Tag: Plastic Injection Molding

A Popular Choice In 2018: Automotive Injection Molding

Posted on June 13, 2018 by - Blog

A Popular Choice In 2018: Automotive Injection Molding

Plastic injection molding is becoming a very popular technique for manufacturing. It is a highly multifaceted process and the end products are high quality. The automobile industry greatly benefits from plastic injection molding because several parts and components are created from the automotive injection molding. The customers can even design the parts to their liking and have it inserted in their automobile. Plastic injection molding is the best option for manufacturing parts in the automobile industry because it can consistently produce safe products that can be customized while being high quality.

Types of Materials That Are Used to Create Automotive Injection Molding

Once plastics were introduced to the automotive industry, mass production was made simpler and much more cost efficient. Plastics are extremely common and used quite frequently in automotive industries because they are lightweight, easily created, and highly durable. Here are a few types of plastics used to make injection moldings:

  • Polypropylene(PP): It is used in automotive bumpers, chemical tanks, gas cans and carpet fibers.
  • Polyurethane(PUR): PUR has exceptional properties such as toughness, flexibility, and resistance to abrasion and temperature. Mostly found in elastomeric wheels and tires, automotive suspension bushings, cushions, and hard plastic parts.
  • PolyVinyl-Chloride(PVC): This material is super flexible and flame retardant and is used in automobile instruments panels, sheathing of electrical cables, pipes, and doors.
  • Acrylic(PMMA): A transparent thermoplastic which is used as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass in windows, displays, and screens.
Automotive Plastic Fabrication Company Quality Mold Shop McMinnville TN

Types of Products Which Can Be Created From Automotive Injection Molding

  • General Instrumentation: battery voltage, vehicle linear speed, displays of fluid levels, fluid temperatures, distance traveled, and feedbacks of various controls
  • Radio Controls: volume buttons, skipping or pausing a track button, and tuning in a radio station button
  • Plastic Interior Surfaces: these are the surfaces of the dashboards and sides
  • Faceplates and Lenses: the covering of the radio system, touchscreen covering, and turn signal lights covering
  • Splash Guards: minimize the spray of water, mud, snow or rocks, which protects your vehicle’s paint

Customizing Automotive Injection Molds

If you are looking to customize and design a mold or need assistance with choosing the right types of materials, then check out Quality Mold Shop. We have been designing, building, and repairing plastic injection molds, since 1976. Our production lines are extremely advanced and very effective. The mold is prepared for production right after the principal testing, which shaves off many weeks. We provide the finest quality of molds while keeping the costs fairly low.

Why You Should Choose Quality Mold Shop

Quality Mold Shop’s goal is to further improve automotive plastic injection molding while building long associations with their clients. The shop is a family-owned business with over 40 years of experience. Our business is built on unmatched customer service and a willingness to take on even the most complex jobs. To learn more about what Quality Mold Shop can do for you, contact us today at 931-668-3876 or come visit us at 4247 Smithville Highway, McMinnville, TN 37110.

Check out our local McMinnville office.
Learn more about auto motive plastics!

Tips for Designing Plastic Injection Molded Parts

Posted on January 16, 2018 by - Blog

Tips for Designing Plastic Injection Molded Parts

Injection molded plastic parts have some magnificent advantages including versatility, the capacity to make simple to super complex parts, and consistency, the capacity to make hundreds of thousands of parts. Be that as it may, the building and keeping up of injection molding instruments can be costly and rolling out device improvements can be testing. The following are some plan tips to augment the advantages:

Consistency is ideal. Steady wall thicknesses all through your part will give the best stream. Typical wall thickness ought to be between 2-3mm. The least recommended is 1mm and the greatest is 4mm for customary plastic injection molded parts.

Smooth trumps sharp. Utilize radii when conceivable and stay away from sharp changes between wall segments.

Draft is your “frenemy.” Adding a draft edge to the faces of your part is useful to discharge it from the apparatus, yet it can cause configuration challenges particularly to parts that are meant to fit together. Recommend minimum draft angles are one degree on untextured center and no less than three degrees on textured faces.

