Plastic Injection Molding FAQs Q: How do I know if injection molding is the right process for my product? A: The geometry of the part, the number of parts needed, your tooling budget and the application the part is being used for will all influence your decision to injection mold the part. Q: What type of information is required for quoting a molding project? A: Please complete our initial RFQ form at http://rodongroup.thomasnet.com/request/rodon. After that we'll need more specifics like the annual quantity needed, material preference, part prints or CAD files, part samples (if available), description of part application, including UV exposure, chemical resistance, FDA requirements, time frame for prototype parts and time frame for production parts.   Q: What is the minimum quantity you can order? A: Rodon is a high-volume plastic injection molder.  Our molds are built to exact specifications and are able to withstand years of continuous use.  Given the resources we invest in making the highest quality molds, we begin our production runs with a minimum order of 500,000. Q: What part size limitations do you have? A: Generally, not much bigger than 10"x10"x10". Our specialty is small parts in the range of 3"x3"x3" and smaller. Q: What material should I use for my project? A: Most material is application specific. If you don't have a material selected for your application, we can help and offer some guidance. Often several resins are sampled and the customer has final approval before proceeding.   Q: What is the typical process of a new project? A: We will evaluate your part design and modify it to be efficiently injection molded. Then, we will build the mold for the part. Next, your mold will be put into an injection molding press to make production parts. On average the entire process takes 8-10 weeks. You can learn more about our capabilities by visiting our Capabilities page and http://www.youtube.com/rodongroup.   Q: How long does it take to produce a part? A: The length of time needed to get your parts delivered is determined by several factors.  First, the tool needs to be made.  Depending on the complexity, this stage will take approximately three months.  Once the tool is made, we do a short production run to ensure the customer is satisfied with the final part.  If adjustments are required, additional time may be needed.  With the tool and sample parts finalized,  the production can begin.  Average turn-around time on a production run is approximately 2-3 weeks. Q: Do you offer prototype tooling? A: Yes, but only to evaluate the prototype part prior to producing production tooling. We do not build prototype tools as a service since we are a high volume molder and the amount of production parts you can produce with a prototype tool is limited.   Q: What types of molding services do you offer? A: We produce high volume production parts (500m +), we design the mold for production, make the mold, and run production parts. SLA samples are available, if necessary to the project.   Q: Do you offer extended molding services such as assembly, packaging or decorating? A: We offer bulk packaging at the press, but do not offer custom packaging, decorating or assembly. Additional secondary operations can be performed by approved 3rd party vendors who we work with.   Q: Does The Rodon Group sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)? A: Yes, as an American manufacturer, we are all too familiar with the problems some of our customers have had with Chinese producers, who may or may not honor NDAs.  We review the NDAs with in-house counsel to insure the intellectual property of our customers is fully protected. Q: How can you beat China pricing? A: Globally competitive prices and elimination of offshore risks add up to a delivered part price that makes Rodon the envy of our industry throughout the world. See our Cheaper than China comparison chart to see how Rodon Beats China Pricing and why we're your best choice for high-volume, custom plastic injection molding.   Q: Do you offer a standard parts line? A: Yes, we have an assortment of standard caps, plugs and fasteners as well as hose washers. You can reference our complete line of standard products here.