Over molding and Insert Molding

Over Moulding and Insert Moulding

Over Moulding and Insert Moulding Examples

Why Choose Kore

  • We have been making over moulded plastic parts such as car keys or car parts for more than ten years.
  • Over the years, we have become highly experienced in over moulding of different plastics over different substrate materials such as paper, metal, electronics, sensors, and of course, polymers.

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Find out more about over moulding and insert moulding below.

What is Over Moulding?

To put it simply, overmolding is the process of one plastic material moulded onto or over another substrate material in an injection process.

Over moulding requires great care and attention paid to proper material selection. Thus, the materials for over moulding application should be based on their chemical and physical compatibility.

Once the over moulding of layers is done, the final product is ready for use.

One common application of over moulding is creating of a “skin” or a “soft touch” effect on a plastic part.

Common products that utilize the over moulding process are PCB, Power tools, Steering wheels of the cars and Phone cases.

What Is Insert Moulding?

Insert moulding, on the other hand, is a type of over moulding with a metal substrate. Plastic is combined with another material (normally metal) to obtain the desired performance to weight combination.

In a typical insert moulding operation, the insert would be placed in the mould cavity of the second molding process. The second plastic resin is injected and wraps around the insert with some part of it exposed.

The very common example of such insert molding process is a plastic part with embedded metal nut for screw or bolt assembly.

Advantages of Over Molding or Insert Molding

The process of over molding offers:

  • greater reliability as the inner layer is protected. Products of over moulding are rough and tough, having the ability to survive the roughest of conditions.
  • an increase in IP rating of the product. It means it improves water-, dust-, and shock-resistance.
  • improvement in product robustness and reliability
  • ptimization of costs and functionality of product. g. a component with tensile strength and wear resistance of the metal inserts can be combined with lightweight and mouldability characteristics of plastics as opposed to a full metal component
  • reduction in the time taken and cost for production and labor requirements as it excludes post-moulding assembly steps
  • the ability to fulfill complex designs such as integration of different components, which cannot normally be done through assembly of parts.
  • Improves the cosmetic look of the over molded product
  • Improves the tactility of the over molded product

Best Uses For Over Molding

  • One typical example of over moulding is car keys. This process gives the key a better appearance and tactile touch, as well as protect the embedded IC chip.
  • Latch components in mechanical locks in cars
  • Air filters
  • Soft touch handles for sippy cups and numerous baby products
  • Medical components
  • Electrical appliances such as handle grip for power drill
  • Electronic connectors with metal pins
  • LCD displays for display panels

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