Category:

Injection Molding

Significant Considerations For Injection Molding

by Chirag March 25, 2021

written by Chirag

Injection molding is one of the most popular manufacturing processes in existence. It is highly used in the mass-production of plastic parts, and the process involves the use of an injection molding machine, also known as a press. The popularity and success of this method have led to a lot of injection molding companies being established. In this excerpt, we look at considerations for injection molding.

Things you need to do before producing parts using injection molding

Before you start using this technology to manufacture parts, below are some things you should consider;

1. Finances

The financial considerations are perhaps the most significant. Note that you need to account for the entry costs, production, and design preparation costs. It would help if you accounted for the costs of entering into this industry. This may include the cost of purchasing the materials and the machinery required. At the same time, you ought to determine the number of parts you want to make and how much it would cost to get the materials and complete the production process.

When planning for financial responsibilities, most people forget about the design process. The design process can be split into two categories. These are the part and tool design categories. Each of these processes requires money to complete. When considering all these financial elements, you need to also think about how much profit you will make. The last thing you want is to spend too much money in the process and not make any profit in return.

2. Designing

Next to the financial considerations, the design considerations are also essential. Creating the design is perhaps the most critical part of the process of injection molding. The part design will influence the overall outcome of the production process. When designing the piece, you should have injection molding in mind. It would help if you simplified the geometry and minimized the number of parts when designing the part so that the production process is easy.

The design of the tool is also essential. It would be best to make sure that the mold tool design is free from any defects to prevent production issues. Note that the presence of defects during production could cost you a lot of time and money. Therefore, you need to take your time during the tool designing process. Naturally, you will need an expert team for this part of the process.

3. Production

After designing the part and the tool, the next natural step is production. Note that plastic injection molding is an automated process. This means that it does not depend on a lot of human input. This means that once the machine is set up and the raw materials are fed, the rest of the work is done automatically. Therefore, to ensure that the process runs smoothly, you need to ensure that the machine is set up correctly. It would help if you were careful in the assembly process.

Conclusion

The injection molding process is not as intricate as most people assume. The production process itself is pretty easy because it is automated. However, the challenging part is designing the tool and the desired part.

March 25, 2021 0 comment

Injection Molding Processing

Advantages Of Plastic Injection Moldings

by Chirag March 31, 2020

written by Chirag

When molding, you need a machine and a mold that can meet your tastes and preferences. Working with a molding machine whose tonnage or size does not match your needs leads to poor artistry and final products that don’t match customer desires. For you to get a final solid piece that is customized correctly, you need a machine that is flexible enough to transform the melted material into dimensions. A plastic injection molding machine offers this and more. If you are shopping for a plastic injection mold, read this blog post for the best deals.

The following are the advantages of working with a plastic injection molding machine:

Greater control of the molding process: When working with plastic injection molding machines, enjoy greater control of the whole molding process. Therefore, you can easily incorporate all the desired intricate patterns in your final products. You can make bespoke molds with complex patterns, which come in different colors that match your tastes and preferences. Final product differentiation is easy when working with plastic injection molds. Plastics are highly malleable when melted and can be manipulated to fit into the complex patterns in a mold.

Highly durable final products: Plastic injection molding machines work by transforming melted plastic into desired final products. The beauty of working with plastics is that they produce highly durable final products. With the incorporation of polymers, you can have products with high tensile strength. With plastics, you can target a broad range of customers and market segments. From construction to home and office, plastics have an almost ubiquitous presence in our society today. A diversified product portfolio can you gain a competitive advantage in the market.

High speed: Speed usually comes in handy when you are operating an industrial-scale molding operation. Plastic injection molding machines come with numerous cavities that allow you to produce numerous final products at any given time. The molding process is faster, especially with the right cooling system. Speed is also enhanced by the shorter molding cycle of plastics, particularly their cooling duration.

Product uniformity: These machines also come with product uniformity that makes them ideal for mass production processes. The last thing you need during a high-volume production project is final products with dissimilar features. Plastic injection molding uses repeat processes leading to the creation of identical products. The resulting brand consistency, even in cases of mass production, makes plastic injection molding machines very reliable when it comes to creating brand consistency and image.

Low production cost: Plastics are easy to purchase and melt. The molding cycle is also relatively shorter, which translates in less production time. Overall, you’ll spend on the production process leading to a reduction in your costs and an increase in your bottom lines.

Take-Home

Plastic injection molding machines come with operational flexibility that makes them ideal for large scale production. The machines also use a repeatable process that produces uniform final products. If you in the market for a cost-effective and highly efficient molding machine, consider going for one that uses plastic injection technology.

March 31, 2020 0 comment

Injection Molding Processing

7 Practical Tips for Successful PP Injection Molding

by Chirag March 5, 2020

written by Chirag

Polypropylene (PP) is increasingly popular in the world of injection molding. Thanks to its chemical resistant design and low-density consistency, it’s frequently used in industries such as the automotive and the medical.

