The Core Dilemma

The most common question we receive from hardware startups and procurement teams is: "Should we vacuum form or injection mold this part?" The answer almost always comes down to production volume and tooling budgets.

The Tooling Barrier

Injection Molding requires incredibly complex, two-part hardened steel molds to withstand massive injection pressures. A single mold can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $150,000+ and take 12 weeks to machine.

Vacuum Forming uses a single-sided mold, experiencing less than 1 atmosphere of pressure. We can machine a high-quality aluminum mold for $3,000 to $15,000 in under 3 weeks.

The Per-Part Cost

While vacuum forming tooling is cheap, the per-part cost is higher because the raw material (extruded plastic sheet) is more expensive than the raw plastic pellets used in injection molding, and vacuum forming requires secondary CNC trimming.

The Break-Even Point

• Volume 100 - 10,000 parts: Vacuum forming is almost always the most cost-effective choice. The massive savings on tooling vastly outweigh the slightly higher per-part cost.
• Volume 10,000 - 50,000 parts: This is the transition zone. The decision depends heavily on the physical size of the part (large parts remain cheaper to vacuum form).
• Volume 100,000+ parts: Injection molding wins. The high upfront tooling cost is fully amortized, and the ultra-low per-part cost takes over.

By consulting with M/S RV Chumble early in your design phase, we can help you navigate this math and select the manufacturing process that maximizes your ROI.