Plastic Injection Molding
Plastic injection molding is a popular manufacturing technique in which thermoplastic pellets are converted into high volumes of complex parts. The injection molding process is suitable for a variety of plastic materials and is a vital aspect of modern life—phone cases, electronic housings, toys, and even automotive parts would not be possible without it.
Advantages of Plastic Injection Molding
Flexibility - manufacturers can choose the plastic injection mold design and type of thermoplastic that’s used for each component.Efficiency - once the process has been set up and tested, injection molding machines can meet high volume production. Consistency - if the process parameters are tightly controlled, the injection molding process can produce thousands of plastic parts quickly at a consistent quality.Cost-effectiveness - once the mold (which is the most expensive element) has been built, the cost of production per component is relatively low.Quality - whether manufacturers are looking for strong, tensile or highly detailed components, the injection molding process is able to produce them at a high quality repeatedly.
Plastic Injection Molding Process
2. Tooling Mold to Fit the Product Design
3. Melting the Plastic Resin Pellets
1. Creating the Product Design
Designers (engineers, mold maker businesses, etc.) create a part (in the form of a CAD file or other transferrable format), following fundamental design guidelines specific to the injection molding process. Highly skilled machinists and toolmakers, using the product design, fabricate a tooling mold for the injection molding machine. A tooling mold (also known as simply a tool) is the heart and soul of the injection molding machine.Plastic granules are fed into the hopper and into the barrel. The reciprocating screw is drawn back, allowing materials to slip into the space between the screw and the barrel. The screw then plunges forward, forcing the material into the barrel and closer to the heater bands where it melts into molten plastic.4. Inject the Melted Pellets Into the Mold
The reciprocating screw forces this melted plastic through the nozzle, which is seated within a depression in the mold known as a mold sprue bushing. The moving platen pressure fits the mold and the nozzle together tightly, ensuring no plastic can escape.How to Choose the Best Plastic for Plastic Injection Molding?
Choosing the right plastic for plastic injection molding can be difficult - there are thousands of options available on the market, many of which will not achieve a given goal. Fortunately, an in-depth understanding of the desired material properties and intended application will help narrow down the range of potential options to something more manageable.