Elite Machinery Systems Blog
November 20, 2015
Injection Molding Screw and Barrel Cleaning
Cleaning a screw and barrel can be a full day's job, even when conducted by two or more operators. It can be done by removing parts or injecting a purging compound. It is not always necessary to remove the screw and barrel from the machine, however it may be more cost effective than using a purging compound. The following will guide you in either method of cleaning.
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Urethane Release Agents and Coatings
If you're an injection molder, you probably know how sticky urethane can be and how difficult it is to remove...
November 20, 2015
Molding Defects
Alternative Name
Description
Causes
Blister
Blistering
Raised or layered area on surface of the piece
Tool is not properly cooled and/or has a faulty heater, leaving the material hotter than it should be.
Burn Marks
Air burn/gas burn/dieseling
Black or brown marks from where the air is trapped
Tool is not properly vented, or injection speed is too fast.
Color Streaks
Localized color change
The plastic additive Masterbatch does not properly mix or the
material runs out and is pushed through naturally; material from a
previous run is dragging in the nozzle of valve.
Delamination
...
October 07, 2014
An always important factor of injection molding production is the total cycle time. One segment of the process is the cooling time of the machine tools and molds. Cooling happens to take the majority of the processing, so to optimize this process would heavily impact the overall production rate. Cooling systems are also imperative to reducing wear and tear on an injection molding machine.
The cooling process is the middle portion of the plastic running cycle. It comes after injection and before the ejection of the plastic. The goal of the cooling phase is to bring the running temperature of...
March 17, 2014
Cleaning a screw and barrel can be a full day's job, even when conducted by two or more operators. It can be done by removing parts or injecting a purging compound. It is not always necessary to remove the screw and barrel from the machine, however it may be more cost effective than using a purging compound. The following will guide you in either method of cleaning.Using a Purging CompoundWhen using a purging compound, the first step you want to take is closing off the flow of the resin that's being processed by pushing the slide gate at the...
March 04, 2014
This list of Top 10 Blogs has been compiled to show the diverse nature of the use of plastics. From the innovative technologies in the plastics processing industry to the use of plastic eye droppers in creating wonderful works of childhood art, these articles can give you better understanding of the vital role plastics play in our lives. In short, you can learn about the history of plastics manufacturing, the importance of plastics in everyday life, and technologies and research used within the industry that create new solutions for impact on the environment. We invite you to get to know plastics!
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February 05, 2014
Time is money and one small issue that can be costly in injection molding is bubbling. Bubbles have two primary causes: gas pockets or vacuum voids. Both of these are essentially air-flow related issues.In order to remedy the situation you need to examine which type of bubble you are dealing with specifically because the quicker you can identify they type of bubble, the faster you can diagnose and repair the issues slowing production.To be able to differentiate between gas pockets or vacuum voids you can use a simple heat test. By using a hot air gun or small...
October 03, 2013
If you're an injection molder, you probably know how sticky urethane can be and how difficult it is to remove from the steel cavities and cores of molds in the injection molding machine you're working with. Using a release agent on the steel surfaces will loosen the urethane in order to remove it. A surface treatment that works well for this is Nano Mould Release Coating. This is actually a line of products that advocates using nanotechnology in their "mesh-like" microstructure of the solution to absorb and removed any remnants of surface debris, including urethane.
Another method for surface upkeep...
September 10, 2013
Injection molding is the most common way to manufacture plastic products in high volume. Injection molding machines operate horizontally or vertically to fasten and employ molds. Most machines today are horizontally-oriented, however vertical machines are primarily used for insert molding in order for the process to utilize gravity. A mold may be designed for either a cold runner system or a hot runner system. With a cold runner system, the plastic is injected through a carved channel and cools from the mold. The plastic from the carved channel forms a sprue, which is later removed. The more complex hot runner...
August 06, 2013
These plastic molding defects articles are intended to help facilities managers, machine operators and all the like. We developed these articles in an effort to produce content to help you. We hope you will find these articles to be informative.
Injection Molding Defects GlossaryThis content outlines various common injection molding defects, alternative names, descriptions and causes.
Blister, Blistering: Raised or layered area on surface of the piece. Tool is not properly cooled and/or has a faulty heater, leaving the material hotter than it should be.
Burn marks, air burn/gas burn/dieseling: Black or brown markes from where air...
November 20, 2012
In 1868, John Wesley Hyatt became the first person to inject hot celluloid into a mold, producing billiard balls. In 1872 John and his brother Isaiah patented an injection molding machine that used a plunger, and the process remained more or less the same until 1946. In 1946 James Hendry built the first screw plastic injection molding machine, which revolutionized the plastics industry. Roughly 95% of all plastic injection molding machines now use screws to efficiently heat, mix, and inject plastic into molds.
Injection molding machines consist of two basic parts, an injection unit and a clamping unit. Injection molding machines differ in both injection...
December 15, 2010
There are horizontal injection molding machines and vertical injection molding machines. While horizontal injection molding machines are very popular, vertical injection molding machines are very versatile and can save valuable floor space. A horizontal injection molding machine is pictured to the right.
Hopper
This serves as a funnel into the barrel. The hopper is where the plastics resin is placed for injection. Plastic resin can be compromised of flakes, shavings or pellets. The plastic resin can be fed manually, automatically or via vacuum.
Barrel, Injection Molding Screw, Heater Bands
The injection molding screw has dual purpose in the function of...
