Why is Blow Molding Ideal for High-Volume Production?

Cost Efficiency in Large-Scale Runs

Blow molding is relatively inexpensive for high-volume production, and this advantage continues to grow with custom blow molding production. Custom blow molding also levels out initial costs. When producing parts in bulk, the costs of developing a molding tool gets allocated to a large number of copies. Each part will end up costing much less than other manufacturing methods. For instance, a client needing a custom blow molding service profitably produces 10,000 parts instead of 100, as the share of the initial cost of the mold to the 10,000 is significantly lower than to 100. Finally, the process is efficient in the use of raw materials. Waste is minimal and excess material is recaptured and recycled for use in the process, reducing material costs. This is a big plus for companies during high-volume runs.

Quality Consistency Across Mass Production

When it comes to mass production, especially blow molding, quality consistency is critical to the production line. Blow molding ensures consistency because there is little variation in the processes for the automated systems. Each piece is produced using the same steps, thereby limiting the waste of resources due to human error in less automated systems. The blow molding process can control all dimensions of the produced plastic parts, including thickness. The consistency in production is especially important in industries, like automotive, where the variation in dimensions can cause bigger issues. For example, the air conditioning ducts in an automobile must be able to fit ventilation ducts that are produced in the same cycle time. Consistent blow molding ducts reduce time and materials reworked to make the ducts fit. Custom designs are also easy to integrate into custom blow-molding production systems. Consistency can be controlled to harmonize with custom quality demands on the part.

Speed to Meet High-Volume Demands  

When looking to fill big orders, the production method chosen needs to keep up with the demand. Naturally, the speed of blow molding works in its favor. Today’s blow molding machines work very fast, and once set up with a mold, can run unfettered for long periods, spitting out part after part. Such continuous processing and the ability to keep to a constant speed with very little downtime between parts makes it a reliable method for fulfilling large orders in short amount of time. In fact, machines can be set to produce hundreds or even thousands of parts per hour, depending on the part’s size and complexity. Controlled automation in the production process allows for even high speed production processes to maintain consistent quality, which is a common concern for businesses needing to quickly provide large quantities of a finished product to their customers. Coupled with custom-blow molding production, businesses can get their products to market quickly while still meeting specific design requirements.

Adaptability for Different Part Designs

Many think that high-volume production limits the designs that can be used, but custom blow-molding production shows that is not the case. Custom blow-molding can do high-volume runs while producing parts of many different shapes, sizes, and complexities. Range of designs can be accommodated, even intricate parts with special features, not just simple cylindrical containers. This is of great value to industries with diverse parts to produce. For example, in the household goods industry, blow molding is used for high-volume production of many different parts, including large storage bins and small components of toys. Since each mold can be individually tailored to specific requirements, businesses can keep their original, complex designs without making compromises for high-volume production. There is also great design versatility, since modifying the design of a mold is more straightforward than having to retool an entire set of other types of manufacturing.

Sustainability Advancing High-Volume Goals

For many businesses and consumers, Sustainability is no longer just a trend and, blow molding helps support step sustainable high-volume production. As a process, it generates minimal waste, and much of the waste produced is recyclable). This helps mitigate the impact on the environment when manufacturing large quantities of parts. Furthermore, many of the materials used in blow molding such as certain plastics, is recyclable as well. At the end of a part's life, it may be captured, processed, and used to manufacture new parts. Custom sustainable practices in blow-molded production can also be integrated by using fair trade materials that address the custom design requirements. For business sustainability targets that do high-volume production, blow molding supports it. For environmentally conscious consumers, it is a selling point and helps businesses establish a positive brand image.