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2025

Low-Volume Injection Molding VS CNC Machnining:Which Suits Your Product?Cost Table Inside

In low-volume production scenarios (usually 10-500 units), injection molding and CNC machining are the two most commonly used process options. Whether the selection of the two is reasonable directly determines the product's production cost, delivery cycle and final quality. Currently, "low-volume manufacturing selection", "injection vs CNC cost comparison" and "low-volume production process optimization" have become popular search topics on Google, and many enterprises will face the confusion of process selection in this scenario. The following will conduct a detailed comparative analysis from four core dimensions: cost structure, delivery cycle, material compatibility and product complexity, and attach an accurate simplified cost table, providing selection suggestions combined with actual production scenarios to help enterprises quickly make decisions suitable for their own products.

I. Core Dimension Comparison

1. Cost structure: The core cost of injection molding lies in the early mold development.

The mold cost ranges from several thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan depending on the product complexity. Once the mold is formed, the subsequent unit processing cost is extremely low, which is suitable for orders close to the upper limit of the batch (300-500 units) in low-volume production. CNC machining does not require mold development costs, but its processing method is piece-by-piece cutting, which takes a long time for manual debugging and equipment occupation, resulting in a unit processing cost much higher than that of injection molding, and has a more obvious cost advantage in small-batch orders of 10-200 units;

2. Delivery cycle: The delivery cycle of injection molding is divided into two parts.

The mold development stage usually takes 7-15 days. If the product structure is complex and requires multiple test mold adjustments, the cycle may be extended to 20 days. However, after the mold is completed, the production speed of subsequent batches of products is extremely fast, and hundreds of units can be mass-produced in a single day. CNC machining does not require a mold opening link. After receiving the order, it only needs to complete preparation work such as programming, clamping and debugging (usually 1-2 days) to start processing, and the overall delivery cycle is only 3-7 days, which is more suitable for urgent orders;

3. Material compatibility: Injection molding is mainly suitable for various thermoplastic materials, such as PP, ABS, PC, PA, etc.

These materials are formed by melt injection molding, which can well fit the complex mold cavity; but they are completely incompatible with rigid materials such as metals and ceramics. CNC machining has a wider range of material compatibility. It can not only accurately process metal materials such as aluminum, copper and steel, but also handle hard plastic materials such as POM and PEEK, which is especially suitable for the production of small-batch parts with high requirements for material strength;

4. Product complexity: Injection molding has a natural advantage in forming complex structures.

Whether it is complex curved surfaces with concave-convex textures, hollow structures with multiple cavities, or assembly components that need to be integrally formed, they can be accurately realized through molds, and the consistency of the formed products is extremely high. CNC machining is better at processing high-precision solid parts. For parts with simple curved surfaces or flat structures, it can achieve high precision of ±0.005mm level. However, when facing complex hollow structures, multiple processes are often required for splicing, which not only has low efficiency but also may affect product precision and strength;

II. Simplified Cost Table (Reference for 100-unit Batch)

| Processing Method | Mold/Equipment Investment | Unit Cost | Total Cost | Cost Advantage Range |
| Injection Molding | 8,000 yuan (mold, including test mold cost) | 15 yuan (including material and processing energy consumption) | 9,500 yuan | Batches above 300 units |

| CNC Machining | None (using existing machine, including programming and debugging cost) | 80 yuan (including material loss, manual debugging) | 8,000 yuan | Batches below 200 units |

Note: This cost table is for reference based on conventional small and medium-sized parts (size ≤200mm×200mm×200mm). If the product size is too large, the structure is abnormally complex, or special materials (such as PEEK, titanium alloy) are used, the cost will increase by 10%-50% accordingly.

III. Selection Recommendations

1. Prioritize injection molding: When the product has forming difficulties such as complex curved surfaces and hollow structures, and the enterprise has a clear subsequent mass production plan (such as may add more than 500 units of orders within 1 year), and the material is plastic such as PP and ABS, it is recommended to choose injection molding. Although the initial mold investment is relatively high, it can ensure product consistency, pave the way for subsequent mass production, and has more cost advantages in the long run; in addition, if the product needs to achieve specific colors and surface textures in batches, injection molding can also be achieved more efficiently through mold customization;

2. Prioritize CNC machining: When the product is a high-precision solid part (precision requirement ≤±0.01mm), the material is rigid such as aluminum, steel and hard plastic, and the delivery cycle is tight (within 7 days) with no subsequent mass production demand, CNC machining is a better choice. Especially for samples in the R&D stage, small-batch customized parts, or products that need frequent design modifications, CNC machining does not need to modify the mold, and can be realized only by adjusting programming parameters, which can greatly reduce the cost of design iteration;

Key words:

low volume injection molding,CNC machining for low volume,injection vs CNC cost comparison,low volume manufacturing selection,small batch plastic parts processing

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