If you’re considering plastics for your next food grade product, then you’re on the right track to making a good decision. Plastic is resilient to wear, it is cost effective to produce in mass quantities, and with plastic injection molding, it’s possible to create a number of unique and complex parts, even from a single mold.
However, one thing that you do need to be aware of, is that not every type of plastic is safe or intended for use with food. It doesn’t matter if you’re creating containers for food storage, or even kitchen utensils or appliances – any plastic product used for food contact should adhere to safety standards in the United States and any of your foreign markets.
With the right plastic injection mold manufacturer, you can get high quality molds and materials, and the following two materials are the ideal choices for your products in the food industry.
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) for Plastic Injection Molding
HDPE has become one of the most widely used plastics worldwide. It is suitable for a number of applications, including cargo shipping, compound storage, and food storage. HDPE can be used to store bulk food and ingredient shipments, and it can also be used to create end-user products.
This material is popular with plastic injection mold manufacturers because it is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a food safe material. By products aren’t leeched into food or other materials, and it is even used for the shipment and storage of some chemicals. Although it is a highly effective and affordable material, it’s not your only option when it comes to food contact plastics.
One area that HDPE doesn’t perform well, is when it comes to heated food products. Any product that comes into contact with HDPE should not exceed 160 degrees Fahrenheit, or 71.1 degrees Celsius. This limitation means that HDPE has become extremely popular for beverage and liquid containers, as well as containers used for cold food storage.
Polypropylene (PP) for Food Grade Plastic Injection Molding
When products are expected to come into contact with heated food and liquid, polypropylene is a better solution. This plastic is suitable for blow injection molding, and because it’s translucent, it can be used to good effect for food packaging or containers where the product is intended to be seen by consumers. When packaging heated products, polypropylene is safe up to temperatures of 190 degrees Fahrenheit, or 87.7 degrees Celsius. This can make it perfect for kitchen appliances like blenders, food storage containers, and heavy duty plastic utensils that will be used for food preparation.
Polypropylene is suitable for products that need high precision molding, such as squeeze products that will use screw tops. At PlastiMold Products, we’ll help you to determine whether PP is the right material for use on your next project.
Other Considerations to Make When Choosing a Mold Injection Plastic Material
The food handling suitability for any particular plastic is critical, but there are also other important factors to consider, before you will know if you’ve found the right material for your product.
Weight will be one of the major concerns. The overall weight of a plastic product can influence the cost of shipping when considering products in large numbers. Plastic injection mold manufacturers at Plastimold Products will be able to design the most efficient product for injection, keeping weight to a minimum, regardless of the material that is chosen.
Strength is another important factor. HDPE is known for excellent strength and rigidity, and it is resistant to becoming brittle at low temperatures. PP is also an inherently strong material, and is used by a number of appliance manufacturers for this reason.
Choosing the Right Company for Your Injection Project
Even with the best materials, you’ll need a leading plastics company to bring everything together. Plastimold Products is the ideal choice whether you’re in the prototyping stage, or even when you’re ready to move to production with a mold that has already been designed. If you’re starting right from the beginning, then we can provide an end to end service that includes conceptualization, prototyping, manufacturing, and packaging.
Our facility can run 24/7 with lights-out automated manufacturing, meaning that we’re ready to meet your deadlines, even for large scale orders.
Call us today to discuss your project, and experience the benefits of dealing with a true leader in the plastic injection molding industry.