If you’re in the product development stage of your project, plastic injection molding can come in handy, for it leads to minimal material wastage.
Here’s a list of four injection molding basics that you need to know as someone new to the procedure.
1. Design:
You need to be extra careful when designing your product for the injection molding process. It goes without saying that the more detailed the design, the better your product will turn out to be. Make sure that the wall thickness of your product is uniform to avoid your product from being uneven. It is also advised that you choose your preferred material at the design stage. This makes you aware of the material’s properties, helping you make adjustments easily.
2. The Optimum Force Level:
For superior quality, it is vital to determine the size of the press. You don’t need to worry about this, as your manufacturer will take care of it for you. However, it would be helpful if you provide details about the material you’re using and the size of the product being produced so the manufacturer can make the right decision.
3. The Molding Process:
We’ve summarized the plastic injection molding process in the following five steps for you:
i. Filling: Firstly, the machine is filled with small plastic beads that are then melted and used in the process. These beads are made up of the material that you must’ve picked in the design stage.
ii. Injection: In the second step, the screw pushes the now melted plastic into the cavity. It is crucial that you apply an adequate amount of pressure on the mold, or else there’s a danger of having a defective product.
iii. Cooling: Next, it’s time to cool the part you made. During the cooling process, the plastic cools down, solidifies, and shrinks a little.
iv. Ejection: Your product is now complete. The mold opens up and ejects the product out, using its ejection pins.
v. Runner Removal: Lastly, the machine now removes the leftover runner. This can also be ground up and reused in the future.
4. Select the Right Molder:
Once you have figured out your specific molding needs, it’s time to pick the right molding partner for you. As a rule of thumb, check out the molding company’s portfolio to see if they have experience in similar industries. You may require customized injection molding services, depending on your product development needs.
If you’re looking for an injection molding company to do the job for you, contact us. We at Connekt, LLC will take care of your end-to-end engineering design needs. We offer custom plastic injection molding and other services like rapid prototyping and 3D printing.