Bess Tooling’s Post

Optimizing the Lifespan of Injection #Molding #Molds: Tips and Best Practices The lifespan of an injection molding mold is crucial for ensuring efficiency and reducing production costs. With precise design and regular maintenance, a mold can produce between 500,000 and 1,000,000 parts before requiring significant refurbishment. 🔧 #Preventive #Maintenance: Regular cleaning, lubrication of moving parts, and inspection of contact surfaces are essential to extend the mold’s life. Key components such as the mold base, cavities, cores, and ejection system must be meticulously maintained. 🔄 #Comprehensive #Overhaul: After reaching the expected production limit, a complete overhaul of the mold, including the replacement of worn components and recalibration of tolerances, is crucial. This process ensures the mold continues to produce high-quality parts. 💡 #Technical #Insights: The choice of materials for the mold, such as high-grade steel or aluminum, significantly impacts its durability. Additionally, factors like injection pressure, temperature, and the type of plastic used (e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene) play a vital role in mold wear and tear. 💬 Experiences and Tips: What are your experiences with mold maintenance? Do you have any tips or best practices to share? VEGA S.r.l. - Hydraulic Cylinders #InjectionMolding #Maintenance #Production #Efficiency #Industry #Quality #Technology

THERMOFORMING Thermoforming refers to a fabrication process which essentially involves the following three steps: 1.Heating of a plastic sheet to its softening temperature; 2.Forcing the hot, flexible material against the contours of a mold; 3.Cooling the sheet to reatin the mold’s shape and detail. The types of thermoforming processes are vacuum forming, pressure forming, melt phase thermoforming, and matched mold forming. Examples of applications of thermoformed parts are: #thermoforming #plasticpackage #knowhow #applications

Composites 101: Resin Transfer Molding Let’s get into the basics of ✨Resin Transfer Molding✨ In 1976, Osborne Industries, Inc., originated and initiated the closed-mold molding process that was later known in the plastics industry as resin transfer molding, or RTM. The resin transfer molding process has been in use ever since. RTM is one of the best methods for the mass production of composite parts. It is primarily used to mold components with large surface areas, complex shapes, and smooth finishes. The advantages of a ‘closed mold’ process are considerable but include the following: 🌟Volatile emissions (styrene etc) are massively reduced 🌟It can be a fast, clean and repeatable process 🌟The laminate thickness can be closely controlled 🌟The process is far less reliant on the manual skills of the operator 🌟The ‘B’ surface of the moulding can be accurately defined 🌟The process can be automated Dry reinforcement (glass, carbon, aramid etc) is placed between a two-part mold and the mold is clamped shut using mechanical force (hydraulic press, nuts/bolts, heavy duty toggle clamps etc). The mold flanges compress a peripheral seal which prevents resin leaks from the mold and may also be vacuum-tight. Thermosetting resin is injected, often centrally, directly into the fibre-pack, and the mold is filled by positive hydraulic pressure from the injection machine. The mold is normally vented at the furthest points from the injection point allowing the air to escape. Vacuum can also be drawn from the vents to improve laminate quality when necessary. Traditional RTM relies on the mold/clamping structure being stiff enough to withstand the pressure of the injected resin without opening or distorting. This aspect of the process can become problematic if large scale components are moulded, with tooling sometimes becoming uneconomic simply due to its mass and handling/clamping requirements. Interesting, isn't it? Follow and stay tuned for more! Source: Compact Composite #composites #resin #molding #process #timelapse #composights

ONSERT® Quick and process-reliable bonding of fastening elements with light-curing adhesives. You want to join glass components or glass displays? You need attachment points on fibre-reinforced plastics? Extreme sealing or corrosion requirements imply further challenges to consider. The potential joining process should furthermore present robust results and be suited for manual as well as completely integrated use – and all of that within seconds. Basically, all geometries which can be produced in injection moulding are possible: screw joints on engineering plastic parts, detachable and non-detachable snap connections, bondable ball studs, etc. can be applied to materials such as CFRP, GRP, glass, paint, cathodic dip coating surfaces, plastics or metals. You also benefit from our optimised system approach: We offer processing with manual, battery-powered tools and even completely integrated robot applications. Convince yourself. More information; https://lnkd.in/gzjKgwsb #onsert #bondingoffastening #fasternerforcarbonfiber #carbonfiber

