Before choosing a multi-cavity mold, you need to consider product project, lead time, production volume, design, size, and error-tolerant. Multi-cavity mold has two or more cavities that a mold includes several matched concave and convex “boxes”. We call it cavity. The feature, size, and shape of the cavity in a mold are the same. Multi-cavity mold is usually for small and high-volume parts such as bottle caps, zip ties, toothbrushes, etc. Depending on customer needs, the quantity of the cavity can be up to 64.

Single mold or multi-cavity, which is the best?

More cavities are not better, less is not better. An ideal mold is related to time, price, size, tolerance, color, quality, etc. Multi-cavity mold improves production efficiency and lowers the molded part per unit. It uses fewer injection molding machines to achieve higher ROI. Single cavity mold allows for more precise quality.

Time cycle

Multi-cavity mold requires a longer production time to meet the quality demand. Within the product schedule, it can produce more molded parts than a single cavity mold. For example, if the cycle time of a single impression tool is 20 seconds, it can produce 180 parts per hour. Therefore, 360 parts can be produced by double-cavity mold.

Mold budget

The production of multi-cavity mold requires more materials, energy, labor, which leads to a higher mold cost. Only large-scale production benefits from the multi-cavity mold.

High risk

Multi-cavity mold includes higher maintenance costs and risks. If one of the cavities breaks, the entire mold is unusable. Engineers should consider gate, tolerance, venting, balanced flow, etc.

Advantage

Efficiency

For large-scale production, injection molding of multi-cavity mold is faster than multiple single molds. It saves time the energy consumption of every injection molding circulation.

Low cost for per injection molded part

Order scalability

Multi-cavity mold produces more molded parts in one molding circulation. It allows flexible order adjustment. Customers can benefit from the product priority.

Disadvantage

Longer lead time

Multi-cavity mold is larger. The duplicated precision standard and structure design the difficulty of design and machining time.

High consumption

Even the multi-cavity mold can produce parts at one time, the whole mold must be taken out for troubleshooting when one of the cavities can’t work. It leads to a suspension for the production.

High initial investment

In a long run, multi-cavity mold solution brings high cost-effective. But the initial investment is higher than general mold. Color restriction The injection molding of the multi-cavity mold requires consistent color.

Color restriction

The injection molding of the multi-cavity mold requires consistent color.

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