What We Do

AV Plastics has over 30 years of experience in thermoplastic injection moulding. We mould parts from a diverse spectrum of industries, ranging from aerospace, fishing, healthcare, the shower industry, pet care, catering, electrical and computer industries.

Our Capacity

Our injection moulding machines include Boy, Engel and Oima machines and include: 22 ton, 30 ton, 50 ton, 80 ton, 125 and 230 ton clamping pressure. We work with a wide range of thermoplastic polymers including ABS, polycarbonate, polypropylene, Nylon family – as well as engineering materials such as PEEK.

Global Competition

What has kept us going despite a large portion of injection moulding business going to the Far East are the following:

- The same level of commitment and care are given to both small and large orders.

- Lead times are much shorter than importing plastic injection moulded goods from China –  in some cases, just a few days.

- MOQs (minimum order quantities) are extremely low.

- Prices are competitive - China is no longer as cheap for injection moulded parts as it used to be – workers are demanding higher wages. You may make savings but are likely to have to have very high MOQs, long lead times and issues with quality control.

- Quality control - if something needs changing/tweaking – let us know and we’ll be able to do and get the goods sent to you days after the request – not weeks.

- Carbon Footprint - we recycle ALL our leftover scrap plastic materials. We’re a local company: shipping within the UK uses less energy than shipping from injection moulding companies in the far east.

If you require a personalised service with the backing of years in the industry, please call on the number provided – or email – and we’ll be happy to provide you with a quotation or any advice you require for your product development.

Our full address is:

AV Plastics Ltd
Unit 1, Leavers Estates
Chiddingstone Causeway
Tonbridge
Kent
TN11 8JU

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Help support British manufacturing!

Feel free to call or write to get a free quotation, thermoplastic injection moulding consultation, or to talk about the weather. No job too small or too large!

If you’re a UK Design agency, we’re happy to work with you to realise your injection moulding projects.

Fig 1. Patent application of Hyatt's injection moulding machine.

1847 Jons Jacob Berzelius produces first condensation polymer: polyester, derived from glycerin (propanetriol) and tartaric acid. Berzelius is also credited coining the chemical terms allotrope, catalysis, isomer and polymer.

1861 The first man-made comercial plastic invented in Britain in by Alexander Parkes.

1862 Alexander Parkes publicly demonstrated his plastic at the 1862 International Exhibition in London, calling the material he produced “Parkesine.” Although expensive to produce, brittle and flammable, Parkesine could be heated, moulded and retain it’s shape once cooled.

1868 American inventor John Wesley Hyatt develops a plastic material he named Celluloid, made from a process that combined cellulose nitrate and camphor. Originally developed as a substitute for ivory in billiard balls. He improves on Parkes’ invention so that it could be processed into finished form.

1872 John Wesley Hyatt, together with his brother Isaiah, patent the first injection molding machine (see fig. 1). This machine was relatively crude in comparison to machines in use today, working like a large hypodermic needle. It used a plunger to inject melted plastic through a heated cylinder into a two part mold. The industry progressed slowly over the years, producing products such as collar stays, buttons, and hair combs.

1909 Leo Hendrik Baekeland of Ghent, Belgium discovers phenolformaldehyde plastic, originally called Bakelite. While the reaction of formaldehyde and had been investigated by Bayer in 1872, Baekeland was the first to control the substance and make it’s use viable on a large scale.

1930s Saw the initial development of major vinyl thermoplastics still used widely today: polystyrene, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and the polyolefins. During this period, the ICI laboratories produce Perspex (polymethyl methacrylate).

1938 Polystyrene invented by Dow. The plastic is still used widely today.

1939 WWII creates a massive demand for cheap, mass-produced materials.

1941 Nylon, developed brilliantly by Du Pont as a fibre in the mid-l930s, was first used as a moulding material. Also in 1941 a patent taken out by Kinetic Chemical Inc. described how R. J. Plunkett had first discovered polytetrafluoroethylene.

1945-1955 Polyethylene, polystyrene and other previously rather expensive special purpose materials, are produced more cheaply and start to replace older materials – not only other plastics but more traditional materials such as metals, woods, leather and glass.

