After working through the above two steps (understanding your part function and optimizing your part design for manufacturing), you should have a solid set of parameters for material selection. The challenge with material selection is that there are literally thousands of overmolding materials to choose from, and new ones are developed practically every week. That’s why when we are evaluating a new overmolding project, we go straight to our suppliers and make sure we have the best materials for the job.

Although the TPE injection molding technique is a high tooling cost process, the advanced properties of the TPE pellets deliver short cycle times and allow parts to be produced at a rapid rate and high volume.

TPEs’ cost-effectiveness, versatility, and design flexibility enable them to be used in various end-user markets such as consumer goods, automobiles, electronics, and many more. This comprehensive guide will help you with all you need to know about TPEs and how their unique properties are harnessed.

Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE), also known as thermoplastic rubbers (TPR), are copolymers or blends of compounds that deliver the processing properties of thermoplastics and service properties of elastomers. TPEs exhibit the durable characteristic features of thermoplastics above their melt temperatures and the rubber-like properties of elastomers at ambient temperatures, allowing them to be processed into flexible plastics that can be remolded or reshaped.

Designing for overmolding can be difficult. However, ensuring your part is correctly designed for the overmolding process is critical. The design process starts with understanding the function of the part. Here are some good questions to ask upfront:

Once you clearly understand the function of your part, you want to look at the design of the part and make sure it’s optimized for the manufacturing process. Other design considerations include wall thickness, gate location, shrink, sealing features, and mechanical interlock features.

Regarding TPE mold, FOW Mould is the best company to have as a supplier and business partner. With different mold-making techniques, including insertion molding, overmolding, and plastic injection molding, FOW is able to achieve an annual capability of 900 molds, 300 of which are bucket molds. Our mold-making and injection molding services have since expanded to other industries such as furniture, automobile, warehouse & storage, baby products, and home appliances. Our team of experienced engineers can help you achieve all-inclusive, cost-effective solutions with no compromise on quality, guiding you from the ideation phase with product sketches and drawings through the mold construction phase and the final production of your designs.

When selecting material, both the substrate and the overmold material should be considered. TPE plastic comes in several variations based on physical properties like elasticity and hardness, as well as its ability to adhere to other plastics. For example, one TPE could “feel” the same as another but may not adhere well to a polypropylene substrate. Here are some factors to consider:

TPE over-molding is a unique molding process in which one material (TPE) is formed in a mold followed by another rigid plastic material by heating with liquid silicone. There is no need to bond the two materials with adhesives or primers. The process seamlessly combines the primary and secondary materials into a component.

TPE materials have a wide range of advantages, particularly over conventional rubber, some of which include the following:

As a part of the mold-making process, mold engineering is carried out by mold design engineers using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software such as SolidWorks and MoldFlow. This software has built-in tools that guide the TPE mold engineer to ensure high precision. The engineer can view the designs from different angles before prototyping.

TPE is a short form for ‘thermoplastic elastomer.’ Thermoplastic elastomers are synthetic plastics that belong to the thermoplastic family. This explains why they have the same chemical properties as thermoplastics. They change to a molten state at a high temperature and maintain a solid state at a lower temperature.

Generally speaking, the overmolding process is the same as an injection molding process, except that the plastic is molded over another component. The difference lies in operation. With overmolding, the substrate is loaded into the mold on each cycle. In addition, how the substrate is loaded creates two different overmolding operations:

Thermoplastic elastomers differ from thermoset elastomers in their chemical bond and properties. thermoset elastomers are crosslinked, giving them a more permanent bond. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are flexible plastics that melt when heated and harden when cooled without changing the chemical structure.

One major reason for TPE’s acceptance in different parts of the world is that it can easily be recycled. Like every other thermoplastic, TPE can be molded and remolded into a different product. Thermoplastic elastomers are molded into different shapes at a high temperature using either TPE injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, or rotational molding methods.

The advantage of manual overmolding is simplicity. The tooling required for the substrate and overmold is simple (when compared to two-shot tooling), and there is no secondary equipment required. The downside is the labor allocation and potential for inconsistent cycle times created by operators. As annual order volumes increase, the labor involved can become significant enough to justify investment in automation systems or a two-shot molding operation.

