Saturday, December 31, 2016

General Information About Plastic Injection Molding

By Dennis Foster


Manufacturing industry is among the leading industry in the state. Plastic injection molding usually is among the manufacturing procedures which deal with the fabrication of plastic parts. A broad range of products is manufactured through this process. The products vary greatly in size, complexity as well as application.

For it to operate an injection molding machine is needed, raw material and a mold must be present. During this process, plastic is melted inside the machine and then injected into the mold. The material is cooled after which it solidifies as the final part product.

There are four main stages which are required to manufacture the plastic parts. The first step is referred to as the clamping stage. Before the materials are injected into the mold, the two halves of this mold must be securely closed using the clamping unit which is a part of this molding machine. Each half is attached to the machine after which one part is freed to slide. The clamping unit is powered by a hydraulic system, and it pushes the two halves together thus exerting a force which keep the molds closed as the materials are being injected.

Secondly, is injection process. During this process, the raw materials which are in form of pellets are usually fed into the machine. After feeding the raw material, they subjected to heat and pressure so that they can melt. The molten materials are put into the molds very fast. Pressure is created which is responsible for packing and holding the materials in place. The quantity of raw material injected is referred to as the shot volume. It is possible to estimate the injecting time using the shot volume, injection power and pressure.

As soon as the molten material comes into contact with the interior surface of this mold, it begins to cool. During the cooling process, the molten plastic solidifies into the shape of the desired part. As cooling takes place, some shrinkage occurs. Therefore, packing of raw material at injection stage allows the flowing of additional materials. Thereby, reducing the amount of visible shrinkage. At this stage, it is left opened until the required cooling is achieved.

Lastly, is the ejection stage. After cooling, the cooled part is removed through the ejection system. This system is attached to the rear half of this mold. Force is applied to eject the part since while cooling; the part may shrink thereby adhering to it. To facilitate the ejection process, a mold release agent is sprayed onto the surface of mold cavity before the injection of this material.

This process is used to produce thin walled plastic parts for different applications. One of the common is plastic housing which is a thin walled enclosure. The housings are used in several products such as power tools, household appliances, automotive dashboards and consumer electronics.

This process has a number of benefits. However, the key among them is its accuracy. This manufacturing process is precise and can be used to make any kind of part. This is because the mold allows a precisely finished part despite the design restrictions.




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