In plastic injection molding, the number of items that can be molded in one shot using one mold is called the number of cavities. The number of cavities can be from 1 to a reported maximum of 216. Since the number of items molded in one shot becomes large as the number of cavities becomes large, it is possible to reduce the cost of production per item. However, as the number of cavities becomes larger, there is a trend of […]
Tags: Injection Molding, Plastic Parts
The ejection of a plastic product is the last step in the plastic injection molding process. The quality of the ejection determines the quality of the plastic product. When the mold opens, the plastic product must be retained on the mold half (usually the core) with the ejector mechanism that is used to release the plastic product. (1) In order to prevent the plastic product from deformation during ejection, the ejection force has to be distributed as evenly as possible, […]
Making injection molded prototypes is both an art and a science. High levels of technical expertise and attention to detail are required to prevent small mistakes from costing companies big money when it comes to mass-production of novel parts. Preventing such a circumstance is all about highly competent design. This article discusses some of the molding defects that can occur in a part during injection molding, and ways to fix and avoid them. Design shortcomings we will discuss include: Flow […]
Tags: Injection Molding, Plastic Parts
Troubleshooting flash is complicated, and often there is a lot of tail-chasing on the shop floor in trying to get a solution. This approach should lead you to the solution via a data-driven procedure. Testing the parting line, using pressure-indicating paper: The image on the left is flash-free. The part on the right side is flashed; note the location of flash where the paper is mostly white at the top and bottom. The white color indicates the parting-line touch force […]
Tags: Injection Molding, Plastic Parts
Designing plastic parts is a little different from designing metal parts. There are many things that must be carefully considered and planned for. Plastic parts can be made in many ways: injection molding, thermoforming, extrusion, blow molding, even casting. For the sake of brevity, this article will focus on one type: injection molding. If you’ve ever built a plastic model kit, you’ve seen and know at least something about injection molding. It is a process where heated (molten) plastic is […]
Tags: Plastic Parts
Die casting is a manufacturing process that involves production of geometrically complex parts using molten metal and reusable die casts. A simple and highly cost-effective process, die casting has been one of the most important reasons for the industrial revolution. In this manufacturing process, a die casting design is first created based on the size, shape and function of the final produced part. After the design is created, the non-ferrous metal perfect for the procedure will be chosen. The properties of the […]
Tags: Die Casting
Engineers can turn out sheet-metal designs that are both highly functional and easy to make by following Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles. Engineers designing sheet-metal enclosures and assemblies often end up redesigning them so they can be manufactured. In fact, research suggests that manufacturers spend 30% to 50% of their time fixing errors and almost 24% of those errors are related to manufacturability. The reason behind these preventable engineering errors is usually the wide gap between how sheet-metal parts are […]
Tags: Design for Manufacturability, DFM, Sheet Metal, Sheet Metal Parts
Apple is preparing to launch new ultra-thin MacBooks in the second half of 2016 that adopt metal injection molding (MIM) hinges. Industry sources are saying that the new MacBooks will adopt MIM hinges: To achieve an ultra-thin design, Apple’s new MacBooks adopt metal injection molding-made (MIM) hinges. Amphenol is also a hinge supplier of Microsoft for its Surface Pro because of its special designed hinge. While Desay and Sunwoda Electronics have submitted battery samples for testing they have yet to […]
Tags: MIM Hinge