Standard molds: Designed for molding a single material into a single shape (e.g., molds for plastic cups or toy casings).
Special process molds: Designed to meet complex molding requirements; common types include:
Two-color / Multi-color molds: Utilize a rotating mold cavity or moving mold plate to mold two materials in a single cycle (e.g., toothbrush handles combining rigid ABS plastic with soft TPE rubber).
Insert molds: Metal inserts (such as nuts or electrodes) are placed into the mold cavity beforehand, allowing the plastic to bond tightly with the metal during injection molding (e.g., threaded inserts in appliance brackets).
In-Mold Decoration (IMD/IML) molds: A printed film is placed inside the mold cavity, and the plastic is molded together with the film during injection, creating a pattern directly on the product surface (e.g., wood grain textures on appliance panels) and eliminating the need for post-molding screen printing.