Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE / TPR) and Polycarbonate (PC) are the two most quoted options for custom injection moulded parts in electronics and electrical projects. Both are widely available, but they behave very differently once they are in service.
This guide is written for engineers, purchasers and project managers who need a practical answer, not a resin data sheet.
This category covers a family of products rather than a single item. In practice a buyer defines custom injection moulded parts by three things: the base resin, the format or dimension, and the performance or certification level it has to meet. Typical options in this category include textured SPI finishes; shot weight 1 g to 3 kg; multi-cavity tooling. Materials most often specified are PC/ABS Alloy, Thermoplastic Elastomer, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, Glass Filled Nylon, and the choice between them changes stiffness, temperature resistance, chemical behaviour and price.
In the electronics and electrical sector the decision is usually driven by flame retardancy and dimensional stability, with EMI control as a secondary requirement. Typical end uses include switchgear panels, connectors, device housings.
The table below summarises the values that usually decide the material choice.
| Material | Density | Tensile strength | Service temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermoplastic Elastomer | 0.90-1.30 g/cm³ | 5-30 MPa | -40°C to 100°C |
| Polypropylene | 0.90-0.91 g/cm³ | 25-40 MPa | -10°C to 100°C |
| Polyoxymethylene | 1.41 g/cm³ | 60-70 MPa | -40°C to 100°C |
Thermoplastic Elastomer is frequently the default selection here: TPE removes the vulcanisation step, so soft parts come off the press ready to pack.
Thermoplastic Elastomer grades offer rubber-like softness with thermoplastic processing, while Polycarbonate brings outstanding impact strength (250x glass). For electronics and electrical service the difference shows up in UV stability and in the long term behaviour under load.
The practical decision usually comes down to the service environment: temperature, chemical exposure and expected lifetime.
Beyond the base resin, most suppliers offer UV stabilised, food contact, flame retardant, anti-static and recycled content versions of the same product. Ask which additive package is included, because it is often the difference between a part that lasts three years and one that lasts ten.
Each step below has its own control points, and skipping one of them is where most defects start.
Secondary operations such as printing, welding, machining and assembly are often cheaper to do in the same factory, and they reduce the risk of mismatch between components.
These are the criteria that actually predict whether the part will perform in service.
Send this list to your supplier with the drawing and you will receive comparable quotations from every factory you contact.
We can provide ISO 9001 quality system documentation, material certificates, RoHS and REACH statements, and where applicable food contact, flame retardancy or drinking water approvals. Tell us your target market and we will match the document set.
Colour is controlled with a masterbatch reference approved by the customer, and every production lot is checked against the approved sample under standard lighting before shipment.
A new tool typically takes 25 to 45 days depending on cavity count and complexity, followed by T1 samples within one week. Existing tools can usually start production within 10 to 15 days of order confirmation.
Yes. Standard samples are normally free of charge and shipped within three working days; custom samples are charged at cost and credited against the first production order.
For standard sizes and colours the minimum is usually one pallet or one production run; for custom tooling the economic minimum depends on the tooling cost amortised over the expected volume. Send us your annual volume and we will calculate the break even point.
If you are planning a new electronics and electrical project, send us your drawing, annual volume and target properties, and we will come back with a material proposal, a tooling plan and a budget quotation.
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