Choosing the right plastic for your injection-moulded product is one of the most important decisions in the development process. The material you choose affects your finished part’s strength, flexibility, appearance, cost, durability and performance.
At Talisman Group, we aren’t just a plastic injection moulding manufacturer. Our design services and material advice link directly into your tooling considerations and budget. We help you find the optimal plastic for your injection-moulded product. On this page, our team has listed the basics of what you need to know.
What should you consider when choosing plastic for injection moulding?
The right plastic depends on what you need your product to do, where you’ll use it, and whether it needs to meet any specific industry or safety requirements. Before you move on to tooling and production, consider these three factors:
Product performance
What does your part need to do?
Some injection-moulded products need to be rigid and strong. Others need to flex, clip into place, resist impact, provide insulation, stay lightweight or look good on display.
You may need to consider strength, stiffness, flexibility, surface finish, colour, dimensional accuracy, impact resistance or whether the part includes features such as clips, ribs, threads, hinges or snap-fits.
Your chosen material also needs to suit the mould design, including wall thickness, shrinkage, flow, tolerances and cooling behaviour. Depending on your product, certain materials will be better suited than others.
The product’s working environment
Your plastic part must perform in the environment where it will be used.
For example, a product used indoors in a dry, low-stress setting may only need a general-purpose plastic. A product used outdoors, near heat, around chemicals, in damp conditions or in a high-use application may need a more specialist material.
Key environmental factors can include temperature, UV exposure, moisture, cleaning chemicals, oils, impact, abrasion and repeated handling. If the material isn’t suitable for those conditions, the part may warp, crack, fade, weaken or absorb moisture over time.
Compliance and sector requirements
Some products may also need to meet specific rules, standards or customer requirements.
This is especially important for plastic components used in food & drink, packaging, fluid transfer, hygiene-sensitive products, medical applications and electrical equipment. In these cases, your material choice should account for food contact applications, flame resistance, chemical safety and any other sector-specific requirements.
Talisman Group’s injection moulding facility is BRCGS Packaging Materials certified. That means we can develop and manufacture injection-moulded products for use in regulated industries like food and drink. We can provide evidence of controlled processes, hygienic production standards, traceability and material choices assessed against the intended application.
Common injection moulding plastics and when to use them
The best material choice for your injection-moulded product depends on your product’s design, production requirements, budget and end use. These are some of the most common materials used in injection moulding:
ABS
- Main strengths: Tough, rigid, good surface finish
- Common uses: Housings, covers, consumer products, enclosures
- Main caution: Not always ideal for outdoor UV exposure or high-heat applications
Polypropylene (PP)
- Main strengths: Lightweight, low-cost, chemically resistant, flexible
- Common uses: Caps, closures, containers, packaging, living hinges
- Main caution: Less stiff than some engineering plastics
Polycarbonate (PC)
- Main strengths: Transparent, tough, impact-resistant, heat-resistant
- Common uses: Clear covers, guards, lenses, durable components
- Main caution: Higher material cost and possible chemical sensitivity
Nylon (PA)
- Main strengths: Strong, wear-resistant, suitable for engineering applications
- Common uses: Gears, clips, mechanical components, industrial parts
- Main caution: Can absorb moisture, which may affect dimensions and performance
Acetal (POM)
- Main strengths: Low friction, precise, wear-resistant, dimensionally stable
- Common uses: Gears, bearings, sliding parts, mechanical assemblies
- Main caution: Specialist use; compliance and finishing requirements should be checked
HDPE and PE
- Main strengths: Tough, chemical-resistant, economical
- Common uses: Containers, lids, industrial parts, damp environments
- Main caution: Lower stiffness and heat resistance than some engineering plastics; not ideal for tight tolerances
How Talisman Group can help you choose the right material
Choosing the right plastic is easier when product design and injection moulding are considered together.
At Talisman Group, our design services help you develop a product suitable for injection moulding. This can include reviewing the part’s shape, wall thickness, tolerances, surface finish, clips, hinges, ribs, bosses, assembly points and other any design features that can affect its mouldability.
That helps you avoid late design changes before production. Without involving your manufacturer early in the design process, these changes could involve adjusting wall thickness or changing a specific feature. While these changes may seem small on their own, they may affect other components. Across your entire range, that can mean an expensive rethink.
So, whether you already have a completed design or are still developing your product idea, our team can help you review the options and choose a material that makes sense for your product and production process. To discuss your injection-moulded product and get it to the manufacturing stage with fewer delays, get in touch with our team today.