Frequently asked questions

We provide our services to all industries - from automotive, defence and industrial, medical devices and aerospace, consumer goods and packaging. If it is going to be manufactured via injection moulding, we can assist at any stage.

We work with injection moulding companies, product designers, blue chip and start-up companies. All of our work is carried out in full confidentiality, consequently we do not provide references.

We are happy to meet at your site or discuss your requirements via phone or other media. We do not offer an online quoting system, we provide a personal service and interaction with our customers to ensure that all requirements are fully understood in order to satisfy your expectations.

This depends on the complexity of the part, the type of analysis that is required and the objectives that are determined during our initial discussions. We can work to a budget set by the client or provide a cost for delivering a solution to your injection moulding problem.

We have been using the technology for over 25 years and would advise any client who is investing in an injection moulding tool to use this service. Being able to see inside the virtual mould, identify any product related issues and review design changes before any steel is cut can pay for itself many times over. All too often we are asked to analyse parts when they are already in production, this can result in expensive modifications or compromises in part quality.

Depending on the size and complexity of the part, we can normally have T1 samples ready within two weeks from receipt of order. Once approved we can produce up to 50,000 shots from the same tooling, so all parts are produced consistently and meet the quality established at approval.

This depends on the objective of your prototyping project. If you require a small number of “representative” parts for some basic feel, limited fit and function testing then additive manufacturing would be the most economical solution. But if you have a requirement to validate the design, performance, aesthetics and assembly of your item in the designated material, injection moulded prototypes are the only solution.

The difference in material costs and machining times are not too significant anymore. With steel we can achieve finer details, better surface finishes (polish and texture) and more parts from the same mould compared to aluminium. And if your production tool will be made from steel, it makes sense to validate your prototype parts manufactured in the same way. We can also store your moulds for future requirements should you need multiple batches of parts.

We can supply you with exactly the same features that you require on your production parts.

This is part of our service, whilst we would not want to change the design intent we would always advise on feasibility and recommended changes to produce better parts.

The honest answer is no, however our speciality are smaller parts than fit an envelope of 420mm x 300mm x 50mm.

Yes, we can supply parts with pad printing, laser etching/marking, PVD plating, soft-touch, threads etc.

We quote a tolerance against your drawing rather than publish a blanket figure. Achievable tolerance depends on the material's shrinkage, where the feature sits relative to the gate, whether it crosses a parting line and how the tool is built. Tell us which dimensions are critical and we will tell you what we can hold.

Yes. Where a part can carry recycled content we agree the grade and the proportion with you up front, hold it and record it batch by batch. Where the specification calls for virgin material only, that is what it gets and the documentation says so.

We do not run a standing cleanroom. Where an application needs one we set up a controlled environment to your specification, agreed and validated before the job starts. Tell us the classification and the monitoring you need at enquiry stage.

Working with Routsis Training we have access to the largest library of online training materials in the plastic injection moulding industry. Training can be provided for individuals and large groups, onsite and online. All training is available for 12 months from purchase and we specialise in bespoke training systems for you and your workforce.

Training courses run onsite using your machines, mould tools and materials results in a learning that is 100% relative to your business and its employees. Our unique combination of face-to-face, online, and hands-on skill development focuses on the science of injection moulding - it is not a black-art.

Plastic-IT Ltd are ISO9001:2015 certified and are also JOSCAR registered.

In part, and we would rather be straight about which part. We make insert sets ourselves where the part is simple enough, and we repair and modify moulds in house. Anything more complicated goes to a toolmaker we have worked with for years, who makes moulds for a living and does not do moulding. In practice that means small changes and repairs happen here and happen quickly, and a new complex tool is quoted with the toolmaker's time in it.

Yes. We can mould a batch, hold the finished parts and release them against a call-off schedule. It is chargeable, because the parts are made and the space is used, but it is worth asking about if your own storage or cashflow is the constraint rather than the price per part.