IQS Newsroom Articles on Plastic Injection Molding
Plastic Injection Molding
The Plastic Injection Molding process is the most common
manufacturing technique for making plastic materials. It is used for the
majority (35 percent) of plastic products, ranging from automotive dashboards
to bottle caps and pocket combs.
Starting in the 1930s, plastic injection molding is used for mass
production and prototyping, and is commonly used in the food service, medical,
computer and automotive industries. Most
molded plastic products are made from thermoplastics, which become pliable when
heated and rigid when cooled. Plastic
Injection Molding has many advantages, including high production rates and low
labor costs. There is little waste
produced during this process, and it may be recycled easily.
Producing plastics through Injection Molding is a 4 step
process. First, the 2 halves of the
injection mold are clamped hard under pressure.
The plastic, usually in pellet form, is then loaded through a hopper and
heated to molten form and injected into the mold, which is an inverse of the
desired shape of the part being made.
The plastic is then left for a short time to cool, and ejected out of
the machine with force, as the plastic tends to shrink and stick to the mold.
If plastic injection molding fits the manufacturer's need
better than alternatives such as blow molding (for hollow objects) or thermal
molding (which saves energy), they then need to choose what type of plastic
injection molding to use. Cold runner
molding is for simple parts or those with more than one color, hot runner
molding is the most inexpensive option, and insulated runner molding is best
for a large number of parts which are needed quickly.
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Plastic Injection Molding Image Provided by Caplugs
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