Working steps of plastic injection machine
By now, we’re all well aware that plastic injection molding is the manufacturing process for many of our favorite items, from toys and desk models to tissue boxes, fork holders, cream jars, snack tins, trinket boxes, and even food containers in our refrigerators. It’s also widely used to produce equipment, tools, and parts in many other industries that we might not directly use, or even be unaware of unless we’re paying close attention. These include medicine, automotive, agriculture, sanitary ware, and engineering. Plastic injection molded parts are components of beds, air conditioners, and cars. Today, we’ll explain how plastic injection molding machines work.
What is plastic injection molding?
Plastic injection molding is a manufacturing process that involves adding plastic pellets to an injection molding machine. Once the plastic pellets are heated and softened until they melt into a liquid, the injection molding machine then injects the molten plastic into the mold, which is used for injecting plastic into various shapes. After that, the injection molding machine releases the workpiece from the mold, resulting in a plastic workpiece according to the desired mold design.
How does a plastic injection machine work?
Normally, plastic production or the production time of plastic injection molding is very short, usually only 2 seconds to 2 minutes. After the final design is agreed upon, the details and production planning consist of the following simple steps:
- Mold Installation
Before we load the plastic pellets, we must first install both halves of our mold by clamping them into the clamping mechanism. One side of the mold can be moved in and out to open and close the mold. The hydraulically operated mold clamping mechanism pushes the two sides of the mold together and stabilizes them as the plastic is injected. The mold opening and closing time depends on the size of the machine, which reflects the size of the part. Larger machines will take longer than smaller machines. - Installing Plastic Pellets
Once the plastic pellets are prepared, they are placed in the hopper of the injection molding machine. The worm screw then transports the raw material to the mold. During this process, the plastic pellets are melted using heat and pressure to create a toothpaste-like consistency, retaining their viscosity and not water. Each injection of molten plastic into the mold and producing a finished part is called a shot, and each shot can be used to calculate production lead times. - Cooling
The cooling process converts the plastic in the mold from liquid to solid. This process occurs simultaneously with the rotation of the screw to melt and feed the molten plastic to the tip of the injection screw. During this process, however, shrinkage of the plastic may occur, allowing the remaining plastic to flow in and partially fill the shrinkage. Cooling time is estimated by calculating the thermodynamic properties of the plastic, including the maximum thickness of the part. - Ejecting the part from the mold.
After a cooling period, the solidified part is released from the mold using a ejection system. When the mold is opened, the ejection system begins, requiring considerable force as the part may shrink and adhere to the mold. Some difficult-to-release parts may require manual removal by the operator. Once the part is released, the mold is closed, awaiting the next injection shot.
This is just a rough guide to explaining the steps involved in creating a plastic part so that you can better understand the manufacturing process. However, if you’re interested in a high-quality plastic injection machine that can perfectly meet your needs and also has experts on hand to offer advice, we recommend Idda Machine Tools Co., Ltd., an importer and distributor of industrial machinery such as CNC lathes, CNC milling machines, plastic injection machines, wire cut machines, grinders, fiber laser cutting machines, band saws, as well as spare parts and other tools. We meet ISO 9001 quality standards, with a team of expert technicians and a reliable after-sales service team. We prioritize our services, so all customers can trust us to take care of them.
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