What is overmoulding?

As the name suggests, overmoulding or “two-shot moulding”, involves moulding one thermoplastic material over another, to create a single, integrated part. The combination of the pre-moulded part or “substrate”, and the additional plastic around it, allows for parts with characteristics that cannot be achieved using one material alone. Additionally, with the right material selection and process, the mechanical and chemical bonding of overmoulded parts is often far superior to assemblies using adhesives, fasteners, or interference fits.

Examples of overmoulded parts include controls and knobs on appliances, instruments and machines, or ergonomic handles and soft grips on consumer goods and medical devices, to name but a few. Engineering Plastics offers overmoulding services for part volumes from as few as 1,000 parts. If you’re looking for moulding plastic over non-plastics such as metal, glass, ceramic, wood, or other materials, you can also explore our insert moulding services.

Who is overmoulding for?

Overmoulding can offer your product several advantages, when you need to:

• simplify assemblies into integrated parts

• improve part reliability by enhancing vibration resistance, and eliminating / reducing post-moulding assembly

• decrease cost and time-to-market by reducing downstream assembly operation

Contact us to discuss your requirements with any ongoing or upcoming manufacturing project. If you’re not sure about what process would best suit your needs, our manufacturing experts would be happy to help with a free assessment, generally within 1 business day.