If Santa’s workshop really existed, it would be full of elves with excellent industrial and commercial manufacturing expertise. Particularly because our modern society has demands beyond wooden toy soldiers and clothe dolls with yellow yarn hair and the population continues to rise, mass production would be vital for the survival of the North Pole. A system that would be working on overtime this close to Christmas would be the equipment for plastic injection molding. Plastic injection molding is one of the most common techniques for producing basic children’s toys, such as dolls, action figures, game pieces, outdoor game equipment and a variety of other play things. Not only are injection molded plastics able to create a plethora of toys, but it is a process that does it quickly, with very few secondary processes necessary afterwards.
The basics of plastic injection molding involves melting the chosen thermoplastic down to a liquid state within a hopper, then injecting it into a mold until it is dry and is able to be popped out and sent on down the assembly line for painting, staining or further assembly if it is a toy with numerous parts. It is also possible to insert numerous colors of plastic into the same mold so that no additional coloring process is necessary afterwards, a tricky and impressive process that saves both time and money. Santa is a big fan of efficiency; particularly considering he delivers toys all in one night.
Not only are classic plastic toys produced by plastic injection molding processes but gifts that Santa would bring for teenagers and adults can also be partly produced by various injection molding processes. For example, electronic gadgets such as iPads have a plastic cover on them that would be quickly and easily mass produced by way of plastic injection molding. Other items would include office supplies such the bodies of pens, movie covers, pill bottles, make-up containers and many other items that could all be given as gifts at Christmas.