When you are looking for a mold, you should think of the quality of its plastic parts. Besides being compact, these parts should be durable and easy to operate. They should be easy to repair and have higher hardness and strength than the original ones. Also, the scope of disassembly and assembly must be minimized.
Standards parts
The use of standard parts is a great way to reduce the costs of injection mold repair. Unlike custom parts, standard components can be easily replaced if they are damaged.
A toolroom manager can simply call the component supplier for help and place an order for a new one. In contrast, if a moldmaker uses a custom part, the injection mold maker must replace the mold, incurring additional cost.
It is very important to properly maintain molds at all times. During the production process, molds are often connected to water.
Therefore, there are chances that water may spill on them during installation or disassembly. To prevent this from happening, injection molds should always be kept dry and protected with oil.
Flow lines
Flow lines in a mold result from variations in the rate at which the molten plastic cools down during the injection molding process. These variations can occur due to varying wall thicknesses or uneven cooling speeds during the injection process.
In either case, these defects reduce the part’s overall strength. A common example of this defect is a weld line, which appears as a wavy line on the surface of the finished part. The problem is often fixable by raising the temperature of the injection mold or by adjusting the flow pattern.
While flow lines can affect the functionality of a molded piece, they can also reduce its resellability. These imperfections are caused by differences in the cooling speed of the plastic during the molding process. This means that thinner parts of the piece can cool down before thicker areas are completely filled.
This is because the molten plastic cools down rapidly. In order to avoid this, molten plastic should be injected at higher temperatures and/or at higher pressures. However, this is not a perfect fix and often a redesign will be necessary.
Strength
A quality mold can make a difference in the process of manufacturing a product. For example, the quality of steel used for a mold can make a huge difference in the quality of the end product.
Different types of plastic require different types of steel, and it’s important to choose the right steel for the job. Another important aspect of the injection mold is its surface treatment. Various surface treatments, such as nitrification or electroplating, can make the steel more durable and enhance its performance.
Design of a mold is the most crucial step in mould manufacturing, as it determines the quality of the finished product. In addition, there are many factors to consider when designing a mold, such as the choice of material and structure of the mold.
The machinability of injection mold parts is also a very important consideration. The mold manufacturing process should be done with the utmost precision and care, as the precision of each part of the mold will ultimately determine its service life.
Rigidity
Injection molds are subjected to high pressures and stresses during the filling and closing process of the mold. These stresses are also amplified by the weight of the mold.
Therefore, it is essential to improve the mold’s rigidity. Rigidity is a measure of the material’s ability to resist deformation. It is dependent on the material’s shear modulus G and elastic modulus E.
There are several ways to improve the rigidity of a mold. First, make sure that the mold has a high plastic part size. Second, you should ensure that the mold’s material and machining accuracy are good.
Thirdly, you can improve the mold’s rigidity by making the mold’s cavity material wear resistant and its surface cold-hardened. Finally, it is important to perform a mock examination before making a final mold.
Machined precision
Today’s manufacturers must be more agile and efficient, and their lead times must be shorter. That’s where machined precision comes in. A mold shop in Germantown, Wisconsin, has become a successful example of advanced technology and rapid production.
By hiring more skilled machinists and diversifying its customer base, Innovation Mold & Design has streamlined production and improved quality and turnaround times.
This has also resulted in significant growth in the bottom line. Today, machining tool costs have gone down from five percent of gross sales to 2.5 percent.
To improve the quality of an injection mold, the process should be as precise as possible. This requires a continuous investigation of mechanical errors.
The operator must also be trained to recognize and correct potential problems during the process. A skilled employee can ensure that the mold is accurate and works within specifications.