Keep away from surfaces with zero draft unless it’s vital. In the event that you do require a zero-draft zone to guarantee appropriate part mating and resiliences, attempt to limit it to only a bit of the face, not the entire surface.

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Less complex is better. Stay away from undermines (territories that can’t be framed by means of the straightforward open/close bearing of a device). When simple won’t work, lifter and slides enable highlights to be formed that are undercuts in the main pull direction. Assuming this is the case, leave no less than 2 to 3 times the width of the component to enable the lifter or slide to movement.

Change from thick to thin. Parts will form better if plastic moves through highlights moving from more prominent to less wall thickness beginning from the gate(s) (where the plastic first streams in to fill the part).

Sink (a nearby surface mark on a section because of thicker segments of plastic cooling slowly) is awful. To diminish or kill the visibility of imperfections on restorative surfaces it is vital to take after some prescribed rules:

  • Try to maintain a strategic distance from entryways, ribs, screw bosses, etc. on the back side of important cosmetic surfaces;
  • Rib height ought to be 3x or less than the wall thickness;
  • Rib bases ought to be 60% or less of the wall thickness.

Datums define an area. Utilize datums (features that are utilized as reference focuses to characterize each part) to build up part interfaces and interactions to the general framework. Using a datum structure that matches the design intent of the assembly can mean the difference between a product functioning well or not.

Cross examination is great. Take DFM (Design for Manufacturing) reports truly since they pass on tool molder’s understanding of the design like ejector pin areas, gate areas and parting line area. Use inspection reports to interrogate the design.

Model early and frequently. Current prototyping strategies, including 3D printing takes into account early testing of outline ideas where bits of or potentially the entire part can be molded before building costly injection molding tooling.

The Top Benefits of Plastic Injection Molding

Posted on January 8, 2018 by - Blog

The Top Benefits of Plastic Injection Molding

You might already know some things about plastic injection molding, a standout amongst the most well known strategies for mass creating plastic parts. However to review, this technology comprises of pushing plastic material into a warmed barrel. The material is blended and afterward driven into a mold depression, where it solidifies into the final item. Here’s a gander at the best 10 advantages of plastic injection molding:

Types of Plastic Blow and Injection Molding Part 2

Posted on December 26, 2017 by - Blog

Types of Plastic Blow and Injection Molding Part 2

Injection stretch blow molding consolidates the injection molding and blow molding processes. The plastic is first formed into a strong preform, to make a threaded container neck. Once the preform cools it is encouraged into an extend blow form machine. The preform is then warmed utilizing an infrared radiator and blown into a plastic jug with constrained compacted air.

Injection molding and blow molding are two predominant procedures in plastic molding. Items made through these procedures are utilized as a part of an extensive variety of businesses, for example, car, food perp, hardware, medical gear, water system, dental, guns, energy and environment enterprises.

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The Blow Molding Process

Amid the blow molding process, the resin plastic material is molded into an empty tube with one open end called a parison. The parison is squeezed into a cooled metal form and packed air is blown into the parison. At the point when the shaped plastic cools and solidifies, the metal form opens and removes the item.

There are three kinds of blow forming forms:

Injection Blow Molding

In injection blow molding, a blow or center pole is utilized all through the procedure. To start with a parison is infused into a part form hole around the bar. The parison that is shaped seems to be like a test tube. The center bar transfers the parison to the blow mold machine where constrained air makes the last shape. The bar at that point exchanges and expels the completed item from the machine.

Extrusion Blow Molding

Extrusion blow molding can be constant or discontinuous. In consistent expulsion blow molding, a parison will be continually moved into the mold and each frame will be cut off with a cutting edge as it forms. Intermittent Extrusion blow molding ousts each new plastic from the metal form when it is cooled and the parison is put into the mold after the previous parison is removed.

