Plenty of products in lawn and garden, and agricultural applications serve as plastic irrigation components created through injection molding operations. Injection molding offers cost-effective manufacturing practices, especially at high volumes, and it’s an easily repeatable process once tooling is in place.
Not only does injection molding allow for the manufacturing of high volume components at cost-effective rates, but products are consistent throughout a production program and feature very little, if any, variation. That’s one of the largest reasons why OEMs in the lawn and garden, and agriculture industries rely on injection molding.
GAIM Plastics highlights some of the most common custom plastic irrigation components for lawn, garden, and agricultural products.
Examples of Molded Components
Lawn, garden, and agricultural plastic irrigation components can vary depending on the irrigation system they’re going to be featured in, but no matter the part, they serve a vital role.
Pipe and tubing connections can feature plastic components such as couples, elbows, tees, crosses, reduces, threaded adapters, and hose swivels, all of which maintain connections and minimize leak points in a system.
Takeoff adapters, grommets, punch-in fittings, start connectors, and flush valves serve as examples of drip irrigation components where row crops and raised beds commonly use drip irrigation systems.
Sprinkler systems in residential, commercial, and industrial capacities will use plastic irrigation components such as spray-head bodies, mini-valves, valve handles, and actuator covers to provide assistance in manual shutoff, automated systems, and irrigation zoning applications.
Plastic irrigation components even play a role in supports and installation hardware pieces through parts like tube clips, stake clips, sprinkler head guards, and mounting brackets.
These are all just a few examples of how injection molded components can serve in irrigation systems across three different industries.
Where Customization Occurs
One of the largest benefits of injection molding is that it allows for the manufacturing of complex designs and part geometries. Customization of plastic irrigation components occurs frequently as different parts have to work for different systems and while there is a universal language for some connections, customization still occurs for specific fits, threaded options, and more.
Port geometry where a thread standard, barb profile, connection orientation, and sealing land can be customized to best serve the intended application. If pieces have to be assembled, snap fits, overmold-ready features, and ultrasonic welded joints are just a few examples of how customization can benefit components.
Material selection can be customized as plastic components in irrigation are going to be exposed to tough environmental conditions so UV-stabilized polymers, thicker impact zones, dirt shields, and freeze expansion allowances can be incorporated.
Lastly, logos and other branding marks can be applied to finished products so customers can properly identify a specific component and know that that part is going to work.
Contact GAIM Plastics for High-Quality Plastic Irrigation Components
GAIM Plastics has served as one of the country’s most reliable custom injection molding manufacturers since our doors opened for business back in 1989. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, our facility allows for our turnkey manufacturing capabilities to shine.
Creating the plastic irrigation components that OEMs and supplier programs rely on starts with our development procedures. We set up a consultation, focusing on understanding the client’s needs and brainstorming the possible ways those needs can be met. From there, we take our client’s input to create part drawings and tooling considerations, and begin prototyping operations.
With development complete, we move to manufacturing where one of our 14 injection molding machines produces the components. Quality management and control procedures are built into the process through in-process inspection, with parts checked throughout the day during every production run. This catches variation early and keeps parts within spec across long runs.
Contact GAIM Plastics to start your plastic irrigation components manufacturing program today.