Secrets of Building a Plastic Injection Molding Machine

Reviewed on March 22, 2025 I stumbled across “Secrets of Building a Plastic Injection Molding Machine” while looking for resources on small-scale manufacturing, and I’m so glad I did! This book is a fantastic blend of practical advice, technical know-how, and step-by-step guidance that makes an intimidating subject surprisingly approachable. Whether you’re a hobbyist with a workshop or someone interested in the nuts and bolts of plastic molding, this book delivers. The author does an excellent job breaking down the process of designing and constructing a functional injection molding machine. The instructions are clear, with helpful diagrams and explanations that don’t assume you’re already an expert. I appreciated how it balances theory with real-world application—there’s enough detail to satisfy the curious mind, but it never feels overwhelming. What stood out most was the emphasis on doing this on a budget. It’s refreshing to find a resource that encourages creativity and resourcefulness rather than relying on expensive equipment. I’ve already started applying some of the concepts to a small project of my own, and the results are promising so far. My only minor gripe is that it could use a bit more on troubleshooting common issues—maybe a second edition could expand on that. But honestly, that’s a small quibble for such a valuable guide. If you’re into DIY engineering or want to understand plastic molding from the ground up, this book is well worth the investment. Highly recommend!

Loved the directions and made one but now I want a bigger one.

Pro: You can build one after read it. :) con: - but some hardware hard to find in local. - some important information will found in next book name "Build a plastic injection molding attachment for Drill press" (same author)

Most of what is in this book is out on the web. Indeed I was searching for more information after looking through this book (yeah,that should tell ya something ;-))...and even found a pdf of the entire book out on the web...but I'd already purchased it from Amazon. Anyways...back to the book...my sons both build competition models for Wonderfest and are interested in trying vacuum forming on a large studio-scale model they have in mind for next year. They and I had watched "Introduction to Professional Model Making with Fon Davis" (note we have no interest in that video, nor do we own one of his machines.... nor do we know Fon...unfortunately!!) so perhaps my expectations were a bit high for a book written many years ago, read the rest of this review with that grain of salt in mind ;-) The style of table presented in this book, well...it looks cumbersome to use...the machines I've seen elsewhere, including those shown in Fon's video...(which by the way SHOULD be on your MUST list if you're just getting into vacuum forming) allow one to quickly move the plastic down to the mold...not the mold to the plastic...personally I prefer to have my working surface "fixed" not the other way around as in this table....also I really wonder if a single vacuum hole is sufficient? Would have thought there'd be a vacuum plenum underneath (not dissimilar to the vacuum clamps a lot of woodworkers use). The book does head down the right direction of discussing vacuum storage (tanks) and does a good job of explaining this design. Makes of use of "affordable" equipment to construct so kudos for that. You should be able to build a working unit based off of this design if you so choose. FYI, the heater element still seams to be available from several sources...but wondering if some other form of safer heating would be available now days. Overall, not sorry I bought it...but our table will not be based on this one's design primarily because of personal preferences. Would be nice to see an updated version of this book...with some improvements...but it did give us some ideas for our table.

This book was clear and easy to read and understand. The projects I had planned were several times the capacity of the press detailed in the book, but it was simple to enlarge on the plans provided by the author. All the book is not too long, all of the topics I had questions about were covered. The book is well-illustrated, and and the illustrations illuminate the text to add value and for a good read. This book enhanced my desire to try injection molding at home.

An excellent, detailed, accurate and informative book on an esoteric subject. Please, nobody ask why I experimented with vacuum-forming plastic. Suffice it to say that I have gone back to just plain old shallow burials in the woods.

This book by Gingery is well laid out and easy to follow. Will definitely be used as a reference to build an injection machine in the very near future. I will be purchasing additional Gingery titles as there is a wealth of information for the do it yourself types.

Although I have some reservations regarding the homespun nature of Gingery publications this machine is a solution to an otherwise intractable problem. Those instructions by the author may not be the best way to proceed, but in this case the overall machine is a lifesaver.

very informative book, worth a read I found this book very useful to understand the science behind the vaccuum forming process in order to invent new manufacturing processes.

Just like the title says. Everything you need to do, in detail , to build your own small vacuum forming machine. Typical of Gingery books, it is written in clear, unmistakable fashion that is easy for a tinkerer to get through.

El título es engañoso. Nunca mencionan que se trata de una máquina manual de juguete. Yo esperaba algo de tipo industrial.

It's a good book but all measurements are in imperial units and not in metric... it would have been good if there been some sort of info of which measurements are being used.

Contained the information I needed.