Extrusion blow molds are for the most part significantly less costly than infusion blow molds and can be created in a considerably shorter timeframe. Extrusion blow molding is suitable for short runs.

Injection Stretch Blow Molding

Injection stretch blow molding consolidates the infusion molding and blow molding procedures. The plastic is first shaped into a strong preform, to make a threaded container neck.

Once the preform cools it is put into a stretch blow molding machine. The preform is then warmed utilizing an infrared warmer and blown into a plastic container with constrained packed air.

What Molding Processes Does Your Product Require?

What sort of assembling process is appropriate for your next venture? Our architects have many years of experience and comprehend what kind of material and form is appropriate for you. Get in touch with us to examine your new plastic design and we will walk you through the assembling procedure that is best for your task needs.

Plastics and Their Qualities

Posted on December 25, 2017 by - Blog

Plastics and Their Qualities

Getting a custom plastic part made is no easy task, especially not if you’re planning to have a plastic injection mold made especially for your design. When that’s the case, getting to the point where you can finally start to produce your part will not only be hard work, but it will also be costly. After all plastic injection molds don’t come cheap! So where can you start in the process?

One thing that definitely helps is to know what kind of plastic you’ll be using and how that plastic will be applied to the mold. Knowing this can help move the process of designing a mold for your product. Plastic is a very versatile material, and so there’s a large variety of plastics available for you to choose from. Each plastic has its own unique set of advantages and drawbacks, meaning the plastic you use will depend largely on what properties you require for your part to function properly. By doing the necessary research, you’ll be able to find the perfect plastic for you.

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Prototyping Your Part With 3D Printing

Before investing in a plastic injection mold to mass produce your product, it’s always best to look into prototyping options. Making a prototype might help you spot possible flaws in your design before it’s too late. By making a prototype, you can get an idea of how the final product will function. You’ll also get a feel for how strong every component (or plastic molded part) in your final product needs to be.

3D printing is an affordable option for prototyping. Although it’s not nearly as versatile as working with injection molded plastic, it can be a reliable way to produce many of the prototype parts you need for your final product design.

Consider the Properties of Your Plastic Molded Part

Once you’re satisfied that your design lives up to your expectation, you’ll want to explore different plastics you can use to manufacture each part. After all, one of the biggest advantages of injection molded plastic over other manufacturing methods is its versatility, especially when it comes to your choice of what material to use.

To get you started on choosing a plastic for your injection molded parts, here’s a list of things you’ll need to consider beforehand:

  • Transparency/translucency: If you need a part that’s transparent or see-through like glass, you’ll immediately eliminate a large amount of plastics that are available for injection molding.
  • Elasticity: While plastic is known for being more elastic than glass and other more organic materials, not all plastics will be a good match for molding parts that have to be bendable. Some plastics are surprisingly brittle, while others are made for strength and durability and purposefully aren’t meant to bend too easily.
  • Durability: Some products are made to last, while others are made for using only once or twice. Durable plastics used in the automotive and technology industries tend to be more expensive than plastics used for disposable goods, so using the toughest plastic for a cheap product usually isn’t a very practical choice.
  • Recycling: If your plastic molded part will be disposable, choosing a plastic that can be recycled easily is definitely recommended.
  • Health safety: Some plastics are known to gradually release toxins. However, the release of these toxins only become a potential health concern if your product will come into direct contact with foods or drinks, like food containers and kitchen equipment.

Remember, your part will end up having the same qualities as the plastic you choose to mold it with. If you don’t consider what qualities you want for your final part carefully, you could end up choosing the wrong plastic to mold it with.

The way molten plastic will move through your injection molds once you start mass producing the part with a specially designed mold will play a big role in the quality of your part. To ensure there aren’t flow lines or other manufacturing defects in your plastic molded parts, your plastic injection mold manufacturer will design the mold with your specific plastic of choice in mind.

