FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about working with PSI Molded Plastics — from first quote to production.
Injection Molding
Tolerances depend on geometry, resin, and tool design. PSI confirms feasibility during engineering review and aligns inspection to critical characteristics.
Yes. Cosmetic requirements are defined up front and verified with agreed visual standards.
Through tooling condition oversight, cooling performance management, and controlled processing aligned to shrink and pack behavior.
Material handling, surface cleanliness, tool finish, and process consistency are key drivers.
Yes. PSI assesses tool condition and redevelops stable processing before production release.
Yes. Tool concerns are communicated up front to avoid surprises during transition.
Clear Parts
PSI molds clear covers, drawers, bins, and transparent housings where appearance and fit are important.
Material handling, surface cleanliness, tool finish, and process consistency are the key drivers.
In order to achieve the greatest success, our team requires the drawing, resin requirement, appearance criteria, viewing conditions, and any reference samples or defect limits.
Yes. Include known issues, current process history if available, and cosmetic acceptance criteria to accelerate stabilization.
Often. Clear surfaces are sensitive to scuffs and contamination, so touch points and packaging should be defined as part of the process plan.
Overmolding FAQs
Provide drawings for substrate and overmold, material requirements, interface requirements, and functional or cosmetic criteria.
Insert molding scope is confirmed per program. PSI reviews design and material compatibility during engineering review.
Early. Interface geometry, shutoffs, and material selection are easier to address before tooling is finalized.
PSI reviews tool condition, interface-critical requirements, and available process history to stabilize output before production release.
Often, yes when the design supports consolidation and the functional requirement can be molded-in.
Gas Assist Molding FAQs
Gas assist uses pressurized nitrogen to hollow out thick sections of a part during molding. It reduces sink, warpage, and material weight — typically on parts with long flow paths, thick ribs, or handle geometry.
Parts with thick sections, long flow lengths, or hollow channels — handles, frames, structural tubes, and curved housings are common applications.
Internal gas pressure packs out the part from the inside, compensating for material shrinkage without adding clamp tonnage or excess resin.
Depending on geometry, gas assist can reduce part weight by 15–40% and cycle time meaningfully — both factors in overall program cost.
When designed and processed correctly, surface quality is maintained. Pin locations and gas channel placement are planned to keep witness marks out of visible areas.
Part drawing, target resin, wall section analysis if available, cosmetic requirements, and any existing tool documentation if it’s a transfer.
Yes. PSI reviews the tool condition, gas circuit integrity, and existing process history before production release.
Structural Foam FAQs
Structural foam introduces a blowing agent into the melt, creating a solid skin with a foamed interior core. The result is a lightweight, rigid part with excellent strength-to-weight ratio — typically used for large enclosures, pallets, and equipment housings. See how gas assist compares to structural foam.
Structural foam produces a characteristic swirl pattern on the surface. For painted or texture-finish parts this is typically acceptable; for Class A cosmetic surfaces it generally is not.
Structural foam is most advantageous on large, thick-walled parts where material reduction and rigidity matter more than surface finish. PSI reviews geometry and volume requirements during engineering review.
Drawings, material requirements, finish expectations, and any functional load or deflection requirements — structural performance drives a lot of the design decisions.
Yes. Structural foam tool transfers require a thorough review of tool condition, venting, and existing process parameters — including blowing agent type and shot size history. PSI’s engineering team conducts a full assessment before production release to ensure the transferred program meets the same quality standards as a new build.
Assembly FAQs
PSI provides component assembly, sub-assembly, and value-added operations as part of an integrated production program — reducing the number of suppliers you need to manage.
Yes. Keeping assembly and molding under one roof simplifies scheduling, reduces handling, and gives PSI direct quality accountability across the full process.
Ultrasonic welding, mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding, kitting, and light electromechanical assembly. Specific capabilities vary by facility — contact PSI to discuss your program requirements.
Share your part drawings, assembly sequence, volumes, and packaging requirements. PSI’s engineering team will review and recommend the right facility and process approach.
Yes. PSI offers warehousing and direct-ship programs as part of integrated supply chain services — see the Supply Chain section for more detail.
Finishing & Decorating FAQs
PSI offers painting, EMI shielding, pad printing, silk screening, hot stamping, laser etching, and hydrographics — applied in-house as part of an integrated production program.
Hydrographics applies complex patterns — wood grain, carbon fiber, camouflage — to three-dimensional surfaces using a water transfer process. It’s used when conventional painting or printing can’t wrap a pattern consistently around complex geometry.
Pad printing transfers ink via a silicone pad and excels on curved, recessed, or irregular surfaces. Silk screening is better suited to flat or gently curved areas where higher ink volume and opacity are needed. PSI recommends the right process based on your part geometry and graphic requirements.
Hot stamping applies metallic or pigmented foil to a surface using heat and pressure — used for premium decorative finishes, logos, and branding elements where paint or ink isn’t the right solution.
Laser etching removes surface material to create permanent, precise markings — part numbers, logos, serial numbers, or textures. No inks, no wear, no fading.
EMI shielding applies a conductive coating to plastic enclosures to block electromagnetic interference. It’s most common in medical, defense, telecom, and industrial electronics applications where unshielded plastic housings would compromise device performance or regulatory compliance.
Part drawings, substrate material, appearance criteria, any functional requirements such as EMI, chemical resistance, or UV stability, and reference samples or color standards if available.
Yes. Integrated molding and finishing programs simplify vendor management and quality accountability across the full production process.
Supply Chain FAQs
PSI provides warehousing, inventory management, and direct-ship programs — designed to reduce the number of vendors you’re managing and give you tighter control over lead times and stock levels.
Yes. PSI can manage finished goods inventory and ship direct to your facility, distribution center, or end customer depending on program requirements.
PSI works with customers to establish safety stock levels, blanket order programs, and release schedules that buffer against demand swings without requiring customers to carry excess inventory on their own floor.
Yes. With facilities in Indiana, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, PSI can distribute production and inventory strategically to reduce lead times and freight costs depending on where your demand is concentrated.
Fewer vendors means fewer points of failure. PSI’s integrated programs give you a single point of accountability from raw material to finished, shipped product — reducing the coordination overhead that comes with managing multiple suppliers across the same supply chain.
PSI’s team works through a structured transition process — tool transfers, process qualification, safety stock build, and a parallel run period if needed — to ensure continuity before your current supplier is phased out.
Annual volumes, SKU count, packaging requirements, ship-to locations, lead time expectations, and any existing inventory program details. PSI will assess whether a dedicated program or a standard blanket order structure makes more sense for your situation.