Every once in a while it can be a good idea to get back to the basics of what the plastic injection molding industry does. At its most basic level, PIM (plastic injection molding) is the ultimate truly mass-production process on the planet, one that is the most economical and efficient when the goal is…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment
There’s a lot that can go wrong during the plastic injection molding process — molds can break, tubes can spring leaks, etc. — but one of the more common hazards is also one of the most pedestrian: mold halves separating during transportation and handling. But if the hazard is very low-tech, so is the solution:…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment
Large tonnage injection molding machines (>500 tons) were not much beloved by plastic injection molders for many years. They were just so, well, unwieldy for lack of a better term. Then there were the shipping costs. In a word, they were understandably high because of the sheer weight of the plastic parts which were being…
Filed Under:Automotive Plastic Injection Molded Parts , Plastic Injection Molding Equipment
They are the perfect employee: fast, productive and salary-free. And they never need to take a break (unless they break!) Of course, we’re talking robots. And, while they aren’t new to plastic injection molding, they’re certainly getting more and more ink. For good reason. But first, a little robotic history… Cartesian or linear robots, sometimes…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment , Uncategorized
Melt Temperature. Of all the hundreds of processing variables to control in injection molding, the temperature of the plastic, especially its melt temperature, is paramount, no doubt. After all, temperature control is critical, and you should duplicate the plastic melt temperature as much as possible, from one run to another. But molders forget about barrel…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment
It’s simple, really: the primary purpose of feed rate control in regard to plastic injection molding is to achieve consistently accurate proportions of recipe components (resin and required additives) prior to pelletization (in compounding) or end-product manufacturing. Enter feeders: feeders produce a precise and controllable discharge rate for the material they are designed to work…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment , Uncategorized
Twenty years is a long time in the plastic injection molding industry. Even thought the internet age had already dawned in the ’90s, a shop floor manager working in that era would most likely have been still twisting knobs and staring at analog dials. Operators still consulted printed instructions to set up equipment by hand. Pneumatically driven…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment , Uncategorized
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
Advantech is proud to offer our clients the superb plastic injection molding capabilities of the Hylectric 330 machine from Husky Injection Molding Systems. The 330-ton Hylectric machine – an expanded version of earlier models that can accommodate stack molds – features a grease-free design that is ideal for many specialized, high-cavity molds for medical parts, closures…
Filed Under:Plastic Injection Molding Equipment