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.