Plastic Injection Mold Making has been around since the late 1800’s
when a man named John Wesley Hyatt first invented a way to inject celluloid
into a mold to make billiard balls. In
1872, John and his brother improved the process and patented the first
injection molding machine, which was quite primitive by today’s standards but
the concept of injecting plastic through a heated cylinder into a mold was
born. Plastic injection molded parts
grew in popularity during the 1940’s as World War II created a huge demand for
mass-produced, inexpensive products.
In
1946, James Hendry built the first screw injection molding machine,
revolutionizing the industry. Plastic
Injection Molding has evolved over the years and today this manufacturing
process supplies products for all industries including consumer, toys,
plumbing, packaging, construction, automotive, aerospace and medical.
As
mentioned above, a wide variety of parts are made out of plastic and more and more
parts that are currently made of another material are moving to plastic as a
more economical option without jeopardizing part functionality. For example, law enforcement and military
agencies use plastic bullets for target practice, gun parts that were
historically made of metal are now being molded in plastic.
Plastic
has the rare ability to take the shape and form of almost anything you want it
to be. Parts can be molded with glass
filled nylons for added durability. Some
plastic parts are used in engine and braking systems in automobiles and can
withstand extreme temperatures. Some
plastic injection molded parts feel more like rubber and are used in a variety
of items. Plastic can be colored to mold
in any color desired, UV protection can be added to avoid color
distortion. Very complex moving interior
parts with several precise geometric designs are usually manufactured with
plastic injection molding.
Once a molder has the part
design, the next phase is to design the tool that can produce the part. A mold built for mass production should
always be built with class A hardened steel, but some prototypes are made of
less durable steel as they are interim molds.
A reputable plastic injection mold maker will help guide their customer
to choose the best type of mold for the job. In some cases, just one cavity can be
completed in a full size mold to be used as a prototype, allowing time to
perfect the process prior to building all cavities in a multi-cavity mold. Michiana Global Mold uses only Class A steel
for the majority of their tool builds.
Michiana Global Mold’s
engineering mold designers and tool makers can help to guide the customer
throughout the mold build phase. Using
CAD software along with decades of experience, Michiana Global Mold knows the
best way to tackle even the most complex of tool designs, specializing in injection
molds for the automotive industry.
The majority of injection molding machines are horizontal, which means the mold opens and closes on a
horizontal path. Molten plastic is
injected into the mold along the horizontal path through a heated barrel and
screw. When the mold opens and the parts
eject, gravity assists with the parts falling out of the mold to the staging
location. These presses can often run
without an operator once the mold is set and the process is running smoothly. These are less labor intensive than vertical
molding machines, which usually require an operator or a robotic arm.
Vertical presses are used to mold
plastic around an insert of another type of material, usually steel or another
hardened part. This process is referred
to as overmolding, or insert molding. In
this type of press, the mold open and closes on a vertical path, allowing the
operator to reach in and grab the parts out of the cavities, and load inserts
in cavities to prepare for the next overmold cycle.
Michiana Global Mold. is a plastic
injection mold maker with extensive experience in both horizontal and vertical
molding. With a wide selection of
state-of-the-art milling centers, we’ve got what it takes to construct quality
complex molds, on time and in budget.
Michiana Global Mold has been in the plastic
injection mold making business since the 1962, and employs a cross functional
staff with extensive knowledge in part design, tool design, and the molding
process regardless of the type of mold, resin, or press needed. Contact Michiana Global Mold today to
see how we can reduce your plastic injection molded project costs.
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