Custom Injection Molding
The custom injection molding process has a high degree of automation, which can quickly complete injection, cooling, curing, demolding and other processes, with high production efficiency and a wide range of applications.
Low Volume Injection Molding
Low volume injection molding, also known as prototype rapid injection molding, involves injecting molten plastic into a mold at a lower injection pressure. This plastic injection molding method can be divided into two types: one is to directly cover the punched fabric into the mold, and then close the mold for injection molding; The second is to cover the punched fabric inside the mold, and then inject the resin material onto the opposite side of the fabric for mold closing injection. Compared to traditional injection molding processes, this injection molding method has more gates, which allows the mold to better handle fine components and avoid damage. This process is suitable for packaging and processing sensitive electronic components, as its excellent electrical insulation, impact resistance, shock absorption, waterproofing, and corrosion resistance provide excellent protection for electronic components. At the same time, this custom injection molding method is also environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
Low volume injection molding can adapt to the continuous progress of technology and the constantly changing market demand, continuously advancing and developing towards more intelligent and automated directions, gradually possessing more high-quality products. At the same time, with the increasing environmental awareness of mold manufacturers and customers, low volume injection molding technology is also more suitable for the current situation, bringing more environmentally friendly product manufacturing methods.
The Advantages of Low Volume Injection Molding
Compared to traditional injection molding processes, low volume injection molding (also known as low-pressure injection molding) has prominent advantages and is targeted. For example, traditional injection molding has higher temperatures and is prone to damaging electronic components, while low volume injection molding has lower pressure and temperature, which can effectively protect components and improve the qualification rate. Its advantages specifically include:
- High Precision: The low volume injection molding machine used for low volume injection molding has higher precision and more advanced injection molding technology, which can control the size and quality of the product more accurately.
- Low Production Cost: Because this technology is for small-scale injection molding, it requires less material usage and consumption, and can also save electricity. Moreover, this injection molding machine does not require a cooling system during manufacturing, greatly reducing manufacturing costs and accelerating production efficiency.
- Low Defect Rate: Low volume injection molded products have excellent packaging protection performance, which can improve the product’s service life. Moreover, due to their good insulation and waterproof properties, they can greatly reduce the defect rate of injection molded products, and reduce rework time and labor costs.
- High Production Efficiency: Low volume injection molding molds are easy to produce, have lower design costs, and have a shorter development time. At the same time, because they do not require a cooling system, they save waiting time for product solidification, significantly improving cycle speed and production efficiency.
- Environmental Protection: Low volume injection molding adopts environmentally friendly production processes in the production process, and its plastic materials can also be recycled, which reduces environmental pollution and reduces resource waste.
- Multi-functionality and Automation: The installation methods and parameter adjustments of low volume injection molds are diverse, and can adapt to various processing needs. Low volume injection molding machines are generally used for automated production, with high efficiency and good labor cost efficiency.
Design Points for Low Volume Injection Molding
Before producing products, low volume injection molding requires careful design. Starting from customer needs, product types, and production efficiency, there are mainly the following design points:
Outline Design
In the final stage of low volume injection molding, the thickness of the edges of the product may be greater than the thickness of the material. If it is necessary to improve the aesthetic appearance, cutting or welding treatment is required. If there are appearance issues that cannot be solved due to the complexity of the product, it will lead to direct scrapping, which has a significant impact on cost and manufacturing efficiency.
Design of Material Thickness
Due to the different flowability of different raw materials in the molten state, the design should focus on the material thickness. For example, for products with smaller thicknesses, the number of gates should be increased, while for products with larger thicknesses, the number of gates should be reduced. However too small a thickness brings an increase in manufacturing costs, while too large a thickness brings waste of product raw materials, so it is necessary to choose the appropriate and optimal material thickness.
Production Batch of Plastic Parts and Customer Needs
According to the requirements of the usage environment and working performance of plastic parts, the feasibility and economy of the design process should be considered from various aspects such as the material type, structural shape, dimensional accuracy, and surface roughness of the plastic parts. On the premise of reducing costs and ensuring the quality of plastic parts, try to use the first mock examination with multiple cavities or high-speed automatic production to shorten the production cycle, speed up the production cycle, and improve production efficiency.
Section Structure Design
In the process of low volume injection molding, the material needs to be flat and unfolded in the mold, with uniform thickness. During mold closing, the material will be subjected to tensile action. If the cross-section is not suitable, it may lead to product tensile fracture. In this case, redesigning or repairing the cross-section will require greater costs. Therefore, when designing, it is necessary to consider whether the cross-section structure is suitable.
Injection Molding Parameter Adjustment
Set the correct parameters based on the size, shape, and other requirements of the product to be manufactured, ensuring that the mold operates under appropriate pressure and temperature.
Demoulding Angle Design
The size and accuracy of the product vary, and the angle during demolding also varies. Generally, it is most suitable to maintain it between 0.5 and 3 degrees.
The Application of Low Volume Injection Molding Technology
With the increase in electronic components, low volume injection molding technology has become increasingly important and widely used. Its existence can be found on many devices, such as medical sensors, mobile phone batteries, circuit boards, and connectors. The following are the main application areas of low volume injection molding technology:
In the field of automotive manufacturing: Due to the good durability and safety of low volume injection molded products, they can be used to manufacture automotive foot pedal sensors, automotive brake sensors, automotive sensors, seat belt lock sensors, automotive LED interior lights, batteries Packaging of PCBs, etc.
Industrial sector: connectors and sensors, electronic coils, buckles and wiring harnesses, etc.
In the field of electronic devices, low volume injection molded products have the characteristics of lightweight and small shape and can be used to manufacture phone cases, tablet cases, and headphone cases.
In the field of medical devices, products such as medical sensors, catheters, brackets, and syringes manufactured by low volume injection molding meet the most important reliability and safety requirements of the medical industry.
In the field of daily necessities, product packaging boxes and bags need to be lightweight and aesthetically pleasing, and low volume injection molded products precisely meet these needs.
Maintenance of Low Volume Injection Molding Machines
Low volume injection molding machines have lower costs and simpler maintenance, but effective maintenance can still bring considerable cost-effectiveness, improve production efficiency, and extend machine service life, mainly including:
Daily Inspection: The machine and surrounding environment need to be kept clean. Daily inspection mainly involves the inspection of injection molding machine components, including the inspection of the oil pump, motor fan cover, emergency stop switch, lubrication system, temperature gauge, safety door, temperature gauge, etc., as well as whether the mold installation is stable, whether its safety facilities are normal, and whether screws are loose. If the lubricating oil is insufficient, it needs to be added above the centerline promptly.
Regular Maintenance: Clean the oil and water stains generated by the machine every week (be careful not to use corrosive cleaning agents). Low volume injection molding machines need to regularly check whether the working pressure of the oil pump is within the normal range, whether the connecting wires of electronic components are intact and not broken, whether the oil in the tank is contaminated and whether it is above the horizontal line. It is also necessary to check for aging and leakage of the wires, as well as the wear of other components in the mold.
Professional inspection: During use, the host battery needs to be replaced every three years, and the battery on the operation panel needs to be replaced every five years. Focus on checking whether there are any faults in the hydraulic system of the mold, whether the lubrication system is operating normally, and the overall efficiency of the driver.
Cleaning after Use: After using this low volume injection molding machine for manufacturing, cleaning the residues in the injection molding machine is a very important work step. If residual plastic is not cleaned promptly after use, it may cause malfunctions in the next use, thereby affecting new plastic materials and resulting in irreparable cost losses.
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