Cooling time: is there any plastic injection molding company that wouldn’t like to reduce it, and thus reduce cycle time? After all, a typical production cycle for a plastic part is 30 seconds to a minute, but cooling takes more than half of that cycle time. Time is money, so lowering cooling time directly impacts the bottom…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Methods , Uncategorized
As plastic injection molding continues to increase in popularity, (and despite what you may have heard, 3-D printing will not replace it any time soon), there is a growing shortage of employees skilled enough to add value to companies. On-the-job training has always been the go-to method for training your employees but it is expensive…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding News
You’ve probably seen them dozens, if not hundreds of times, in your refrigerator or elsewhere around the house: those stiff, usually dark-colored plastic trays and bulk packaging containers, holding food or beverages, toys or other consumer goods. These items are made of the aptly-named Rigid Plastic, usually high-density polyethylene, which has become one of the…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding News
Today’s plastic injection molders are pushing the envelope — or the mold, if you will — to produce parts which are lighter and more complex than ever before. And while that effort is laudable, pushing the limits can a be a risky proposition from a design and production stand-point. Why? Because the complex plastic parts…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding for Small Parts
The hype over 3D printers has been as relentless as it has been ubiquitous: you can’t turn on a TV, radio or computer without hearing yet another breathless story on the new manufacturing technology. But is it unwarranted? Will 3D printing be the next Internet, the uber-technology that will take over the world, flattening entire…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Methods
The process of forming a plastic part by shooting hot, molten plastic resin into the cavity of a mold may seem like a scientific exercise. However, many industry veterans will tell you it’s more of an art. In fact, the injection molding process and tooling design practices have evolved over the years through trial and…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Methods
Plastic injection molding companies in Illinois are getting a real charge out of a new trend: electrical equipment makers who are utilizing high-performance polyamides, which are thermoplastics, instead of plastic thermosetting polyesters in the manufacture of circuit breaker boxes. The reason? Thermoplastics are both recyclable and cheaper to work with than thermosets, which are plastics that experience an irreversible…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment
Foxconn Technology Group, a Taiwan-based electronics behemoth with 2013 sales of $131.8 billion, has begun manufacturing and selling all-electric injection molding machines. The company’s FAE series includes all-electric machines ranging from 50 tons to 450 tons clamping force, with injection speeds of up to 350 millimeters per second. The target market includes precision manufacturing needs…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment
Attention all Illinois high school and college students: Toshiba Machine America, the North American arm of one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric and hydraulic injection molding machines, and an AdvanTech Plastics supplier, wants to excite you about the plastic injection molding industry right here in Illinois. As part of a national effort, the…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Methods
By now you’ve undoubtedly heard about 3-D printers, the apparently magical devices which seem to be able to produce everything from screws to human body parts. But what effect will 3-D printers have on plastic injection molding companies in Illinois? Is it true they can even “print” plastic injection molds that are the equal of…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Methods