Different Types of Plastics and Their Functions

Currently there are so many varieties of plastics available, it would be nearly impossible to list them all in a single article. However, despite the wide variety of plastics available, most plastic molded parts are still produced from only a few basic types of plastics:

  • Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE/PET): PET is the most widely used plastic in the world. It’s recyclable, shatterproof, versatile and cheap enough to make it a practical choice for even disposable items.
  • Polyethylene (PE): Once again, we’re looking at a very versatile plastic variety. Polyethylene comes in different varieties. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) is commonly used for things like plastic bags at the grocery store, while high density polyethylene (HDPE) is used for more sturdy items, such as shampoo bottles, food containers and even waste bins.
  • Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): PVC is known for being particularly durable. This makes it a popular choice for products such as plumbing pipes and insulation of electrical wiring. However, while PVC is known for being very durable, it’s not known for being recyclable, This plastic also isn’t considered a good choice for plastic products that will come into foods, as it’s considered to be toxic.
  • Polypropylene (PP): Polypropylene is most popularly used to mold plastic parts with living hinges. Unfortunately, however, polypropylene isn’t a popular plastic for recycling in the US.
  • Polylactic Acid(PLA): Unlike most other plastic varieties, polylactic acid is unique in that it’s produced from biomass rather than petroleum. The major benefit of PLA is that it’s more biodegradable than other options, making it an excellent choice for disposable items.
  • Polycarbonate (PC): Polycarbonate is known for being a strong, transparent plastic. This makes it a popular choice for greenhouses.

Once you’re ready to work on creating a plastic injection mold for your product, feel free to call Quality Mold Shop. We specialize in custom made precision molds for almost any industry you can think of.

Take a look at common plastics in injection molding. Looking for a plastic molder?

Types of Plastic Blow and Injection Molding Part 1

Posted on December 19, 2017 by - Blog

Types of Plastic Blow and Injection Molding Part 1

Every plastic part requires a particular assembling process which can be quite unique one item to another. Injection molding is utilized to fabricate solid parts while blow forming is utilized to make plastic items with empty regions, for example, jugs and bottles.

Injection molding and blow forming are two main procedures in plastic assembling. Items made through these procedures are utilized as a part of an extensive variety of ventures, for example, car, food industries, gadgets, medical equipment, water systems, dental, guns, energy and environment enterprises.

To enable you to better comprehend the diverse assembling strategies accessible for your venture, we have put together a two section arrangement of the primary kinds of injection and blow molding methods used by plastics manufacturers.

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The Injection Molding Process

Injection molding is utilized to fabricate higher volume amounts of plastic items extending in estimates from huge parts to little segments requiring smaller scale exactness precision.

There are many kinds of assembling strategies ordered under injection molding, for example, thermoplastic injection molding, over molding, insert molding, cold runner molding and hot runner molding.

Thermoplastic Injection Molding

Thermoplastic injection molding utilizes thermoplastic polymer, which means it changes to a fluid state when warmed. Not at all like thermoset plastics that cool into perpetual strong, thermoplastics can be reheated to a liquid after cooling into a solid.

Overmolding

Overmolding, or two shot molding, is a procedure that covers an injection mold over another substance, for example, metal, to enhance the execution or strength of an item. An elastic like compound, called thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), is a utilized overmold material. A case of a TPE overmold application is the handles on a toothbrush. Overmolds can likewise be utilized to seal items with parts produced using a few injection molds.

Insert Molding

Like overmolding, insert molding is an injection molding process that joins at least two parts into a solitary completed item. Insert injection molding embeds a part into the injection mold and plastic material is filled around the insert. Inserts can add quality to an item and dispose of the requirement for extra parts to decrease the item weight.

Cold Runner Injection Molding

Cold runner molds utilize a sprue to fill the runners that infuse plastic resin into the mold. In 2 plate molds, the runner framework and parts are appended, and a discharge framework might be utilized to isolate the part from the mold. The cold runner can decrease waste by reusing and regrinding the material, yet this can likewise build the full process duration. Cold runner frameworks can be utilized for a wide assortment of polymers and can take into consideration simple shading changes.

