Bits and Bites of Injection Molding Plastic Processes
With the few bits and bites provided, you will gain even more appreciation for the different injection molding plastic processes and what they achieve. The demand for quality injection molding products will continue to rise as materials and technologies advance.
- Of all manufacturing processes used to fabricate plastic parts, injection molding is the most used.
- With the right plastic injection molding machine, a professional fabricator can make a broad range of products. Some of those include eyeglass frames, door handles, toothbrushes, packaging for cosmetics, valves, toys, housewares, bushings and bearings, and more.
- Many industries depend on precision-made plastic injection parts and components. Some examples include automotive, aviation, aerospace, furniture, food and beverage, cosmetics, and more.
- To make the parts and components customers require, fabricators rely on three things: the right plastic injection molding machine, the appropriate mold, and the correct type of raw plastic material.
- The plastic injection molding process starts by melting material. That molten resin then gets injected into a mold where it cools, solidifies, and ejects.
- Plastic housings are the most-commonly made. As thin-walled enclosures that often have bosses and ribs on the interior, manufacturers use them to make power tools, appliances, automobile dashboards, consumer electronics, and so on.
- Fabricators even make medical devices from plastic injected mold parts and components, including syringes and valves.
- Typically, the processing cycle for products is short; in most cases, it only takes between two seconds and two minutes to complete.
- There are four stages of the plastic injection molding process: clamping, injection, cooling, and ejection.
- Usually, this process requires some degree of post-processing after the injection molding cycle. As an example, cutters trim away any excess material and flash that occurred during the process. Depending on the type of raw plastic material used, sometimes, scrap gets recycled.
Injection molded plastic parts and components have a broad reach. Without these processes, the millions of things that people use daily would not exist. Also, as machines continue to advance, the possibilities with this process will only get better. Being selective about the manufacturing company ensures that you will end up with the highest-quality injection molding parts and components at the most competitive price.