What causes the #Warpage in #Plastic Injection Molding? 1. Problem: Inadequate Injection Pressure or Time Solution: Increase mold injection pressure or hold time. 2. Problem: Inadequate Residence Time Solution: Increase residence time by adding time to the cooling process of the cycle. This will ensure the material receives the proper amount of residence time and eliminate mold warping. 3. Problem: Barrel Temperature too Low Solution: Increase barrel temperature. Make sure the material melt temperature is homogenous for the entire shot size. 4. Problem: Mold Temperature Too Low Solution: Increase mold temperature based on the resin supplier’s recommendations and adjust accordingly. In order to allow the process to re-stabilize, operators should allow 10 cycles for every 10-degree change. 5. Problem: Uneven Mold Temperatures Solution: Check mold surfaces that are in contact with the molten resin. Determine if there is more than a 10-degree F temperature difference using a pyrometer. If the temperature difference is greater than 10 degrees between any 2 points, including between the mold halves, a difference in shrink rates will occur and mold warping will happen. 6. Problem: Nozzle Temperature too Low Solution: First, the operator should ensure that the nozzle design is not interfering with the flow rate as some nozzles are not designed for the resin being used. If the proper nozzle is being used for the flow and resin, the operator should adjust the nozzle temperature by 10 degrees Fahrenheit until the mold warpage resolves. 7. Problem: Improper Flow Rate Solution: Operators should use an automatic process cycle and only interfere if an emergency occurs. Most importantly, all employees should be instructed on the criticality of maintaining consistent process cycles. 8. Problem: Inadequate Gate Size Solution: Mold gate size and shape should be optimized based on the resin supplier’s data. Usually, the best solution for mold warpage is to increase the gate size as much as possible. 9. Problem: Gate Location Solution: The mold may need to be redesigned in order to move the gate location so that the mechanical part properties required by the finished product can be achieved. Sometimes, additional gates must be added in order to reduce pressure loss & reduce mold-in stress.

Solution to the air trap phenomenon during injection molding process According to the causes of air traps, the solutions include the following aspects: When the wall thickness of the product is large, the outer surface cools faster than the central part. Therefore, as the cooling proceeds, the plastic resin in the central part shrinks and expands toward the surface, causing the central part to be underfilled. This situation is called a vacuum air trap. The main solutions include: a. Determine a reasonable gate and runner size based on the wall thickness. Generally, the gate height should be 50% to 60% of the wall thickness of the product. b. Until the gate is sealed, there should be a certain amount of additional injection material left. c. The injection time should be slightly longer than the gate sealing time. d. Reduce the injection speed and increase the injection pressure. e. Use materials with high melt viscosity grades. The main solutions to air traps caused by the generation of volatile gases are: a. Carry out sufficient pre-drying. b. Reduce the resin temperature to avoid the generation of decomposition gas. Air traps caused by poor fluidity can be solved by increasing the temperature of the resin and mold and increasing the injection speed. #plasticinjectionmolding #plastics #plasticinjection #plasticmold #plastic #injection #injectionmould #injectionmold #injectionmolding #injectionmoulding #injections #moldmaking #moldmaker #molddesign #moldmanufacturing #molding #molds #moldings #automotive #automotivedesign #manufacturingengineering #manufacturing #engineering #supplier #manufacturer #steelity #machinery #mold #moldmakers #injectionmolds #plasticmolding #plasticsindustry #molding

"MOLD STEEL SELECTION" FREE DEMO The selection process for mold steel materials for injection molding is critical to ensuring product quality, cost efficiency, and the longevity of the mold itself. Each mold steel material has unique properties and trade-offs, making it better suited for specific applications, production volumes, and polymer materials. The choice of steel should be based on a comprehensive analysis of the intended application, including the injection pressure, polymer material, and expected production volume. Moreover, understanding the temperature distribution behavior within molds is crucial for achieving optimal cycle times and ensuring the quality of the molded parts. https://lnkd.in/estSe64M WWW.KRUSETRAINING.COM #injectionmolding, #plasticsindustry, #moldmaking, #molding, #moldingdefects #plasticinjectionmolding, #plastics, #plasticsengineering, #molddesign, #partdesign, #moldex3d, #Spritzguss, #plastics, #plasticinjectionmolding, #plasticsengineering, #partdesign #arburg,#kunststofftechnik #kunststoffe ,#seminar, #kunststoffindustrie, #polymers,#moldmaking, #moulding,#mouldmaking,#mouldmaker

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share If you browse through the documentation of mold coating suppliers (PVD, WS2, others) they all claim better flow (i.e. lower pressure to fill) after coating the mold with just a few microns of their coating (typically a metal oxide, salt, or some other complex). These layers do impart lubricity indeed, which is great to help ejection of the molded part. But in Injection Molding there is no slip against the wall. Actually if/when you get some, you invariably end up with a surface defect ! So improved lubricity, as claimed by suppliers, DOES NOT explain better flow. What is most probably happening is that the added layer, which is not "metallic" has always a lower Thermal Effusivity. Effusivity is the material property that controls interfacial temperature. So what we really have here is a slightly thinner frozen skin resulting from a somewhat higher interfacial temperature between plastic and coated steel. In a flat flow, effective available thickness for flow has a quadratic effect on pressure drop. For a runner/gate (cylinder) it is even a cubic dependence. So the smallest reduction in the frozen layer, especially for thin cavities, can immediately explain the observed 5-10 % decrease in pressure drop (or, conversely, increase in flow length). source:Vito leo https://lnkd.in/gtgE4KK7

Title: "Pure Precision: Injection Molded White Plastic Pipes ⚙️" Description: Dive into the seamless fusion of functionality and elegance with our injection molded white plastic pipes. Designed for durability and versatility, these pipes are the backbone of countless applications. Explore the epitome of precision engineering in every detail. #InjectionMolding #PlasticPipes #PrecisionEngineering

Title: "Pure Precision: Injection Molded White Plastic Pipes ⚙️" Description: Dive into the seamless fusion of functionality and elegance with our injection molded white plastic pipes. Designed for durability and versatility, these pipes are the backbone of countless applications. Explore the epitome of precision engineering in every detail. #InjectionMolding #PlasticPipes #PrecisionEngineering