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.

The second stage is the injection. It involves feeding these raw materials to the machine. These raw materials are usually in the form of pellets. During this process, the materials are melted by heat and pressure. The molten material is then injected into the mold very quickly. Pressure is created which packs and hold the materials. The amount of materials injected is known as the shot. The injection time is usually estimated from injections pressure and power together with the volume of that shot.

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.

Finally, the materials are removed from the molds in a process known as ejection. This procedure occurs in the ejection system which normally is attached on the back of the mold. As stated earlier, shrinkage normally takes place as the material cools. For this reason, some material adheres to the mold. A force is thus applied to force these materials out of the mold. A mold release agent can be sprayed on the surface of this mold before injections to make ejection easier.

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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