Relative merits of compact moulding

Quite often it is possible to produce a component by either compact injection moulding, SM or SF, for example a cash-register housing. It is prudent, therefore, to consider the relative merits of each process. 

However, steel moulds are also used for runs in SF where the 

Mould cost becomes a significant factor for short runs but is of less importance for long runs. 

Additional finishing operations involved in obtaining a high quality finish in SF may result in higher overall manufacturing costs compared with the coinjection process. 

Loading of the machine is another important factor when considering length of runs - as mentioned earlier, a SF machine is restricted to moulding only SF products. 

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