Plastic Series

Injection Molding Manual

Department of Industrial &

Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering &

Technology,

Lahore
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Injection molding 3

Advantages of Injection molding 3

Disadvantages of Injection molding 3

Engineering plastics 3

Parts of Injection molding machine 5

Mold 9

Mold Components 10

Injection molding process 11

Screw design 11

Process Cycle 12

Time Function 14

Applications of Injection molding 15

2 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
INJECTION MOLDING
Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts from both thermoplastic and
thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold
cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the mold cavity. After a product is
designed, usually by an industrial designer or an engineer, molds are made by a mold maker (or
toolmaker) from metal, usually either steel or aluminum, and precision-machined to form the
features of the desired part. Injection molding is widely used for manufacturing a variety of parts,
from the smallest component to entire body panels of cars.

Advantages of injection molding:

Complex geometry and fine features are easily produced, because very high pressures are
possible
Cycle times are relatively low, and many parts can be made from a single mold, making
extremely high volumes (millions per year) possible.
.Injection molding is commonly automated. Many machines can be run by a single
operator

Disadvantages of injection molding:

Large undercuts cannot be formed (such as bottles)
Mold cost is high, so low part volumes are not recommended (usually less than 1000 parts
is considered low; most volumes for injection molded parts are well over 10,000 pieces
per year)

Engineering plastic used for injection molding process:

Engineering plastics are a group of plastic materials that exhibit superior mechanical and thermal
properties in a wide range of conditions over and above more commonly used commodity
plastics. The term usually refers to thermoplastic materials rather than thermosetting ones.

Engineering thermoplastics are sold in much lower quantities and are thus more expensive per
unit weight. Despite this, they are widely used in everyday products.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS): Tough, stiff and abrasion resistant, resistance to acid
and alkalies. It has tendency to stress crack. It is used to make light, rigid, molded products such
as piping (for example Plastic Pressure Pipe System), musical instruments, golf club heads (used
for its good shock absorbance), automotive body parts, wheel covers etc.

3 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Polycarbonate (PC): It is tough, transparent, stiff and strong. It is scratch resistant plastic. It is
used in the manufacturing of CD and DVDs covers, optical lenses, automotive headlamp lenses
etc. it is also used to make visor of speedometer of bike. PC is selected for the manufacturing of
visor because of its scratch resistant property. The products of polycarbonate usually do not break
when they fall.

Pellets of ABS Pellets of polycarbonate

Polyamide (Nylon, PA): It has lubricity and moderate strength; it is tough plastic but has low
stiffness and has poor dimensional stability because it is hygroscopic in nature.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PETE): Commonly known as PET plastic. Polyethylene

terephthalate may exist both as an amorphous (transparent) and as a semi-crystalline material. It
has good barrier properties against oxygen and carbon dioxide. It is good resistance to mineral
oils and solvents.

Polyimide (PI): It has thermal stability, good chemical resistance, excellent mechanical
properties, and characteristic orange/yellow color. It has high impact and dielectric strength.
Polyamides compounded with graphite or glass fiber reinforcements have flexural strengths up to
50,000p.s.i.

Polysulfone (PSU): These polymers are rigid, high-strength, and transparent, retaining its
properties between 100 C and 150 C. It has very high dimension al stability. This expensive
material is electroplate able and has good toughness.

Thermoplastics are injected in injection molding machine in the form of pellets. There are usually
available in standard packing of 25 kg bag.

4 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Parts of Injection Molding Machine

There are four main units in injection molding machine which are as follows:

Injection unit
Clamping unit
Hydraulic system
Control system

Injection Unit:

5 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
The Hopper: Thermoplastic material is supplied to mold in the form of
small pellets. The hopper on the injection molding machine holds these
pellets. The pellets are gravity-fed from the hopper through the hopper
throat into the barrel and screw assembly. If the material is hygroscopic
plastic or rubber then hot air drying hopper is used. Hot air drying hopper
can dry the humidified raw material caused by packing and
transportation. For example, for polycarbonate (PC) and Acrylonitryl-
Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) we need hopper air dryer but for high density
polyethylene (HDPE) we do not need hopper air dryer.

The Barrel: The barrel of the injection

molding machine supports the screw.
It is surrounded by heater bands,
which heats the barrel and the plastic
inside it based on temperature controls
which takes readings from the
thermocouples positioned in the barrel wall.

The Screw: Inside the barrel, there is a screw. The screw has helical flights, which when the
screw is rotated, cause the pellets to move forward in the barrel. The screw also provides heat to
melt these pellets by shearing and crushing them against the barrel wall.

The Nozzle: It is that part of the injection unit through which

melt is injected into the mold.

End Cap: Here material stays temporarily after that the screw
moves forward and inject the melt into the mold.

Hydraulic Injection Cylinder: It is cylinder into which oil is pumped under pressure to force the
injection piston and screw to move forward. It causes the screw to move forward like a ram.