Injection molding with PP resin brings a ton of benefits but also has its challenges throughout the molding process. Here is a selection of seven practical tips for excellent PP injection molding.

1. Be Patient with the injection process

It is expected for the injection process to consume most of the cycle. This is important because injection has a crucial role in the control of shrinkage. The more accurate the injection, the better the output. So, let it take its time and don’t make anything that might rush the injection process.

2. Injection pressure needs to be between 800 psi and 1500 psi

This is another variable that can influence potential issues with PP injection molding. As a general rule, the injection pressure needs to reflect the size and construction of the item. In most cases, the pressure needs to be capable of filling around 99% of the part to stop problems with sticking and flashing.

3. Set the mold temperature to range from 50°-150° F

This is important because it reduces surface imperfections and stress on the item. Furthermore, it is also essential for the mold to be cooled uniformly. That way, the item can be easily ejected from the mold.

4. Set back pressure to be between 50 and 100 psi

That’s the ideal range for pp injection backpressure, which leads to improved cycle time. The only exception is if there is pigment mixing. In that case, the backpressure can be set somewhat higher.

5. Don’t rush the hold time

This is a common mistake that should be avoided at any cost. Simply resist the urge to take part in the mold before it has been completely cooled. Failing to do so can potentially lead to shrinkage and warpage. Make sure that the part is cooled to around 130° F before you remove it from the mold.

6. Don’t let minor sticking stand on your way

Truth is sticking is not that common with PP injection molding. That’s because PP has excellent release properties. But, if some minor sticking still happens, it can be corrected by either using a PP grade that has been already lubricated internally or by making adjustments to the mold. In both cases, the changes are easy and fast.

7. Work with a trained professional

Polypropylene resin injection molding is great and can help you make excellent products with top quality. However, if you lack the experience, the knowledge, or both, you can find yourself in a world of troubles.

If you don’t want this to happen to you, make sure that you have the support of a trained industry professional. He/she should have been in this industry for many years that has a ton of experience and can guide you throughout the entire process.

March 5, 2020 0 comment

Injection Molding Processing

10 Advantages of Plastic Injection Molding

by Chirag December 12, 2017

written by Chirag

Using injection molding or the molded parts has proven to be excellent ways to manufacture parts and products. This technology carries plastic to a heated barrel. Plastic is placed in the molding cavity then and the final product is molded in the molding cavity.

Plastic injection molding is preferred over other plastic molding methods for some reasons. It is simple, efficient and consistent. Do not hesitate to manufacture parts/products using plastic injection molding if you own or manage manufacturing facilities. Let’s examine many of the reasons why many manufacturing facilities are adopting this method.

Plastic injection molding

If you are reading this blog, I suppose you know about plastic injection molding, one of the most common methods of mass production of plastic parts. To test this, plastic is supplied to the heated cylinder using this technique. The material is mixed, placed in the molding cavity, molded in the molding cavity and cured to the final product. Although you may not know, plastic injection has many advantages and advantages over comparative plastic processing and manufacturing methods. The top 10 merit of plastic injection molding is as follows.

1) It’s accurate

Plastic injection molding is really an exact method that it may fabricate nearly any kind of plastic part. There are specific design limitations, however, the molds which are made permit the end product to be really precise. Actually, precision is usually within 0.005 inches.

2) Versatility

Apart from being accurate, plastic injection molding is also flexible. It’s simple to change the color that the product is being produced in as well as the type of material that is being produced.

3) It’s fast

Plastic injection molding is fantastic for lengthy manufacturing runs because it is incredibly fast. The precise speed relies upon the how to go about the mold under consideration. However, only fifteen to thirty seconds pass in between each cycle time. This rate of production is a lot quicker than other available production methods.

4) Low labor costs

A part of the great point of plastic injection molding is that the device operates with automated automatic startup tool and improves efficiency. Because it is difficult to monitor the work of automated equipment that only works rarely, less work is required.

5) Environmentally Friendly

Because the majority of the plastic-type could be ground-up and reused for future production, there’s low waste in the plastic injection molding process.

Plastic injection molding

6) Well suited for creating high-strength components

A great advantage of plastic injection molding is the ability to add fillers to the ingredients during processing, thereby increasing the strength of the finished parts while reducing the density of the liquid plastics. Plastic injection molding is an ideal process for industries and products where parts must be strong

7) A smooth finished appearance

Plastic injection molding is usually a process in which the manufactured part has little or no finishing touch. This is because the shape of the collapsed part is closest to the finished appearance. Yes, the surface finish is really good except shape! Returning to the advantage of # 3 in this list, here is another example of how low injection effort can result in injection molding.

