Injection molding

 

What is Injection molding?

 

Injection molding is a molding process that uses a mold. Some of the material is heated and melted, then sent to molds to cool and form the designed shape. Since it resembles the process of injecting a fluid with a syringe, the process is called injection molding. The process flow is as follows: The material is melted and poured into a mold, where it hardens, and then the product is taken out and finished.
Through injection molding, parts of various shapes, including complex shapes, can be manufactured in large quantities in a continuous and rapid manner. Therefore, injection molding is used to manufacture goods and products in various industries.

Injection molding materials

 

ABS	PC	PPA
POM	PMMA	Silicone
PET	PEI	PP
PBT	PPEK	PET
PPSU	PPO

How does Injection Molding Work?

The first stage of injection moulding is to create the mould itself. Most moulds are made from metal, usually aluminium or steel, and precision machined to match the features of the product they are to produce.

Once the mould has been created by the mould-maker, the material for the part is fed into a heated barrel and mixed using a helical shaped screw. Heating bands melt the material in the barrel and the molten metal or molten plastic material is then fed into the mould cavity where it cools and hardens, matching the shape of the mould. The cooling time can be reduced through the use of cooling lines that circulate water or oil from an external temperature controller. Mould tools are mounted on plate moulds (or “platens” ), which open once the material has solidified so that ejector pins can eject the part from the mould.

Separate materials can be combined in one part in a type of injection moulding called a two-shot mould. This technique can be used to add a soft touch to plastic products, add colours to a part or produce items with different performance characteristics.

Moulds can be made of single or multiple cavities. Multiple cavity moulds can have identical parts in each cavity or can be unique to create parts of different geometries. Aluminium moulds are not best suited to high volume production or parts with narrow dimensional tolerances since they have inferior mechanical properties and can be prone to wear, deformation and damage due to the injection and clamping forces. While steel moulds are more durable they are also more expensive than aluminium moulds.

The injection moulding process requires careful design, including the shape and features of the part, the materials for the part and the mould and the properties of the moulding machine. As a result, there are various considerations that need to be taken into account when injection moulding.

Advantages of Injection Molding

Injection molding is plastic manufacturing process that can produce high quality parts at scale. It's typically used for low- to high-volume production but our aluminum tooling can also make prototyping runs economical.

·       Low cost at higher volumes

·       Exceptional part cosmetics and surface finish

·       Repeatable

·       Complex parts

·       Low scrap rate

·       Large selection of thermoplastic and thermoset materials

 

FAQs:

 

1. Injection molding process type：

 

     •Die casting

     •Micro injection molding

     •Gas-assisted injection moulding

     •Metal injection moulding

 

 

2. Is injection molding environmentally friendly?

 

Injection molding is a naturally low-waste process, since only the amount of plastic needed for a part is forced into a mold. With a thoughtful approach to product design, and production processes, we can limit waste by recycling wherever possible, planning production runs to maximize efficiency, and conserving energy.

 

3. How to reduce the cost of injection molding?

 

There are several ways to reduce costs: Consider your part size, reduce decorative finishes, modify or reuse existing tooling.

 

Please feel free to send over your injection molding project to enquiry@abcrapid.com for further discussion.