ACIS®, Autodesk Inventor®, CATIA® V5,Creo™ Parametric, IGES, Parasolid®, Pro/ENGINEER®,Siemens PLM Software’s NX™, SolidEdge®, SolidWorks®, STEP

Insert molding and overmolding are both processes for using the injection molding process to mold plastic around something. The key difference is that overmolding is typically molding a rubber-like plastic over the top of another plastic component, while insert molding involves molding plastic around a non-plastic component.

Most plastics manufacturers have application engineers to evaluate each application and stay in touch with the latest developments. There is no reason not to leverage their experience and knowledge. At the same time, we want to understand some general factors in material selection, like adhesion. We also want to have a solid grasp of material properties, like hardness and friction.

Thermoplastic elastomers have seen an increase in global use for several decades and this post is a comprehensive guide on how TPE injection molding and TPE overmolding work. Although they have some drawbacks, TPEs possess many desirable features that make them valuable in many contexts including automobiles, consumer products, medical equipment, home appliance, and so on. Many industries are still discovering innovative ways to use TPEs.

There are 6 primary categories of TPE; they are Thermoplastic Vulcanizates (TPV), Thermoplastic Urethanes (TPU), Thermoplastic Olefins (TPO), Styrenic Block Copolymers (SBC), Copolyester Elastomer (COPE), and Polyether Block Amide (PEBA). Each differs in chemical structure and composition.

Material properties are important for applications requiring specific functions (like vibration absorption or grip). For overmolding TPE materials, there are a few properties that are key:

The TPE over-molding technique creates a soft product surface and increases the product’s functionality, thereby giving it more value. TPE over-molding helps in a wide range of applications providing better functionality, ergonomics, and feature enhancements such as shock absorption, noise reduction, water resistance, and durability.

TPE mold design is one of the steps to take in constructing your plastic products. There are certain things to consider when deciding on the mold to design. After designing the TPE mold, the next thing is to make it. If you have ever wondered how molds are designed and made, read on to discover the basics of this process.

TPE products typically have high elasticity, longevity, and resistivity to oil which are common with traditional rubbers and the wide range of processing methods associated with ordinary plastics.

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) were commercially introduced in the 1960s. This recyclable polymeric material combines the high elasticity of elastomers at room temperature and the excellent processability of thermoplastics at high temperatures.

When selecting TPE materials, it is important to understand their properties, advantages, and disadvantages. These can impact their moldability and affect the outcome of the finished product. TPE materials have good to excellent electrical insulation properties and are UV stable. The elastic soft phase also makes them flexible, with some tensile strength arising from strain-induced crystallization of their chain segments.

FOW Mould in China has been a reliable provider of quality injection mold solutions for over 40 years. We have representatives in different parts of the world. Also, we have a wide range of products, such as plastic baby toy sets, buckets, home appliances, plastic molded chairs, plastic auto parts, and many more.

FOW Mould is a reliable provider of premium quality mold services across the globe. FOW Mould offers on-demand OEM and ODM services for all your production and prototyping needs, and our customer service team is available to guide customers on matters such as cost saving to minimize unnecessary burdens while still preserving the quality. You can also upload your designs for the professional help from our team. Check out our website today to learn more about TPE molding or to request a quote from us.

The TPE injection molding technique is one of the methods used in making TPE products. This technique allows the remolding or reshaping of TPE products. Once the product is solidified, it can be melted back into liquefied form and into a different design. The molding process can be reversed by melting and the plastics can be reused multiple times.

Overmolding is an injection molding process used to mold one plastic (commonly a rubber-like plastic called TPE) over top of another component (substrate). The substrate is usually an injection-molded plastic part, but it could also be made from various other materials. Overmolding is used across several industries and serves a wide array of purposes. Below are a few examples of overmolding applications:

During the TPE molding process, TPEs are not subjected to cross-linking, making the fabrication reversible. TPEs demonstrate flexibility that provides excellent value in today’s market as they significantly replace the use of rubbers in several applications.

With a manual operation, the substrate is injection molded via a traditional injection molding process. The substrates are then hand-loaded into another mold for the overmolding operation. The operator will also remove the finished part from the mold, provide an inspection, and package the parts. Manual overmolding is the most common procedure for low to mid-volume overmolding.

At FOW Mould, you can be assured of good quality at reasonable prices, technical efficiency, lifelong free repair, and prompt response delivery for any queries. FOW also maintains a close relationship with clientele to help with troubleshooting. Our company has a Quality Management System that is internationally certified with internal quality control processes and measures that monitor and check our daily TPE mold products.