plastic mould and custom injection moulding tips

Thermoplastic Sheet Forming Method Cold bending . Simple circular or cylindrical Vacuum forming or blow molding in female mold shapes. The thicker the sheet, the larger the bend diameter must be to prevent high stress concentrations. Ex: consumer packages. Hot line bending . Two-dimensional shapes with arc, angle or channel cross section. Gradual to sharp bends, depending on heating procedure. Ex: safety guards. Stretch forming (hot draping, yoke forming) . Two-dimensional or slightly compound shapes, especially large shapes. Subject to surface distortion. Not suitable for reproduction of fine details. Yoke forming provides more uniform thinning out and is suitable for longer runs than manual stretch forming. Ex: aircraft canopies. Plug and ring forming . Shallow to deep drawn shapes with gradual to sharp angles and curves. Not suitable for highly accurate contours or fine mold details. Considerable surface distortion, especially at inside comers一unsuitable where optical properties ar

Design rules Designing molded reinforced plastics parts is difficult because of the large number of variables encountered in the material and the process, and the difficulty of controlling some of them. These variables include: composition of the resin, including fillers, catalysts and gardening agents, geometry of the reinforcing material, resin-reinforcement ratio, degree of saturation of reinforcement by resin, and temperature and time of cure. The cardinal design rule , which cannot be overemphasized, is: consult the custom mold maker in the primary design stages. In addition, follow these general design rules:    Integrate parts.     Make prototypes .    Mold to dimensions; parts cannot be “sprung” after they are molded.    Use stress formulas valid for fiber-reinforced plastics.    Know the conditions of use.    Consider effects of the molding procedure.    Use sandwich construction for maximum strength-to-weight ratios.    To increase rig

Reinforced Plastics Molding The term “ reinforced plastics moldings ,” as used here and in the plastics industry, refers to parts produced by impregnating a reinforcing material, in the form of cloth or mat, with a liquid thermosetting or thermoplastic resin, laminating the material into multiple layers, and curing with heat and pressure to form a dense, hard solid. It does not include materials discussed later as “high pressure laminates, which are available from stock as flat sheet, rod or tube. Materials . Resins used for reinforced plastics moldings include polyesters, phenolics, epoxies, melamines and silicons. Reinforcements include cloth or mat made from cotton, glass, asbestos and nylon. Glass reinforcements are most commonly used. Recently, there has been much interest in reinforcing thermoplastic resins, such as vinyls and acrylics, with cloth or mat made from thermoplastic synthetic fibers such as nylon. However, the bulk of reinforced plastics moldings today utilizes thermo

The plastic molding process cycle We are ready to study the actual plastic molding process cycle in the press room inasmuch as we have become familiar with not only the component parts of the mold itself but also the materials which are placed in them. The method of loading the cavities varies in accordance with the design and size of the part to be molded, the capacity of the die, and the style of mold. Preforms or powder can be used and sometimes both, but wherever possible it is more economical to load with preforms. In using compressed pellets special loading racks are usually constructed in order to bring the bench operator’s time down to a minimum. This rack or loader is made in such a manner as to permit the preforms to fit into proper sized receptacles and contains the number of impressions to correspond with those of the mold. The operator loads the rack during the time that the previous heat is being cured and is thence ready to place the entire load into the lower section o

casting Materials . Any resin available in liquid form can be cast . Castable resins include phenolics, polyesters, epoxies, silicones and acrylics. Types of molds. The type of mold used depends on the plastic, the size and shape of the part, and other design considerations. Draw mold 一No undercut is possible. Flutes and scallops must run in the direction of removal. Taper must be provided to break the vacuum and reduce friction. Castings are removed by force, and minimum wall thickness is critical, running from 1/8 in. on tiny parts to 3/16 in. on parts the size of radio cabinets. Split mold ~Undercuts may be provided if they do not prevent release from the separate parts of the mold. Minimum wall thickness is 3/16 in., and parts less than 0.1 lb are not commonly produced economically. Cored mold ~This type allows complexity of design, but is not usually feasible from a cost standpoint for parts less than 4 x 4 x 4 in. Molds require no taper. Minimum wall thickness is 3/16 in. Mold sh