1955 General Electric begins marketing Polycarbonate.

1959 DuPont introduces Acetal homopolymer.

1946 American inventor James Watson Hendry builds the first extrusion screw injection machine (see fig. 2). The rotating screw gave much better control over and injection speed and therefore the quality of the articles produced. Coloured or recycled materials could be added to virgin materials because of the mixing action. The action of the screw also now aids the heater bands in the heating of the plastic due to the friction, thus reducing energy usage. Screw machines nowadays make up approximately 95% of all injection moulding machines.

Fig. 2: Patent drawings for the Hendry injection moulding machine.

1955-65 In the mid-1950s a number of highly useful new thermoplastics become available. High-density polyethylenes produced by the Phillips process and the Ziegler process are marketed and shortly followed by the discovery of polypropylene. Acetyl, ABS and polycarbonates are also developed.

1956 W. H. Willert reciprocating screw plasticator patent issued – the next development from the extrusion system (see fig. 3). In reciprocating systems the screw moves backwards and forwards during the mould cycle. After mixing, the screw stops turning and the entire screw pushes forward, acting like a plunger for injecting material into a mold. During plastication, the screw moves backward against the hydraulic back pressure.

Fig. 3: Drawings for the Willert reciprocating injection moulding machine.

1960s Polysulphones, the PPO-type materials, aromatic polyesters and polyamides introduced.

1970s James Watson Hendry went on to develop the first gas-assisted injection molding process, which permitted the production of complex, hollow articles that cooled quickly. This greatly improved design flexibility as well as the strength and finish of manufactured parts while reducing production time, cost, weight and waste.

1972 Parts removal robots used in injection moulding process.

1973 OAPEC oil crisis. First real point of considering dependence on plastics on oil and other materials.

1979 Plastic production overtakes steel production.

1985 All-electric molding machine produced by Japanese firm.

1990 Aluminum molds first used widely in injection molding.

Fig. 4: An example of a modern-day injection moulding machine.

Modern Day Injection Moulding: The UK plastics sector by comparison has gone from being worth £18 billion annually in 2002 to around £3.5 billion annually in modern day – following a general trend in decrease of UK manufacturing. Most companies in the UK (around 57%) turnover less than £1m, with only 5% of companies turning over £10m+. A general trend of small-scale manufacturing coming back to the UK is occurring as buyers manage with long lead times, high MOQs, poor quality control and language difficulties for less and less savings.

You can find the Brighton University blog post here.

The text of the article as follows:

We had a fantastic guest lecture on injection moulding on Monday from James Torr of AV Plastics and Peter Cracknell from PSC Associates.

James provided a fantastic overview of some of the machinery at the AV Plastics plant, demonstrating the control panels and machine set ups. On top of this, James also offered an insight into the business and commercial aspects of running a smaller injection moulding plant, discussing some of the advantages, such as their suitability to handle lower run projects, which are more financially viable for companies to source within the UK.

Despite difficult economic times, AV Plastics have found that work is returning to the UK, due to the long lead times required for overseas projects and communication issues. The huge market for injection moulded components for the automotive (with the average car containing 2500 mouldings) and medical industries is also boosting the UK industry. Peter also believes that some of this return is down to the competitive tooling prices within the UK, due to the exchange rate.

An interesting insight into the different materials suited to injection moulding and different applications of these was given. James and Peter spoke about the pre-processing of the materials, such as sourcing and matching of colours for addition to the master batch and other substances that can be added to alter the visual or physical properties of the material.

The students pitched a variety of questions to James and Peter, particularly regarding the issue of sustainability. This opened up an interesting discussion about the use of regrind and virgin materials, and what how the product designer can help to ensure that the plastic has a good resale value at the end With a background in tool making, Peter was able to talk with the students about how designs can be adapted to optimise design for manufacture. Considerations such as wall thickness (influential upon cooling time and thus the time the machinery is none operational), gate points and tool balancing were all covered.

of its life by taking certain steps such as maintaining the natural colouring. This lead to an interesting debate about the use and potential future of bioplastics, with some arguing that producing products from recyclable plastics such as polypropylene, ABS, polycarbonate and HDPE may be more beneficial than using a biodegradable material which cannot be recycled.