Plastic production machinery and costs

[Captain Idaho]

Came across this video and it was quite informative and interesting so felt like sharing it:

 

 

 

In it, Macca is going over the costs and practicalities of plastic mould injection and miniature production. 

 

The important aspect of it is the discussion comes from an industry insider, Macca himself.

 

Key points to extrapolate - energy costs are substantial, solar energy doesn't suffice and on the other hand the cost of production overall is cheap as the life span of the machinery is long and the plastic utilised is relatively low.

 

Overall, very cool too know.

 

[Evil Eye]

I will have to give this a watch when I get the chance, it sounds fascinating! Especially with the sudden appearance of consumer-level injection molding being a thing (CrafsMan has done some very interesting videos on this); as a TLDR, whilst we're not going to see people churning out GW-level plastic kits from their garages tomorrow, it's more affordable and user-friendly than you might think to do small-scale injection molding from home, and I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if "cottage industry" small scale plastic kit production becomes a thing in the not too distant future.

[rpraetor]

The Economist has an article today (11 March 2025) on industry electricity prices -- 3x more expensive than in the United States and 50-100% higher than in most of Continental Europe.  Given that the process requires electricity, a significant cost.

[Captain Idaho]

Indeed. I'm feeling it in my pocket, twice the price than I paid a year ago. The energy concerns of the UK must have had a severe impact on any factory growth too.

 

However, the costs of producing items is cheap too, so be interesting to know the full costs if published. Though I doubt they'd be itemised.

[crimsondave]

I work for a large US power company and I’ve been in it for 20+ years.  Unless something has changed recently, industrial power in Britain was like $.28 per KWH vs $.08 per KWH in much of the US.  California and parts of New England are expensive compared to the south and  plains.  Solar is EXTREMELY expensive unless it’s government subsidized.  Fossil fuels are typically the cheapest, right now being natural gas.  I continue to be impressed at the loyalty GW has shown to the UK.  If they were truly all about money they’d have bailed on the UK by now.

[Captain Idaho]

I do wonder how long they'll continue on with UK based production, yes. Especially when they realise they could produce in the US for a fraction of the cost and sell up land in the UK to recoup outlay of factories etc. The Amazon deal shows a US partnership and doors may open.