What is Micro Molding?

Micro Molding is the tiny-scale molding form of injection molding that entails building a cavity to match the shape of the part you want to make. It is a highly specialized manufacturing process that produces extremely small, high-precision thermoplastic parts and components with micron tolerances.

There are three different things to keep in mind with micromolding:

1. Micro means the size of the part. It is the most common definition when dealing with micromolding.
2. Micro features relates to tiny parts on a larger part. As a whole, the part can be big, but its components can be smaller, or micro features.
3. Micro intolerance is how the parts are measured and how close to the needed measurement the part has to be considered a good or usable part. When a part is molded, it has to measure within the needed measurement (the tolerance), which could be as small as a thousandth of an inch. Small parts that are simple to make have tolerances that are not as tight and would be considered regular molding.

Micromolding is made from a variety of commonplace thermoplastic moldable materials that include PEEK, PEI, liquid crystal polymer and nylon. Some micromolding parts can be made of durometer or elastomeric as well. They can also be made of optical-grade and medical-grade materials for medical device parts. The types of materials used allow for the size of molds to be smaller than the size of a dime.