Injection molding machine
Injection molding machine is also known as injection molding machine. As the name implies, it is the main molding equipment for making thermoplastics or thermosetting plastics into various shapes of plastic products using plastic molding molds, that is, injection molding machines. It is also the equipment that undertakes the most important tasks in the modern injection molding process step. Injection molding machines are widely used in the production of plastic parts, from medical equipment to various tools; from the aerospace industry, to the automotive industry, which is the most widely used, as well as commonly used daily necessities, children's stationery, many of their parts and even the whole piece are made by Produced by plastic injection molding. Feel free to look around, and whenever there's a plastic item nearby, it's likely made by an injection molding machine.
Injection molding is the most popular method of making plastic parts on the planet and is a process of using plastic to create various parts and items.
Injection molding machine process steps:
The injection molding process is very complex and can be divided into the following steps:
1. Have the right thermoplastic and mold ready
Each mold consists of two parts: the cavity and the core. The cavity is the fixed part into which the plastic is injected, and the core is the moving part that fits into the cavity to help form the final shape of the component. Depending on the requirements, molds can be designed to produce multiple or complex components. The high pressures and high temperatures that mold tools are repeatedly subjected to means they are often made of steel or aluminum.
2. Feed and melt the thermoplastic
As the screw turns, these thermoplastic pellets are gradually fed into the barrel of the machine. The rotation of the screw and the heat from the barrel gradually heat and melt the thermoplastic until it melts.
3. Inject the plastic into the mold
The mold cavity is filled with plastic liquid. Injection pressure and clamping pressure must be balanced at this point to ensure the part is properly formed, and these liquids cool to form a solid product.
4. Insulation and cooling
Once most of the plastic is injected into the mold, it remains under pressure for a period of time. This is called "hold time" and can range from milliseconds to minutes, depending on the type of thermoplastic and the complexity of the part. This hold time is key to ensuring that the plastic wraps out of the tool and is properly formed.
After the holding phase, the screw retracts, releasing the pressure and allowing the part to cool in the mold. This is called the "cool down time," and it can also vary from a few seconds to a few minutes, and ensures the components are set up correctly before being ejected and done on the production line.
5. Take out
The ejector (linked to the ejector system) ejects the cooled product from the machine into a finished part. The injection molding process is now complete.
To learn more about injection molding from us, click here.