Hot Runner Molds

Hot runner molds utilize a system to melt softened plastics and after that send the material through a door to fill the mold depression. The two principle sorts of hot runner molds are eternally heated and inside heated. The externally warmed molds can be utilized with polymer that is less touchy to warm while inside warmed hot runner molds take into consideration better control of material stream.

Since hot runner molding does not require the utilization of runners, potential waste material is reduced and the recycling and regrind and process of virgin plastic does not impact the total run cycle time.

In the next part we will go over the blow molding processes in plastic injection molding. If you have any questions feel free to give Quality Mold Shop a call or comment down below. Our engineers have decades of experience and understand what type of material and mold is right for you. Contact us to discuss your new plastic design or product idea today and we will walk you through the manufacturing process that is best for your project needs.

Choosing the Right Plastic for Your Next Project Part 2

Posted on December 12, 2017 by - Blog

Choosing the Right Plastic for Your Next Project Part 2

With such a significant number of plastic options out there, finding the best one for your undertaking can appear like an incomprehensible errand. More than 85,000 commercial choices for plastic materials are recorded in materials databases. If you’re brave enough to go through the rundown, the result of picking the correct material can enhance the form, fit, and capacity of your parts.

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PP (Polypropylene)

Advantages: PP is a modestly priced resin alternative with higher impact protection in a few grades; propylene homopolymer can be weak in chilly temperatures, with copolymers more impervious to impact. PP is wear-safe, adaptable and can have high elasticity. It’s likewise impervious to acids and bases.

Applications: integral hinges or living hinges, fans, snap-over tops, medical pipette tubing.

Contemplations: Thick areas of the part can void and show bubbles. Shrink and twist may likewise happen in PP parts. In the event that the part has living hinges that require higher firmness, K-Resin is a decent option.

PPSU (Polyphenylsulfone)

Advantages: PPSU is a high-temperature, dimensionally stable material with high sturdiness and heat protection. It has protection from radiation cleansing and in addition alkalis and weak acids.

Applications: Medical instruments, sterilization trays, car wires, high temp water fittings, sockets and connectors.

Contemplations: PPSU is delicate to thick areas to some parts, which could bring about voids, air pockets or sink. Natural solvents and hydrocarbons can likewise assault PPSU material.

PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone)

Advantages: PEEK is a high-temperature, superior resin utilized as a part of medical, aviation and car enterprises for an assortment of reasons including heat protection and fire resistance; magnificent quality and dimensional dependability; and great chemical protection.

Applications: Bearings, cylinder parts and pumps; cable protection; good with ultra-high vacuum applications.

Contemplations: PEEK is an elite material, and, subsequently, is extremely costly.

PEI (Polyetherimide)

Advantages: PEI, or Ultem, like PEEK, it’s utilized as a part of medical, aviation and car businesses for its heat protection and fire resistance; fantastic quality and dimensional steadiness; and great chemical protection.

Applications: Medical and chemical instrumentation, flatware, HVAC , electrical and lighting.

Contemplations: Ultem is likewise extremely costly, however not as expensive as PEEK. Take a gander at PPSU as a conceivable option.

If you happen to be looking for a plastic injection molding company to get started with, look no further! Quality Mold Shop has the capacity to build and repair most any mold size. Give us a call today and see how we can help you.

Common Injection Molded Plastics

Posted on December 11, 2017 by - Blog

Common Injection Molded Plastics

The job of a plastic injection molder includes helping the customer select the best accessible plastic material for their application. The choice and accessibility of different polymers has changed in the course of recent years. Today, it can be overwhelming to figure out what the best plastic material is for your project. This slideshow goes over some of the most common types of plastics.

Choosing the Right Plastic for Your Next Project Part 1

Posted on December 5, 2017 by - Blog

Choosing the Right Plastic for Your Next Project Part 1

More than 85,000 commercial alternatives for plastic materials are recorded in materials databases, and, inside those, 45 polymer families can be ordered into two classes: thermosets and thermoplastics.

