Thursday 13 March 2014

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.

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