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Injection Molding Capabilities
Custom plastic injection molding for automotive and consumer products, with molds built in our own Ohio tool shop, from DFM review and 3D-printed prototypes to high-volume production, assembly and inspection, all molded in America.
Capabilities
From part design to production
Midwest Molding supports your program at every stage: material selection and part design, 3D-printed prototype parts, custom injection molding, robotic automation, assembly and inspection, for automotive and consumer products programs and beyond. The same support covers programs you are moving from another supplier, overseas or in the U.S., and we can take over your existing tools. Send us a drawing or an idea, and our engineers will help you plan the path to production.
Mold building
Molds built in our own Ohio tool shop
We build new injection molds on U.S.-made mold bases in our company-owned tool shop in Ohio and run them on our own presses, so the people who build your mold work with the people who mold your parts. The same shop evaluates and repairs transferred molds and keeps every tool in shape with preventive maintenance and dry-ice cleaning.
We prioritize U.S.-made components: every mold starts on a U.S.-made mold base, and we choose American-made components wherever they are available.
Tooling support covers hot runners, core pulls and valve gates, with 40,000 lb tool/die capacity.
Custom injection molding
Injection molding on more than 70 all-electric presses
We mold custom plastic parts on more than 70 all-electric injection molding presses, up to 1,800 tons, in a climate-controlled plant that runs 24/7, including insert molding, multi-shot options and gate cutting for complex parts. We run a design-for-manufacturing (DFM) review before a mold is built, looking at your part design, material and tooling, so your part is ready for reliable, repeatable production. We mold all common resins, from commodity grades like polypropylene to engineering grades like nylon.
Engineering support
DFM review and 3D-printed prototypes
Our engineers can get involved as early as the quote. They review part designs for manufacturability, recommend materials and tooling, and support cost and risk assessments. Our in-house 3D printers make prototype parts for form and fit checks before steel is cut. We help companies bring new concepts to market, from first idea to full production.
Automation
Robotic automation in every molding cell
Robots handle repetitive work in our molding cells. Servo robots remove parts from the mold and place them on conveyors or into automated stations for gate cutting, checking and assembly, so every part is handled the same way, cycle after cycle. Downstream, 6-axis robots, vibratory bowl feeders and ultrasonic welding support sub-assembly, vision systems support inspection, and cloud-based production monitoring tracks output in real time.
Assembly & secondary operations
Parts that ship ready for your line
Many programs need more than a molded part. Our secondary operations include automated gate cutting, ultrasonic welding and sub-assembly, so components leave our plant ready for the next step in your production. Assembly cells combine 6-axis robots, vibratory bowl feeders and part-specific fixtures, and parts are checked in fixtures at the station. Tell us what happens to your part after molding, and we will look at what we can take on.
Quality control
ISO 9001 certified quality
Quality is built into every step. Midwest Molding is ISO 9001 certified, and detailed inspection and verification processes ensure parts meet dimensional and customer requirements, from raw materials to finished products. Inspection tools on our floor include vision systems, part-specific checking fixtures and blue-light 3D scanners that compare parts with CAD data. Ask us how we would inspect your part.
Mold maintenance
In-house mold maintenance and dry-ice cleaning
Dry-ice cleaning and preventive maintenance keep your tool running and your parts consistent, from the first shot to the millionth. Transferred molds are evaluated in our company-owned tool shop before production.
Equipment & capacity
What runs on our floor
| Injection molding machines | More than 70 all-electric presses, up to 1,800 tons |
|---|---|
| Press brands | Mostly Shibaura Machine (formerly Toshiba Machine), plus FANUC ROBOSHOT, all all-electric |
| Robots | Wittmann and Yushin take-out robots; Yaskawa, FANUC and Universal Robots arms; high-precision 5- and 6-axis servo robots |
| Tooling support | Hot runners, core pulls, valve gates; 40,000 lb tool/die capacity; in-house mold maintenance and dry-ice cleaning |
| Secondary operations | Automated gate cutting, ultrasonic welding, sub-assembly with vibratory bowl feeders |
| Inspection | Vision systems, part-specific checking fixtures, blue-light 3D scanners |
| Material handling | Automatic resin loaders |
| Production monitoring | Cloud-based, real-time |
| Materials | All common resins, from commodity grades like polypropylene to engineering grades like nylon, including high-temperature materials |
| Prototyping | In-house 3D printers for prototype parts, for form and fit checks before steel is cut |
| Plants | Plain City, Ohio, and Cleveland, Tennessee: more than 225,000 sq ft of manufacturing and warehouse space; production runs 24/7 |
Mold transfers & reshoring
Moving a mold from another supplier?
We take over existing tools from overseas and from other U.S. molders. Transferred molds are evaluated in our company-owned tool shop and are usually in production within a couple of weeks.
Have a part to quote?
Send a drawing, a sample or just the details, or call (614) 873-1572.