Time to read: 6 min
Advancements in technology and shifting customer demands are shaping the future of injection molding. As the political landscape changes and the industry continues undergoing digital transformation, key trends such as mold transfer, automation, and on-demand production are becoming increasingly important.
This article explores injection molding trends to watch in 2025 and how they will influence the sector’s trajectory:
- Customer Data Insights
- Nearshoring Manufacturing
- Mold Transferability
- Quick Changeover (SMED)
- Smart Systems (Industry 4.0)
- Just-In-Time (JIT) Production
- Sustainability & Recyclability
Fictiv Customer Data Insights
Preferences for injection molding orders are shifting as more companies are requesting manufacturing closer to home. For Fictiv orders in 2024, 53% of customers chose production overseas, whereas 47% requested domestic production. Price has been a key driver, with 72% focusing on the lowest cost, compared to 28% prioritizing faster delivery. 71% of Fictiv’s customer base sought new product development (NPD), while 29% selected production.
More Fictiv customers are requesting additional services such as Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for their injection molding orders. This indicates the continued importance of quality control processes.
According to Cameron Moore, Fictiv GM of China, more customers are requesting support like Mold DFM, mold flow analysis, and tooling validation than in prior years. “10 years ago, this support was primarily sought by the automotive industry. However, it has quickly expanded to other sectors and is now becoming an industry standard.”
Nearshoring Manufacturing
Companies that source molds and components from regional suppliers benefit significantly by bringing their manufacturing processes closer to home. Nearshoring enables them to decrease supply chain risks and disruptions caused by shipping delays, geopolitical pressures, and more. With enhanced supervision, quality assurance can improve while localizing troubleshooting of issues. Problems are promptly addressed, protecting injection molding companies from the pitfalls of international disruptions.
Nearshoring allows companies to decrease the overhead cost of managing freight logistics, as being closer to the target market substantially reduces shipping costs. Additionally, transporting molds and parts will be cheaper and result in less strain on the environment.
The fast-paced nature of the injection molding market demands that companies prioritize cost-effectiveness, speed, and flexibility. With nearshoring, businesses remain competitive while saving on production-related costs, drastically reducing the time required to manufacture items.
Mold Transferability
The ability to move your molds more easily is an advantageous factor in low-volume plastic manufacturing because manufacturers must swap out molds more frequently for shorter production runs. Standardized molds allow tools and presses to be interchangeable between different machines and plants. This flexibility reduces downtime and costs incurred from moving molds from one place to another, enabling a better flow throughout production.
Additionally, mold transferability enables more adaptable and efficient production strategies. It facilitates easier transitions between nearshoring and offshoring, giving companies the agility to adapt to rapidly changing markets. This flexibility is essential for producers whose production volumes vary from small batches to medium production runs.
Cameron Moore explains, “Picking up and moving tooling often can be challenging because tooling needs to be designed for a certain injection mold press, with specific hardware. Customers want flexibility and the ability to move tooling elsewhere seamlessly, but that is challenging due to retrofitting costs and tooling being offline. It’s something Fictiv is building as a service.”
Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) and Lean Manufacturing
An efficient transfer of molds is an important benefit of lean manufacturing in injection molding, which focuses on enhancing efficiency and reducing waste in all elements of the manufacturing process. One of the essential tools in accomplishing this is the Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED), which is to reduce the breaks in production caused by replacing one mold with another. By enabling faster transitions, SMED shortens the time between production runs by streamlining the changeover process. This leads to increased productivity and even greater flexibility, allowing manufacturers to reduce batch sizes and meet the demands of rapidly updated products, bespoke products, and urgent projects quite effectively.
Aside from SMED, other lean practices concentrate on reducing waste, including material, energy, and labor waste. Effective use of materials and proper energy management lowers costs and enables environmentally friendly production processes. Reducing inefficiencies with labor through lean approaches increases the output level per worker and further reduces operation costs.
Automation and Smart Systems (Industry 4.0)
Automation and smart systems, driven by Industry 4.0 technologies, are paving the way for the digital transformation of injection molding by enhancing operational efficiency and product quality. Remote control and data transfer regarding temperature, pressure, and mold conditions are possible using IoT (Internet of Things) and data-driven manufacturing. This technology provides real-time data to support machinery maintenance and enhance operations in the injection molding sector. This approach ensures high-quality standards are maintained while supporting predictive maintenance, reducing unplanned machine downtime, and enhancing overall reliability.
In addition to meeting the required parameters for precision and efficiency, automated workflows are advantageous for many reasons. Robotics handle repetitive work such as part removal, quality checks, and packaging, lessening human error and speeding up production. Therefore, low production quotas do not have to dilute the use of automated systems to maintain quality. Industry 4.0 and IoT systems such as automation, data analysis, and machine connectivity are integrated to work in tandem. This interconnected approach allows a more effective and flexible manufacturing environment, reducing losses and overall costs. Better automation, together with data acquisition, leads to a competitive advantage with improved operational efficiency and quality control.
Just-In-Time (JIT) Production
Another way to increase efficiency and reduce costs is with Just-In-Time production (JIT). This strategy prioritizes consumer needs per the production schedule, eliminating the need to maintain an extensive inventory. With just the amount of resources available at a given point in time, this method dramatically minimizes stock and related costs, such as overproduction and obsolete inventory.
JIT can be utilized in managing inventories to reflect market demands and changing production timelines. Injection molding relies heavily on customized services to meet specific customer needs. This shift toward automation, even on a small scale, allows manufacturers to quickly adjust production levels and product quality. By doing so, they can produce goods at competitive prices while better aligning with consumer requirements.
Sustainability and Recyclable Materials
Sustainable injection molding practices are gaining ground as greater awareness of the impacts of climate change on business continues to grow. Molders are increasingly using biodegradable and recycled plastics to meet environmental and compliance standards. Recycling scrap material, known as regrind, is one way to reduce waste. Recycled plastic and regrind can be molded and re-purposed, although differences in material properties should be considered.
Cleantech advancements are improving efficiencies, with electric injection molding machines leading the way. Electric machines, in contrast to conventional hydraulic systems, are driven by servo motors, which operate efficiently at high speed. The servo motors control the machine and handle the injection, extrusion, clamping, and ejection processes that would typically need separate hydraulic actions. This results in a faster, cleaner, and more reproducible molding cycle with the potential to lower energy consumption by 50% to 75%.
Molds and components that can be recycled are also being developed. This complements the circular economy, where materials can be repurposed to minimize pollution. By pursuing sustainability in the plastic industry, organizations can create better practices to meet the increasing market and regulatory environmental requirements.
Injection Molding With Fictiv: The Future is Now
Fictiv is helping to shape the future of the injection molding industry by combining advanced technology with expert insights to deliver high-quality, complex parts quickly. In tandem with the growing demand in the industry, Fictiv is focusing on staying current with the most efficient production strategies.
This structured approach helps overcome the challenges posed by the constantly changing environment that companies face. We keep up with the trends so that you can leverage the latest technologies and achieve outstanding results in every project.
For your next injection molding project, set up an account and submit your part files to get a quote within a day, with no minimum order quantity. In addition to receiving a quote, you will benefit from design for manufacturing (DFM) feedback and expert advice throughout the completion of the work, ensuring that the design is manufacturable and meets your requirements.
