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Plastic Injection Molding EPOXY TOOLING (Overview): Epoxy tooling is a fast and economical method of producing plastic parts. It is an option available to engineers, designers, and others who require a limited quantity of plastic components. An epoxy tool or mold is produced by casting an epoxy compound against a pattern.  The pattern represents the shape and form of the plastic part that is needed. The epoxy compound is a mixture of epoxy resin, metal particles, and curing agents. These are specially formulated for strength, temperature resistance, and other properties required during the plastic injection process.  Patterns can be almost any hard, stable material such as wood, plaster, plastic, metal, etc. The harder, more durable materials such as plastic and metal are preferred.  Stereolithogaphy patterns are often used because of their low cost and rapid production. The primary advantage of epoxy tooling is its ability to quickly and accurately replicate intricate shapes and textures. Plastic parts made with the aid of  epoxy tooling can help speed the product development cycle.  A well-made epoxy mold can produce several thousand parts using standard injection molding resins.  These parts may be used for testing, design verification, sales samples, product promotion, and limited production. Typical Tooling: Click image for enlargement and comments.