Online injection molding service

There are many factors that determine the cost of injection molding your custom parts. The three main expenses are tooling, materials and production. Find out how to reduce your manufacturing costs in our injection molding guide.

Customers retain ownership of all custom tooling they develop, however, any reusable proprietary components developed by the manufacturing partner (MP) will become the MP’s property. All custom tooling will remain at the MP’s facility for a minimum of two years unless otherwise agreed. If the tooling is inactive after two years, the MP may contact Protolabs Network to determine if the tool must be retained for additional time. Protolabs Network will then contact the customer to make further arrangements. Molds can be transferred to any desired location upon request and at the requester's expense.

Whenever a manufacturing partner leaves our network, we carry the cost of transferring all molds to another MP in the network, ensuring that your parts get delivered on time.

In general, we have the RFQ ready within 24 hours. It takes two days to set up the mold and order and process the materials, and one day for packing and sending the order out to be shipped. The volume of your parts will determine the number of days required for manufacturing.

Our injection molding manufacturing network includes partners certified to ISO 9001 for quality management, with additional certifications available for specialized applications. These include IATF 16949 for automotive manufacturing, ISO 13485 for medical devices, and ISO 14001 for environmental management. ISO Class 8 cleanroom capabilities are also available for qualifying projects.

Certification availability varies by manufacturing partner and project requirements. Contact us or upload your CAD files to confirm the appropriate certified manufacturing option for your application.

Your injection molding mold is kept at our manufacturing partner facilities for reuse for a minimum of 2 years.
If you would like to reorder from your mold, please contact your account manager or networksales@protolabs.com.

The maximum part size depends on the part geometry, material, mold design, and required machine tonnage. Our manufacturing network can accommodate molds up to 2,000 × 1,800 × 600 mm, supporting both small precision components and large molded parts. Upload your CAD file to confirm the appropriate mold size, machine tonnage, and manufacturing approach for your design.

Our manufacturing network offers injection molding machines ranging from 35 to 1,300 tons, supporting everything from small precision components to large molded parts. The required tonnage depends on factors such as part size, material, geometry, and projected area. Upload your CAD file, and we'll determine the appropriate machine for your project.

Our manufacturing network supports a wide range of thermoplastics, including ABS, PC, PP, PA (including 10–50% glass-filled grades), POM, TPU, TPE, HDPE, LDPE, PMMA, PBT, HIPS, PPS, PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PET, LCP, and PC/ABS, as well as LSR (liquid silicone rubber).

Specialty options include food-grade and medical-grade materials, recycled and bio-based polymers, electrically conductive plastics, UL94 V-0 flame-retardant grades, and UV-stable materials. Customer-supplied materials can also be accommodated for suitable projects.

Material availability and grade requirements vary by project, so contact us or upload your CAD files to confirm the best material for your application.

Our injection molding network supports a range of quality assurance, inspection, and production validation requirements. Depending on your project and manufacturing partner, available services include PPAP Level 2 and Level 3, First Article Inspection (FAI), CMM inspection, process capability analysis (Cpk), Gauge R&R (GR&R), and Installation/Operational/Performance Qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ).

For projects with specific regulatory or compliance requirements, California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) support is also available.

Quality documentation and inspection requirements should be specified when requesting a quote so we can match your project with an appropriately qualified manufacturing partner.