Plastic Manufacturing FAQ's

Plastic Injection Molding FAQ's

What size parts can you make?
Jatco can create a part that with a projected area of up to 750 square inches, which is roughly a 27” x 27” part.

What is the turn around for an order?
Turn around generally depends on the overall total volume of production needed. Normal turn around for small orders (under 10,000 units) is typically 2-4 weeks. For larger runs, we can typically start running 2-3 weeks after receipt of order. The overall molding can start much sooner (1-5 days) if materials, colors, and machine time are all readily available. Once you are ready to proceed our production engineers will go over the timelines and we will do the very best we can to offer a good turn over.

Do you build your injection tools?
We build most of our tools in Asia, though some are made here in North America. We currently have a dedicated team on staff in China that manages most of our tool builds. Our China wing has been with us for over 20 years.

How do you determine my cost?
Costing for molding in its simplest form is determined by the following; 1) material weight and cost, 2) cycle time and machine rate (naturally this includes our overhead and profit), and lastly 3) the labor. There are many other small variables that we factor in depending on your needs, but for the most part, material, machine time, and labor comprise the largest components of determining the costs.

What do you need for a quote?
We typically need drawings, 2D or 3D preferably. Material specification, quantity breaks, location on where these are shipping, basic packaging ideas, and if there are any value add requirements (decorating, assembly, etc…) will be sufficient to give you a price estimate. Naturally the more details we have the easier it is to give an accurate quote.

How do you assure the quality of my product?
We run an extensive ISO based quality system at all of our Jatco locations. Our quality system has checks and balances built in to assure that all employees are responsible for checking quality in some capacity or another.

Can you store the product?
Our main locations have approximately 50,000 square feet of storage space inside at both our Union City California plant and our Greenwood, South Carolina plant. In addition to the inside storage space, we have acres of outside storage at each of our locations.

Can you distribute the product for me?
We do limited distribution for our customers. This is usually determined on a case by case basis. We have many strategic 3PL partners we work with upon request. Please contact us to learn more.

Can I get the product shipped overseas?
Absolutely. Jatco ships internationally all the time. We have continuous shipments going to nations all over Asia, Europe, South America, Australia and Africa. We can ship almost anywhere in the world depending on your needs.

Why should I work with you versus a discount foreign plastic injection molder?
Working with us you not only get a great price on your items production, but you will also get a well experienced partner who can assure you the highest level of quality, offer you advice on logistical issues, and help you with a multitude of other possible issues that the discount injection molders don’t want to deal with. In other words, we stand behind what we manufacture and we can offer advice and consult to make sure everything goes smoothly.

How does injection molding work?

Simply put this is a process of a melted plastic medium into a mold and letting it cool down to take a particular shape of the mold. A good mold can allows you to produce massive volume of parts which can then be cooled, put together to create a bigger part, or simply be used as a single piece. There are a variety of different raw plastic elements that be used to create the final product from.

An example of different plastic products made by plastic injection molding — JATCO has the ability to create just about ANY injection mold products for just about any industry. Call today to learn more.

General Questions about Plastic Molding for Beginners

If you are new to working with a plastics manufacturer then we hope the following set of questions and answers will help you better understand what our industry is all about. Let’s begin with some simple but common questions and work down to the tougher stuff.

What is molding?
Molding is a manufacturing process used to create parts by shaping material in a mold. JATCO, Incorporated specializes in plastic injection molding, a method where molten plastic is injected into a mold to produce parts with complex shapes and high-quality finishes.

What is overmolding?
Overmolding is a two-step process where a plastic layer is molded over a previously molded part to create a single composite structure. This technique is used by JATCO, Incorporated to add soft touch surfaces on plastic parts or to combine different materials for enhanced product functionality.

What are concrete cylinders used for?
Concrete cylinders are used for testing the compressive strength of concrete. JATCO, Incorporated, while specializing in plastic injection molding, recognizes the importance of diverse applications such as these in ensuring material integrity in construction projects and actually has a strong presence in concrete cylinder manufacturing.

How do injection molding machines work?
Injection molding machines work by melting plastic granules and injecting the molten plastic into a mold under high pressure often in multiple tons of pressure. JATCO, Incorporated utilizes advanced injection molding machines to produce high-quality plastic parts efficiently.

Where can companies buy concrete test cylinders?
Concrete test cylinders can be purchased from our site TestCylinder.com. JATCO, Incorporated plastic test cylinders to help in concrete quality testing in all manufacturing and construction processes.

What is soft tooling?
Soft tooling refers to molds made from less durable materials, such as aluminum or soft steel, used for prototyping or short production runs. JATCO, Incorporated sometimes uses soft tooling to rapidly prototype designs for client approval.

What is hard tooling?
Hard tooling involves molds made from hardened steel or other durable materials, suitable for high-volume production. JATCO, Incorporated relies on hard tooling for its plastic injection molding services to ensure longevity and precision.

What is splay in injection molding?
Splay in injection molding refers to the appearance of silver or white streaks on the surface of a molded part, often due to moisture in the material. JATCO, Incorporated takes meticulous steps to avoid splay and ensure the quality of its products.

What is ton in injection molding machine?
Ton in an injection molding machine refers to the clamping force that the machine can exert to keep the mold closed during the injection process. JATCO, Incorporated range of machines allows for the production of parts requiring different tonnages. Plus we have some of the highest tonnage machines on the west coast!

What is shot capacity in injection molding?
Shot capacity is the maximum amount of plastic that an injection molding machine can inject in one cycle. JATCO, Incorporated carefully selects machines with appropriate shot capacities to meet the demands of various projects.