8) Multiple Materials

Simultaneous injection molding allows simultaneous use of multiple types of materials. For example, you can add a filler to the hopper and add strength, or change the properties of the plastic material.

9) Less expensive than plastic machining

Initial production of molds can be expensive at cost of several thousand dollars. However, once the shape is created, you can create very large quantities of plastic parts with minimal cost. Because of this, a large series of plastic processing can cost 25 times more than plastic injection molding.

10) It’s broadly applied

Plastic injection molding is among the most widely used plastic producing processes. Just browse around, you will see lots of items that were likely made through the process for sure.

December 12, 2017 1 comment

Injection Molding Processing

7 Types of Waste in Injection Molding – “TIMWOOD”

by Chirag December 11, 2017

written by Chirag

As a trainer and consultant in lean manufacturing. I stumbled upon the 7 types of wastes – TIMWOOD. This kindled my curiosity to consider the different sorts of waste inside a typical Injection Molding process and classify them in to these 7 kinds of waste.

7 Types of Waste

Naturally, Injection Molding is really a complex procedure that involves coordination among various departments. There’s great potential for reducing waste in the Molding Process.

1. “T” for Transportation – The unnecessary movement of people or parts between processes.

e.g.

Moving molds from storage to the press and vice versa
The movement of resin from warehouse to the press
The movement of tools and auxiliary device
The unnecessary movement of finished goods or semi-finished goods before they are shipped

Address transportation issues by

If possible, placing the process nearby, using material that shifts from tactics to process without significant delays
Expansion of production route
Acquiring multiple storage locations
Not creating extended or complicated material handling system

2. “I” for Inventory – Holding unnecessary material or parts when not needed

e.g.

Extra resin inventory – Stocking more resin than necessary
Surplus parts inventory – Producing parts more than necessary
Extra machine spare/expendable items/tools

To avoid getting over stock, you can

Adjust the development process to achieve smooth flow
Work with a small batch size
Adhere to the first-in-first-out principle of stagnant material.
Reduce switching time

3. “M” for Motion – Unnecessary Motion that contributes no value

e.g.

Opening and closing the security gates for removing parts from the mold/tool without using sprue robots
Manual de-gating and extra secondary operation
Reaching too far over for handling parts
Walking around for searching tools

Reducing motion waste by

Improving workstation layouts to avoid excessive walking or bending
Organizing techniques to allow parts to transfer easily from one hand to another
Redesigning work layout to reduce change in direction of material
Reduction of batch size

4. “W” for Waiting – People or parts that wait for a work cycle to be completed

e.g.

Waiting for Machine – Barrel heating, mold heating/cooling, hot runner manifold, machine failure, machine maintenance
Waiting for Material – Preheating
Waiting for Men – Paper making for quality inspection/approval, missing schedule
Waiting for Mold – Tool repairing, tool adjustments under out-of-tolerance conditions

The key to eliminating waiting waste is

Procedures
Following checklists for activities where available
Keeping the work area to specified standard

5. “O” for Over-processing – Using equipments that are not necessary for the work

e.g.

Making parts which are of tighter tolerance than is needed by Customer
Over rejecting/over inspecting parts beyond customer needs
Using bigger press/greater tonnage press that is needed for that mold
Produce parts with more cycle time
Running multi-cavity tool with cavities off leading to more cycle time/part produced

Reduce over-processing by:

Standardizing best approaches for workers to follow along with
Setting obvious specifications and quality acceptance standards

6. “O” for Over-production – Generating parts than precisely what it takes

e.g.

Producing more parts than customers need
Making more parts in anticipation of more orders
Making many parts due to schedule problems
Running a mold when only one part is required from multiple cavities

Avoid over-production by:

Dealing with smaller sized batch sizes
Making more reliable processes
Creating stable schedules
Balancing cells or departments
Using accurate forecast information which reflects the particular demand

7. “D” for Defects – Rework, Scrap, Incorrect documentation

e.g.

Making wrong parts – wrong specifications/color/wrong Rev
Wrong set up – secondary operations
Parts with missing documents/documents with errors
Packaging parts with incorrect/wrong box labels
Mixing two various parts while shipping

To reduce the regularity of defects, attempt to

Institute sufficient training to enhance workers’ skills
Improve processes
Source capable suppliers
Reduce operator error
Lower the surplus stock
Improve transportation plans

There’s also another kind of waste – Skills wastage which is recognized as the eighth kind of waste

e.g.

Allowing untrained/under-trained Labor or Operator to function specialized equipment
Insufficient specialized training sources for that molding operations personnel
Underutilizing human sources for doing rudimentary tasks

Identifying these kinds of wastes and classifying them in to the 7/8 kinds of waste could be useful in creating a Lean Molding Shop. As more shops around the world adjust to Lean culture, this exercise could be interesting for that Injection Molding Business.

December 11, 2017 0 comment