Non-Return Valve: It helps to prevent any movement of the melt back into the screw.
6 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,
University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Clamping Unit:
The clamping unit holds the mold together, opens and closes it automatically and ejects the
finished part. .

Clamping designs are of three types:

Toggle
Hydraulic
Hydro mechanical

Toggle clamps: An actuator moves the crosshead forward, extending the toggle links to push the
moving platen toward a closed position. They are actuated either by hydraulic cylinders or ball
screws driven by electric motors. Toggle-clamp units seem most suited to relatively low-tonnage
machines.

In Japan, there is a company JSW (JAPAN STEEL WORK), this company makes toggle type
clamping unit.

Two clamping designs: (a) one possible toggle clamp design (1) open and (2) closed; and (b)
hydraulic clamping (1) open and (2) closed.

7 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Hydraulic clamps: These are used on higher-tonnage injection-molding machines. These units
are also more flexible than toggle clamps in terms of setting the tonnage at given positions during
the stroke.

There is a company TOSHIBA, this company makes hydraulic type clamping unit.

Hydro mechanical clamps: These are designed for large tonnages.

They use hydraulic cylinders to rapidly move the mold toward closing position.
Locking the position by mechanical means.

Injection Platen: There are two types of platen.

Moveable: It holds B half of mold base and moves back and

forth on tie bars.
Fixed: Fixed platens are two in number, one on the front and
the other on the rear.

FUNCTION:

Platen provides a place to attach the mold.

Platen provide a uniform force on the mold and move
the mold halves and ejector pins.

Clamping Cylinder: It is a device that actuates the chuck through the aid of hydraulic energy.

Ejection System: An ejection system is needed to eject the molded part from the cavity at the
end of the molding cycle. Ejector pins built into the moving half of the mold usually accomplish
this function.

Hydraulic System:
The hydraulic system on the injection molding machine provides the power to open and close the
mold, turn the reciprocating screw, drive the reciprocating screw, and energize ejector pins and
moving mold cores. A number of hydraulic components are required to provide this power, which
includes pumps, valves, hydraulic motors and hydraulic reservoirs.

8 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Control System:
The control system provides consistency and repeatability in machine operation. It monitors and
controls the processing parameters, including the temperature, pressure, injection speed, screw
speed and position, and hydraulic position. The process control has a direct impact on the final
part quality.

Mold:
Mold is that part of injection molding machine in which molten material is poured.

Mold serves the following purposes:

Determining the finished shape of the part.

Venting the trapped air or gas during
injection.
Acting as heat exchanger to draw heat from
the part to aid in solidification.
Providing the means of ejecting the part
from mold.

Material of Mold:
Molds are typically constructed from;

Hardened steel
Pre-hardened steel
Aluminum
Beryllium-copper alloy

The choice of material to build a mold from is primarily one of economics, steel molds generally
cost more to construct, but their longer lifespan will offset the higher initial cost over a higher
number of parts made before wearing out. Pre-hardened steel molds are less wear resistant and
are used for lower volume requirements or larger components.

9 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Mold Components:

Mold Base: The mold base is an arrangement of steel blocks manufactured to specific
dimensions. Mold base consists of two halves. The half A is also known as stationary half or
injection half and, half B is known as moving half or ejection half. These two halves enclose the
mold cavity.

Mold Core: Mold core generates the inner image of surface of molded part. It is mounted on
ejector half of mold base. It is convex in shape.

Mold Cavity: Mold cavity holds the material when it is injected into the mold. It is attached to
the stationary plate of mold base Mold cavity creates outer image of surface of molded part. It has
concave shape.

Runners: The runners are large-diameter channels through which plastic flows, usually around
the edges of the part or along straight lines.
These channels allow plastic to run along
them, so they are referred to as runners.
Channels carry the molten plastic from the
sprue to all of the cavities that must be
filled.

Sprue: The molten plastic enters the mold

through the channel called sprue.

Gates: It is the entrance through which

material enters the mold. It quickly
solidifies and prevents back flow of
material. Its location is important to
balance the flow and avoid defects.

Cooling System: The hot thermoplastic remains in the mold under pressure until it cools. This
cooling is usually achieved by water circulating in the channels machined into the mold. Proper
cooling contributes to controlled part shrinkage, part strength, and quality. Overall, the speed of
injection molding cycle is controlled by the efficiency of cooling system.

10 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Injection Molding Process
The material is put into the hopper, which comes down due to the gravity, then it is passes
through the barrel, then it is pushed into the nozzle. It then move into the mold and where it
solidifies and e achieve the desired part after ejection.

Screw Design:
The screw driver is a typically hydraulic motor drive. Though electric drive units are becoming
quite common .one term here is very important is stroke.

