoplastic pellets to a liquid, then use a high pressure injection tool to inject the plastic into a custom, double-sided tool to form the product. When the plastic cools, the product is removed and finishing touches are applied, like paint, special coatings, or silk-screening.
When we are designing and manufacturing custom plastics, we use high-end materials and the newest processes and equipment. Our injection presses range from 100 to 530 tons so we can create all types of plastic pieces, and we use heavy aluminum, steel, and beryllium copper to produce the tooling to make sure it can hold up to the pressure of the injector.
Choosing Injection Molding Over Thermoforming
While thermoforming is a more popular option due to its lower up-front cost and faster lead time, it’s not ideal for every design. Injection molding is often chosen for small pieces, items requiring variable thickness, and more complicated detailing, which often can’t be achieved through thermoforming.
Why Is Injection Molding More Complicated than Thermoforming?
Thermoforming plastics requires taking a flat sheet of a thermoplastic material, and fitting it to a single-sided, custom tool, then using a vacuum or pressurized air to get a close fit. Injection molding is done using a double sided tool to create a mold, and to ensure accuracy to the design and consistency, more force is exerted to inject the liquid plastic into the mold. In order to handle the force, the mold must be made of heavier materials than in thermoforming. Often, we use steel, heavy aluminum, or beryllium-copper alloy.
Because designing and prototyping are more complex, coupled with higher cost materials, the upfront cost and lead time is greater than in thermoforming. However, once final production begins, we can produce large quantities of products quickly and can fill ongoing orders quickly and without the high upfront cost. This means that for large and repeat orders, injection molding offers a very low per-unit cost.
Contact Us for Injection Molding in South Carolina
If your South Carolina company needs custom plastics, Advanced Plastiform, Inc. can help! Whether your company is located in Greenville, Florence, Columbia, Charleston, and all other areas of South Carolina, Advanced Plastiform is available to handle the design and delivery of your custom plastic products, parts, and pieces. With our dedication to customer service, we provide high-quality products on time and within your budget!
Contact Advanced Plastiform, Inc.
Please contact us today by calling 919-404-2080 or filling out our form below to discuss your custom plastic manufacturing needs.