The cost of an injection mold is usually the largest part of an investment into a plastic molding process with the exception of the molding press itself. Capital equipment requires maintenance, with a preventive maintenance plan typically in place for all equipment to keep machinery and equipment running at optimum performance levels and to avoid costly repairs.
The injection mold itself is no different, operating at optimum performance when a regular preventive mold maintenance routine is performed. Each injection mold is unique to a particular program, and may be either a cold or hot runner tool, with single or multi cavities. Some injection molds run only a few times a year to produce a production run then store for a while before it is needed again, and some molds supporting high-volume requirements run continuously in the press. Performing preventive maintenance on these high-volume molds is critical to consistent part production within customer specification. The material the used in the molding process has great impact on the steel mold. A glass filled nylon, for example, will put a lot of wear and tear on the steel vs. a simple polypropylene material. Take the time to determine at which cycle intervals your mold requires cleaning, and you will continue to produce high quality parts without mold breakdown. Some preventive mold maintenance can actually be performed right there at the press, while other PM intervals require a full break-down and thorough mold cleaning. Preventive maintenance is vital for mold performance, and to meet production requirements. Take the time to determine the optimum mold maintenance regimen for your injection molds, and provide consistently molded parts within customer specifications. Michiana Global Mold is a a valuable supplier to the automotive industry, providing complex, precision molds with our ISO9001 Quality Management System. Contact us today to learn about our rebate program and to how we can save you money on your injection mold requirements.
0 Comments
Plastic Injection Mold Design Considerations
Injection mold designers and engineers have numerous considerations when planning out the best approach for the mold design of plastic components. Plastic injection molding is used in various industries such as automotive, electronics, medical and defense, to name just a few. When the same part is required in a high volume, engineers choose injection molding to mass produce required components with consistent quality. Mold Design Derived from Part Design Every injection molder knows that in order to manufacture a quality part, to specification, you must begin with a quality tool. Injection mold builders today utilize technology such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) and Mold Flow Analysis software to provide an accurate three-dimensional image of the desired plastic part before even cutting steel. These tools provide advanced product and quality planning procedures, and assist the mold builder and the injection molder to work together in producing the part to specification. Critical Elements of the Part Design Careful evaluation of all critical dimensions is extremely important when designing a tool. Some parts are designed with thin walls that can succumb to underfill, or a hole that must be within strict tolerances per customer specifications. Knowing up front where the critical dimensions, and required strict tolerances lie is of the utmost importance when designing a tool. Some tolerances can be as tight as + or - .001 of an inch, the width of a human hair! When carving steel from a mold to meet these tight tolerances, it is important to get it right the first time. Mold Design is Influenced by the Molding Environment A mold designer must know what specific type of press the mold will run in and the properties of that press such as whether it has a vertical or horizontal clamping system. A vertical press requires shuttle molds with multiple B halves, and is typically used in over-molding, also referred to as insert molding, which is molding plastic around an object typically made of either plastic or steel. The most common type of injection molding press has a horizontal clamping system where both halves of the mold open and close on a horizontal mounting system, and parts fall into a bin below the mold when it opens and ejects them. Most injection molding presses have water fittings and lines to run through the mold for instant cooling to aid in the setting of plastic, reducing cycle time. The placement of fittings for cooling systems, electrical connectors and wiring is an important consideration for mold designer to ensure that the mold will fit and work properly in the press. Michiana Global Mold is an ISO9001:2015 Registered injection mold designing and building company. We have been supplying custom precision injection molds to various industries including automotive, medical, electronics and defense for over 52 years. Contact us today to see how we can assist you with your plastic injection mold designs. |
Archives
August 2017
Categories
All
|