Today, we will have an in-depth understanding of “aluminum molds” and “steel molds”.
Aluminum mold milling in fast CNC machines
Small batch production with aluminum mold

Mold production and parts are completed in 15 days or less
The cost of mold manufacturing is low. From the current mold market: the aluminum alloy market is relatively more stable than the steel market, which is more conducive to the implementation of cost control. Aluminum molds are about 50% lighter than steel molds, so aluminum molds are superior to steel molds in manufacturing, equipment, and injection shop equipment adjustments. Transporting light molds eliminates the need for expensive lifting equipment (such as cranes and crane trucks), reducing manufacturing costs.
Rapid production of products with no more than 1,000 to 5,000 molds and less demanding product processes. Generally used for fast proofing, small batch products. Production can be up to 10,000 or more; depending on the type of material and geometry, some molds can produce hundreds of thousands of parts.
Single and multi-cavity molds: 1-, 2-, 4- and 8-cavity molds are available depending on part size and complexity.
Thermoplastic and thermoset materials are the same as mass-produced materials; more than 100 different materials can be used, including ABS, PC, PP, LCP, POM and liquid silicone rubber.
If it is damaged, no maintenance costs and mold replacement for life, improved heat dissipation, no need to use messy cooling lines
The aluminum mold is easy to machine and has high dimensional stability and excellent thermal conductivity, which can save up to 50% of the cooling time of the mold during production. With the development of the market, the current European and American markets gradually show the phenomenon that the aluminum mold replaces the steel film.


Injection Molding_Aluminum Mold Making_Steel Mold Making
Mass production with steel molds

Millions of parts are produced and mold production takes a long time
The cost of injection molds made of steel molds is high, but the cost is lower when the number of production increases.
The steel mold has high hardness, and the injection mold has good wear resistance and long mold life. Generally, it can produce at least 10,000 molds for long-term mass production.
Multi-cavity mold is larger than 8 chambers
Can increase part complexity
Injection mold has good mirror polishing performance


Finally, Tuocheng reminds you:

If you have no more than a few parts, if you need to produce parts on demand within a few days, and if you want to avoid risky investments before the part design is truly verified, then using aluminum for small batch injection molding tools may be a A good choice.