The control on the injection molding machine can be set to allow the move
backward only a specified distance. The distance is referred to as stroke and is
measured in inches or millimeters. All injection molding machines have a
maximum stroke that is approximately equal to four times the diameter of the
bore of the barrel.

The screw driver stop the screw from rotating and the injection cylinder causes
the screw to move forward like a ram.

11 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Process Cycle:
The process cycle for injection molding is very short, typically between 2 seconds and 2 minutes,
and consists of the following four stages:

1) Clamping: Prior to the injection of the material into the mold, the two halves of the mold
must first be securely closed by the clamping unit. Each half of the mold is attached to the
injection molding machine and one half is allowed to slide. The hydraulically powered
clamping unit pushes the mold halves together and exerts sufficient force to keep the
mold securely closed while the material is injected. The time required to close and clamp
the mold is dependent upon the machine - larger machines (those with greater clamping
forces) will require more time. This time can be estimated from the dry cycle time of the
machine.

2) Injection: The raw plastic material, usually in the form of pellets, is fed into the injection
molding machine, and advanced towards the mold by the injection unit. During this
process, the material is melted by heat and pressure. The molten plastic is then injected
into the mold very quickly and the buildup of pressure packs and holds the material. The
amount of material that is injected is referred to as the shot. The injection time is difficult
to calculate accurately due to the complex and changing flow of the molten plastic into
the mold. However, the injection time can be estimated by the shot volume, injection
pressure, and injection power.

3) Cooling: The molten plastic that is inside the mold begins to cool as soon as it makes
contact with the interior mold surfaces. As the plastic cools, it will solidify into the shape
of the desired part. However, during cooling some shrinkage of the part may occur. The
packing of material in the injection stage allows additional material to flow into the mold
and reduce the amount of visible shrinkage. The mold cannot be opened until the
required cooling time has elapsed. The cooling time can be estimated from several
thermodynamic properties of the plastic and maximum wall thickness of the part.

12 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
 4) Ejection: After sufficient time has passed, the cooled part may be ejected from the mold
by the ejection system, which is attached to the rear half of the mold. When the mold is
opened, a mechanism is used to push the part out of the mold. Force must be applied to
eject the part because during cooling the part shrinks and adheres to the mold. In order to
facilitate the ejection of the part, a mold release agent can be sprayed onto the surfaces of
the mold cavity prior to injection of the material. The time that is required to open the
mold and eject the part can be estimated from the dry cycle time of the machine and
should include time for the part to fall free of the mold. Once the part is ejected, the mold
can be clamped shut for the next shot to be injected.

After the injection molding cycle, some post processing is typically required. During cooling the
material in the channels of the mold will solidify attached to the part. This excess material, along
with any flash that has occurred, must be trimmed from the part, typically by using cutters. For
some types of material, such as thermoplastics, the scrap material that results from this trimming
can be recycled by being placed into a plastic grinder, also called regrind machines or granulators,
which regrinds the scrap material into pellets. Due to some degradation of the material
properties, the regrind must be mixed with raw material in the proper regrind ratio to be reused
in the injection molding process.

13 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Time Function:

The time it takes to make a product using injection molding can be calculated by adding:
Twice the Mold Open/Close Time (2M)
+
Injection Time (T)
+
Cooling Time (C)
+
Ejection Time (E)

Where T is found by dividing:

Mold Size (S) / Flow Rate (F)

Total time = 2M + T + C + E
T = V/R

V = Mold cavity size (in3)

R = Material flow rate (in3/min)

The total cycle time can be calculated using t cycle = t closing + t cooling + t ejection

14 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
Applications of Injection Molding Process

Part: Sports Goggles

Material: Acrylic, PC

Part: Visor of Honda speedometer, cellular phone

Material: Polycarbonate (PC) (R grade)

Part: Casing of speedometer, cellular phone, TV, Monitor of Computer, Telephone sets,
AC, Key-boards, clocks
Material: Acrylonitryle-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)

Part: Bathtubs, Buckets, Chair, Stool, Tables, etc.

Material: Polypropylene (PP)

15 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
 Part: Inner parts of Refrigerator
Material: Polystyrene (PS)

Part: Freezer part

Material: ABS (Black)

Part: Caps of bottles

Material: PP (co-polymer)

Part: Electrical components like switching components, switch

panels, switch boards
Material: Ranging from processing of PP to PC, Polyphenylene
Sulphide (PPS),

Part: Juicer, Grinder, Milk Shaker, Food Processors

Material: ABS

16 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore
 Part: Filter Part
Material: ABS

Part: Screen of Plastic Watches

Material: Acrylic

Part: Disposable Syringes

Material: PP

Part: Disposable ball pens, spoons, razor, cups & glasses for water & drinks, ice-cream
cups, Low cost CD-covers etc.
Material: Polystyrene (PS)

Part: Optical Lenses

Material: Polycarbonate

17 Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering,

University of Engineering & Technology.
Lahore