Originally Posted by
dgrover
A worthwhile book to study may be "Cutting Costs in Short-run Plastics Injection Molding" by Morgan Industries.
I made my first injection molds for a Morgan Press about 30 years ago. As I recall, Morgan Presses cost $10K back then. They can be made to work and it was a decent learning tool. I have since made many "real" injection molds for "real" injection molding machines and wouldn't get close to a Morgan Press unless it was given to me.
You will not get "high" quality parts from a Morgan Press but you can get adequate parts. At one time I was going to do something similar to what you are proposing. Instead, I found it was faster and cheaper to get to know several local injection molding houses and make "real" molds then have them shoot them. It turns out there are a lot of tricks to learn in injection molding. And I mean a LOT!
Since you are going to be learning about making molds as well, I suggest you don't need the added burden of learning about setting up the molding machine as well.
(as it turned out, I met a great friend in this process as he owned the molding house)
If you are intent on getting your own machine, the money you would spend on a Morgan Press would be better spent buying a small used machine that is a "real" molding machine.
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)