Explore the injection molding process: take you to appreciate the shaping of the product journey
The injection molding process is a processing method that uses an injection molding machine to inject the molten plastic material into the mold through high pressure, and obtains the plastic products with the required shape and size after cooling and curing. The following is a detailed description of the injection molding process:
Material preparation:
Select suitable plastic raw materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, ABS, etc.
The material is usually supplied in granular form and needs to be checked for dryness, as moisture can affect the quality of the injection molded product.
Barrel heating:
The cylinder of the injection molding machine needs to be heated to the right temperature to melt the plastic particles into a flowing melt.
Different types of plastics have different melting temperature requirements.
Preplasticizing:
In the barrel, through the rotation and heating of the spiral rod, the plastic particles gradually melt and are pre-molded into a uniform melt.
Injection molding:
When the plastic in the barrel is fully melted and pre-plasticized, the injection device of the injection molding machine quickly injects the melt into the mold cavity at high pressure.
Injection speed, pressure and holding time are all key parameters that need to be adjusted according to the type of plastic and product requirements.
Cooling:
The plastic cools rapidly in the mold cavity and solidifies into the desired shape of the product.
Molds usually have cooling systems, such as water paths, which can speed up cooling.
Maintain pressure (hold pressure) :
After the injection is completed, a certain pressure is maintained to ensure the compactness and dimensional accuracy of plastic products. After cooling to a certain extent, maintain a certain pressure and cooling time to ensure that the size and shape of the plastic parts are stable.
Cooling and curing:
After the pressure holding stage, continue to cool until the product is fully cured.
Mold opening:
When the plastic product is cooled and cured, the mold is opened and the product is ejected. When the plastic parts are completely cured, the mold opening device of the injection molding machine starts, the mold is opened, and the product is taken out.
Product removal:
Use a mechanical hand or hand to remove the product from the mold. The product is removed from the mold by robot or manual means.
Post-processing:
According to the need, the product is deburring, trimming, heat treatment, surface treatment and other post-processing steps.
Quality control:
Inspect the product to ensure that its size, appearance, strength and etc. meet product standards.
Cycle time:
The entire cycle from the mold closing to the next closing is called the cycle time, and the shorter this time, the higher the production efficiency.
The success of injection molding process largely depends on the precise control of mold design, material selection, process parameter setting and so on. By continuously optimizing these factors, high-quality and efficient plastic products can be produced.
