Wednesday, January 25, 2017

By Ann Foster


Basically, injection molding is a manufacturing process which involves heating the plastic granules and then forcing the melted plastic through a mold cavity. This process is the one commonly used in production of plastic parts. However, with plastic injection molding, various products are produced. These products usually vary complexity, sizes, and application. This process, however, requires a machine, a mold, as well as raw plastic materials.

Usually, raw plastics are initially melted inside a machine prior to infusion into the mold to cool and solidify. In Cobourg, ON, this technique generates thin-walled parts made of plastics normally put to various uses including making plastic casings. The casings are generally used in sealing various items including power tools, automotive dashboards, household appliances and even consumer electronics. Open containers including buckets are also other products that are manufactured.

Injection molding cycle generally is a four stage short process that lasts for about 2 seconds and two minutes. The initial stage is referred to as clamping. Prior to injection of materials into the molds, one ought to ensure that the two halves are securely closed with clamping units.

During the injection stage, every half is attached to the machine and one half is made to slide. The clamping unit is normally hydraulically powered and pushes these mold halves together while exerting enough force to ensure the mold is closed securely while injecting the material.

The second phase is the injection stage where raw plastics usually in pellet forms are constantly inserted into molding machines before being advanced to a foam unit. The materials are usually made to melt at this stage through heat and pressure. The molten materials are quickly infused to the molds where the build-up of pressure compacts and holds them. The amount of infused material is normally called a shot. The duration taken at this stage remains tricky to determine. Nevertheless, an estimate may be arrived at using the quantity of shot, the injecting power and injecting pressure.

The other phase is the cooling phase. Here melted materials enclosed in the casts are cooled when they adhere to the interior cast surfaces. They become solid and take up the shape a part is determined to take. However, shrinkages may happen as cooling occurs, even though material packing at this phase allows some additional materials to get into the casts hence lessening the extent of shrinks.

Ejection is the final stage normally happening after adequate time passes to allow the cooled portions to be ejected. The ejection is done by an ejection system. Once a mold is unfastened, the parts are taken off the mold. Force is usually applied to eject parts because they may shrink and stick during cooling. To enable ejection, molds release agents are also utilized by spraying on mold-cavity shells prior to material injection.

After the whole cycle, post processing is usually required. This is because the material in the molds channels solidifies during cooling and become attached on the part. However, the excess material together with any flash which has occurred should be trimmed from the part.




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