Everything About Plastic Injection Molding

Most products used on an everyday basis never get a thought from a layperson about their making. As a rule, nearly every article is made using plastics, glass, metals and rubbers. However different the material of production may be, the process remains the same – injection molding. Among all such materials of construction, the most common one is plastic.

The evolution of plastic injection molding industry  

At present, close to thirty million tons plastic are manufactured on a day-to-day basis. The significance of plastic as a material for construction is due to its high availability; almost 60,000 variants of this material are manufactured at present.

However, the prosperity of injection molding technique began with the innovation of resins such as Styrene, K Resin and Nylon 6/6. Another factor that propelled the growth of this molding technique was the manufacturing of ultraviolet inhibitors and different additive colors. 

In 1980s, the plastic material was given prominence with the development of horizontal injection molding machinery. With the beginning of high-end vertical mold machines and hybrids molding systems, it became possible to manufacture plastic products with unimaginable contours and tight dimensional tolerances. In the past, the process of molding was daunting and accounted for several injuries. However, the development of technology (such as robotic controls and hydraulics) has helped the process become safer with each passing day.

How plastic molding industry got better?

Notwithstanding the wonders of plastic injection molding, the procedure drew flak from several green revolutionists due to the material it used. However, large shares of revenue and energy are spent to make plastic environmentally more acceptable.

With the fruitful attempts to make plastic recycling possible, the entire process of injection molding has become efficient. The developments of high-strength thermosetting polymers have helped enhance the durability by leaps and bounds. Several pet bottle moulds are made from thermosetting polymers to increase their strength and capacity to withstand high temperature.

Apart from injection molding, one of the most common techniques used for manufacturing hollowed plastic products is blow moulding. Presently, innovative plastics are introduced to make possible impeccable precision and close-tolerances in the final product.

What is Scientific Injection Molding?

There has been an upsurge in the demand of dimensionally stable as well as accurate parts and components in the medical sector. Several medical component manufacturers have examined the developments in injection molding and are keen to incorporate the technique for quick production of dimensionally precise medical equipment. Whether it is tight tolerance or thin wall, each of the demanding characteristics of medical components can be catered by a type of injection molding known as Scientific Injection Molding (SIM).

The SIM is an attempt to make the most of the current injection molding procedure. The Scientific injection molding can work with the conventional materials such as thermoplastic materials and other unconventional substance such as silicone rubber, thermoset plastics, high consistency rubber, and the like.

Why scientific injection molding is not a fixed process?

The process of SIM is variable. It depends upon the nature of the manufactured medical device. A little tribal knowledge and past practices help in further tweaking the existing molding procedure. The fine-tuning of the existing injection molding continues until the desired specification of a product has been met. However, building a robust SIM is a time-consuming procedure and requires process engineers to take into consideration several factors such as:-

• PET preform mold design/construction
• Part design
• Process parameters (mold temperature, injection speed, melting temperature, hold pressure, cooling time, etc.) 
• The molding machinery at work
• The nature (including viscosity) of the material to be used

How SIM and lean manufacturing are related?

For many industrial players – especially the ones believing in lean manufacturing – scientific injection molding has become a culture. Lean manufacturing and SIM are interrelated as both emphasize on eliminating waste (such as downtime, over processing, defective products, excess inventory, to mention a few) and, thus, reducing the overall cost.

SIM is a data-driven approach based on thorough scientific analysis of the prevailing molding process. Several PET preform manufacturers are developing high-quality single stage Mould that is apt to be used in a scientific injection molding.