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How Sourcing Injection Molding Through Fictiv Can Give Electrical Companies a Competitive Advantage
You might not know it, but many electric parts that you find around the house or in stores today are manufactured with plastic parts using an injection molding process. Some of these products include wire caps, motor housings, power strips, plugs and so much more.
Whether it’s used for producing low-volume batches or even as a bridge tooling solution to get electrical products in the hands of consumers faster, injection molding is an integral part of the manufacturing process. In the injection molding process, plastic material is heated and then injected under pressure into a closed metal mold. The molten plastic is then cooled until it hardens into the desired shape.
While there are many injection molding manufacturing options for electrical companies to choose from, not all can deliver fully customized products at the speed needed to stay competitive in an already highly competitive consumer market. That’s why many brands turn to Fictiv to source custom, fast-to-market injection molding.
Getting Electrical Products to Market Faster
To meet industry standards and consumer expectations, electrical products often need to adhere to a firm set of design requirements. However, meeting those requirements can’t come at the cost of speed to market.
Fictiv’s digital manufacturing platform makes it easier — and faster — to source high-quality electrical parts. Fictiv’s Design for Manufacturability (DFM) analysis process and 3D part visualizer also help detect part and tool design issues early on — effectively minimizing lead times and quality risks. This is achieved through a highly collaborative, transparent and evidence-based approach that combines automation with our team’s technical expertise.
A Growing Trend in Aesthetics
In the age of smart homes, home electrical components are becoming more sophisticated than the simple breaker box. More homeowners are opting for technology like home security system command panels, smart thermostats, doorbell cameras and window sensors. However, they often seek products that are unobtrusive or clean in design.
Aesthetics are also a big buying factor for electrical products like dimmers and light switch plates, outlet wall plates, chargers and more. To help companies produce injection molded parts that appeal to the consumer’s eye, Fictiv can provide custom color-matching services as well as custom texture and surface finishing services without impact to lead times.
Sourcing the Right Materials and Processes for Electrical Applications
Because of the versatility of plastic, its innate performance properties and its low cost, it is an ideal material in electrical manufacturing. Plastic can be conductive, insulating, heat and corrosion resistant, rigid or flexible and more. Regardless of the electrical application, Fictiv offers a range of high-performance injection molding materials, including engineering-grade plastics, thermoplastics and specialty plastics. This allows you to achieve a wide variety of performance properties all in one part.
Fictiv also offers overmolding and compression molding services. Overmolding expands on the benefits of injection molding by allowing you to manufacture intricate parts and assemblies from two or more materials in a short amount of time. This means you can achieve quick-turn parts with superior performance properties that are better suited for electrical applications.
With overmolding, rigid plastic materials can be encompassed in a soft elastomeric rubber material to create parts with enhanced electrical resistance, sealing properties, grip or tactile appeal. Overmolding can also help lower cost per part by eliminating the need for additional assembly.
Compression molding on the other hand, can be used to create flexible silicone and rubber parts, like buttons and casings. It is a low-cost molding process that’s ideal for larger-volume manufacturing applications and can support a wide variety of part shapes, sizes and wall thicknesses.
Bringing Flexibility to the Injection Molding Process
Ensuring the delivery of high-quality parts that meet to-market deadlines requires an agile part sourcing approach. And having the flexibility to develop products without constraints is a competitive advantage that cannot be ignored.
Thanks to a carefully selected network of domestic and global manufacturing partners, Fictiv can provide numerous types of injection molding services for all types of electrical applications. Manufacturing partners are thoroughly vetted and onboarded by Fictiv and are required to complete rigorous testing. In addition, Fictiv continuously manages them and monitors their performance.
Request Your Free Quote
If you’re ready to join the 2,500+ companies who use Fictiv for high-quality parts, visit fictiv.com/signup to request a free quote.