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Injection Molding Process Overview

The document discusses various plastic processing techniques including blow molding, thermoforming, injection molding, and considerations for designing injection molded parts. Blow molding involves using hot air to expand heated plastic into a mold cavity. Thermoforming uses a sheet of heated plastic that is molded using a shaped die. Injection molding is one of the most common and economical processes where molten plastic is injected into a mold cavity. Key aspects of designing injection molds include parting lines, gate locations, runners, and ejection systems. Location of gates and avoidance of thick cross-sections are also important considerations for injection molded part design.

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Anand Patel
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56 views17 pages

Injection Molding Process Overview

The document discusses various plastic processing techniques including blow molding, thermoforming, injection molding, and considerations for designing injection molded parts. Blow molding involves using hot air to expand heated plastic into a mold cavity. Thermoforming uses a sheet of heated plastic that is molded using a shaped die. Injection molding is one of the most common and economical processes where molten plastic is injected into a mold cavity. Key aspects of designing injection molds include parting lines, gate locations, runners, and ejection systems. Location of gates and avoidance of thick cross-sections are also important considerations for injection molded part design.

Uploaded by

Anand Patel
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Plastics Processing: Extrusion
  • Plastics Processing: Blow Molding
  • Plastics Processing: Thermoforming
  • Plastics Processing: Injection Molding

Plastics Processing: Extrusion

Plastics Processing: Blow molding


(a) The hollow piece of heated glass (parison) is first created by a blow mold (see text-book Fig 17.25) 3-piece mold heated glass

(b) The mold is put together

(c) Plunger and hot air push the glass up

- similar to glass blow-molding (d) Hot air blows the glass out towards the mold surface

(e) Mold comes apart, bottle is removed

Plastics Processing: Thermoforming

Sheet of plastic Heated (soft) Molded using a shaped die

Vacuum thermoforming

Plastics Processing: Injection Molding


- Probably the most common, most important, most economical process

Plastics Processing: Injection Molding

Cycle of operation for injection molding


AVI [source: [Link]]
[source: [Link]]

Injection Molding: geometry of the mold

Basic components:

mold pieces (define the geometry of the part), AND


sprue, gates, runners, vents, ejection pins, cooling system

Injection Molding: 2-piece and 3-piece molds

Injection Molding: molds with moving cores and side-action cams


- If the geometry of the part has undercuts [definition ?]

Injection Molding: designing injection molds

1. molding directions number of inserts/cams required, if any 2. parting lines 3. parting planes by extending the parting line outwards 4. gating design where to locate the gate(s) ? 5. multiple cavity mold fix relative positions of the multiple parts 6. runners: flow of plastic into the cavity 7. sprue located: 8. functional parts of the mold - ejection system: to eject the molded part

- systems to eject the solidified runners


- alignment rods: to keep all mold components aligned

Injection Molding: designing injection molds


1. molding directions number of inserts/cams required, if any 2. parting lines 3. parting planes by extending the parting line outwards 4. gating design where to locate the gate(s) ?
cup

5. multiple cavity mold fix relative positions of the multiple parts


6. runners: flow of plastic into the cavity 7. sprue located: 8. functional parts of the mold - ejection system: to eject the molded part
parting plane

parting line

gate

- systems to eject the solidified runners


- alignment rods: to keep all mold components aligned
nozzle knob

cavity part

cavity ejection plate cavity

runner cavity

core (a)

core (b)

core (c)

core (d)

Designing injection molds: mold in action

Nozzle Nozzle Runner Cavity Runner Part Cavity Cavity Knob

Part

Part
Stripper plate

[source: Lec notes, Prof T. Gutosky, MIT]

Designing injection molds: typical features

[source: [Link]]

Designing injection molds: typical features

(a) Shut-off hole: no side action required

(b) Latch: no side action required

(c) Angled Latch: Side action cam required

Considerations in design of injection molded parts


Guideline (2) avoid thick cross-sections

[source: GE plastics: Injection Molding Design Guidelines]

Considerations in design of injection molded parts


Guideline (3) gate location determines weld lines

weld lines

* Source: [Link]

Raw materials in the form if thermoplastic pallets,granules,or powder, placed into a hopper and fed into extruder barrel. The barrel is equipped with a screw that blends the pallets and conveys them down the barrel

Heaters around the extruders barrels heats the pellets and liquefies them
Screw has 3-sections Feed section Melt or transition section Pumping section.

Plastics Processing: Extrusion
Plastics Processing: Blow molding heated glass 3-piece mold (a) The hollow piece of heated glass (parison) is first created
Plastics Processing: Thermoforming Sheet of plastic  Heated (soft)  Molded using a shaped die
Vacuum thermoforming
Plastics Processing: Injection Molding - Probably the most common, most important, most economical process
Plastics Processing: Injection Molding Cycle of operation for injection molding [source: www.offshoresolutions.com] AVI
Injection Molding: geometry of the mold Basic components: mold pieces (define the geometry of the part), AND spru
Injection Molding: 2-piece and 3-piece molds
Injection Molding: molds with moving cores and side-action cams - If the geometry of the part has undercuts [definition ?]
Injection Molding: designing injection molds 1. molding directions  number of inserts/cams required, if any 2. parting lin

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