Narrowing down that broad rundown of materials can appear like an assignment that’s too big, so we’ve arranged this rundown in two parts that framework the advantages and uses of some of our most used materials. By picking the correct material, you can enhance the shape, fit, and capacity of your parts.

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ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

Advantages: ABS is a hard, impact safe plastic that is broadly utilized over a wide range of ventures. It has low shrinkage and high dimensional stability, and it has great protection from acids and bases. ABS is a decent decision for handheld devices. It’s likewise moderately cheap.

Applications: aesthetic parts, handheld gadgets, casings, and moldings for electrical tools, remote controls, PCs, phone parts.

Contemplations: ABS-formed parts will indicate knit lines and can have sink and voids in thick regions. Diminishment of sink can be had by changing to an ABS/PC-mixed material. ABS additionally bonds well to PC parts.

ABS/PC

Advantages: ABS/PC consolidates the quality and heat protection of polycarbonate with the adaptability of ABS. ABS/PC likewise gives enhanced handling amid injection molding, expanded durability and dimensional stability, higher heat protection than ABS, and better low temperature impact protection than PC.

Applications: These mixes are ordinarily utilized as a part of the car, electronic, and broadcast communications businesses among others applications.

Contemplations: ABS/PC materials intermittently can limit thick molding concerns found in ABS or PC materials when molded alone. It is often utilized when improved mechanical properties are required when utilizing ABS or when a lower cost PC is required.

PC (Polycarbonate)

Advantages: PC is solid and to a great degree impact safe with low shrinkage and great dimensional stability. It’s a transparent plastic that is accessible in optically clear grades. PC has great heat protection and acknowledges high aesthetic coatings as well.

Applications: Lenses, indoor and open air lighting, phone cases, electrical parts, therapeutic gadgets, impenetrable glass.

Contemplations: There can be sensitivities in thick areas of parts that may cause voids, air pockets and sink, and PC parts have poor chemical protection. An ABS/PC blend is a good alternative for opaque parts with these issues, and Acrylic (outlined below) is another option for parts with thick geometries.

PA or PPA (Aliphatic Polyamides)

Advantages: There are many sorts of PPAs, or nylons (4, 6/6, 6, 6/10, 6/12, 12, and so forth.), each with its own particular favorable circumstances. For the most part, nylon parts give top strength and high-temperature quality, particularly when strengthened, and are chemical solvent safe, aside from exceptionally strong acids and bases.

Applications: thin-walled projects, brushes, spools, gears and bearings, screws, pump parts, under-hood segments, cameras.

Contemplations: Nylon can be prone to warping due to non-linear shrink, so remember that while picking a particular sort of nylon. In the event that your part will be presented to dampness, you ought to consider maintaining a strategic distance from nylon as it is a hygroscopic material that will retain dampness, causing dimensional and possibly structure issues.

PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate)

Advantages: PMMA, otherwise known as acrylic, has great optical properties, a polished look and is scratch safe. Acrylic likewise has low shrinkage and has less sink in geometries with thin and think segments.

Applications: light pipes, lenses, light shades, optical filaments, signs.

Contemplations: Acrylic can be weak and along these lines more defenseless to pressure breaking. PC is a decent option, if necessary. Draft is constantly required in acrylic parts because of its weakness, and normally double the draft of different materials. Acrylic likewise has poor compound protection.

We don’t want to overwhelm you all at once with too many plastics to think about. Be on the look out for part 2 of this article for more plastics to consider for your next part. And if you have any questions always feel free to call Quality Mold Shop.

Terms to Know Regarding Plastic Injection Molding

Posted on November 13, 2017 by - Blog

Terms to Know Regarding Plastic Injection Molding

Plastic injection molding has a dialect all it’s own and with such huge numbers of interesting terms it can be hard to take in the dialect. Here is a list of the best terms to know while talking about plastic injection molding, form parts, materials, and issues. We trust you discover this list to be a helpful asset.