3D Blow Molding
The automobile pipeline is winding, and the blow molding technology is becoming increasingly complex. At this time, 3D blow molding has emerged. The automotive pipes produced in this way can greatly reduce or even eliminate burrs during the processing, meeting the concept of sustainable development.
Blow Mold Manufacturers
Blow mold manufacturers need to consider that hollow blow molding is a process of blowing and deforming softened thermoplastic, cooling and solidifying it, and demolding it to form a hollow container. Bringing more precise and consistent products.
Plastic blow molding technology has been widely used for a long time and has developed into the third-largest plastic processing method after injection molding and extrusion. Compared with injection molding, blow molding technology has lower equipment costs and can shape complex hollow products. It is widely used in daily necessities and cosmetics packaging, medical and toy industries, automotive manufacturing, and other industries.
Classification of Blow Molding Molds
Blow mold manufacturers generally classify blow molding molds based on the form of blow molding, which is generally divided into extrusion hollow blow molding molds, injection hollow blow molding molds, stretch blow molding molds, multi-layer composite blow molding molds, and 3D blow molding molds. The following is an introduction to these types of blow molding molds:
- Extrusion Hollow Blow Molding Mold: The operation process of extrusion hollow blow molding mold is generally to plasticize the plastic and extrude it into a tubular billet, then extrude and blow it into shape through air, wait for cooling and solidification, and then open the mold to demold and remove the formed plastic part. The extrusion hollow blow molding mold is suitable for products with low production costs and less complex processes. This type of mold is currently widely used, mainly because it can produce a variety of products, whether it is large or small capacity products, which can be easily produced.
- Injection Hollow Blow Molding Mold: Injection blow molding is a method of first melting and plasticizing plastic products into bottomed billets, and then moving them into the mold for blow molding. The injection hollow blow molding mold is also suitable for some high-precision products. After the product is formed, it generally does not require secondary repair, and the wall thickness of the product is generally uniform, rarely lacking materials or meat, which effectively avoids the risk of rework.
- Stretch Blow Molding Mold (Injection Pull Blow): The principle of a stretch blow molding mold is to first inject the molten billet into the mold, then use a pull rod for stretching, and finally inject air blow molding. Stretching can change the physical properties of plastics by combining the advantages of blow molding and injection molding, resulting in thinner wall thickness, increased transparency, stronger resistance to external forces, and increased rigidity and hardness of the product.
- Multi-layer Composite Blow Molding Mold: Multi-layer composite blow molding is a blow molding technology developed to meet the special needs of some industries, such as airtightness, and chemical resistance, etc., such as the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries. It can layer and stick two or more layers of blanks to form products with good barrier properties, but the more layers, the more complex the technology is. This technology effectively compensates for the shortcomings of single-layer plastic products but requires two or more extruders and a higher product budget.
- 3D Blow Molding Mold: The biggest advantage of 3D blow molding is that the formed product has minimal waste and even no burrs, greatly reducing workload. The required clamping force for 3D blow molding molds is relatively small, and the quality of their products is not high. Moreover, conventional blow molding machines cannot be used, resulting in higher requirements.
The Advantages of Blow Molding Molds
Blow mold manufacturers have chosen blow molding molds as their main product for the following reasons:
- Cost Saving: BOOLING’s blow molding molds have lower manufacturing costs compared to other injection molding molds, which also brings good news to customers with lower budget costs; the plastic materials used in blow molding products, such as PP PC, PVC, etc. are recyclable, which greatly improves cost-effectiveness, and this recyclability also reduces resource waste to a certain extent, reducing environmental pollution.
- High Production Efficiency: Blow molding molds work intermittently in a cyclic manner, with highly automated production that allows for continuous production. They also have a fast molding speed, short cooling and solidification time, low labor costs, and low production intensity.
- Simple Structure and Low Maintenance Cost: Compared to injection molds or stamping molds, the structure of blow molding molds is relatively simple, easy to operate, and personnel are also relatively proficient. The simple structure of blow molding molds also brings the advantage of easy maintenance and upkeep, and blow mold manufacturers can spend relatively less money on this aspect.
- Widely Applicable in Various Fields:Blow molding molds are suitable for the manufacturing of large blow molded products, such as oil pots, automotive ventilation ducts, and containers such as tail wings and bottles. The products produced can achieve seamless advantages and have almost no burrs, which reduces the cost of secondary processing and achieves both aesthetics and lightweight quality, attracting many blow mold manufacturers.
- Stable Product Quality: Due to its simple structure, the products produced by blow molding molds are easily standardized, and the design parameters and dimensional accuracy of the products are relatively easy to control.
- Long Service Life: Blow molding molds produced by BOOLING generally have a long service life, largely due to the good chemical resistance of the raw materials used (such as cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc.).
- Multiple Manufacturers: Due to the significant development of blow molding technology in recent years and strong support from the government, it has great potential for development and has gradually become the third largest molding method besides extrusion and injection. The sales of blow molding molds are also steadily increasing.
Design Points of Blow Molding Molds
Before manufacturing blow molding molds, blow mold manufacturers need to first understand the design points of the mold, including the dimensional accuracy of the product, quality requirements, raw materials and parameters used, etc. The design points of the mold mainly include but are not limited to:
Cavity Design: As the cavity directly determines the shape and type of the product, the cavity not only needs to meet the surface smoothness and exhaust requirements, but also needs to consider the shrinkage probability, specific volume, compression rate, and hardening characteristics of the raw materials produced, especially for irregular and complex products.
Parting Surface Design: The parting surface is crucial for mold design, mainly considering the influence of the blowing expansion ratio. The design of the parting surface makes the mold symmetrical, reducing the blowing ratio and determining the correct position of the parting surface play an important role in the smooth demolding of the mold. Conversely, it may affect the surface of the product, such as the possibility of scratches. Especially for products with complex shapes, the design of the parting surface is particularly important.
Exhaust System: During the operation of blow molding molds, the pressure is very low, so the requirements for the exhaust system are high. If the exhaust system is not well made, the air inside the mold cannot be completely or timely discharged, and the blank cannot be blown and expanded quickly, resulting in the product not being able to tightly adhere to the inner wall, which may cause warping and deformation of the formed parts, affecting the appearance and shape of the product. Poor exhaust may also have an impact on the cooling system and prolong the cooling time. So the exhaust system of the mold is crucial.
Cooling System: After molding, the mold needs to undergo cooling and solidification to be fully demolded. Excessive temperature can seriously affect productivity. In general, the distance between the cooling water channel and the cavity should be consistent to avoid uneven wall thickness of the formed part.
Clamp Edge Design: The thickness of the clamp area is generally greater than the rated thickness of other components, so it will accumulate higher heat and generate higher temperatures during its recycling work. When designing, materials with good heat resistance should be selected. The angle and width of the clamping edge also need to be carefully considered. The angle of the edge is generally 15-30 degrees, and the width is generally 1-2 millimeters.
Material Selection: Blow mold manufacturers usually choose materials such as cast iron, alloys, and engineering plastics to manufacture molds. They not only need to consider whether the materials are of high quality and the environment in which the molds are used, but also whether these materials can make the molds have a longer service life and cost.
Reasonable Selection of Molding Methods: When designing molds, manufacturers should choose different molds based on customer needs, the final use of the product, raw materials, and molding processes. For example, extrusion hollow blow molding molds are suitable for tubular products, injection hollow blow molding molds are suitable for products with high precision requirements, stretch blow molding molds are suitable for products with high air tightness, and multi-layer composite blow molding molds are suitable for products with high packaging requirements.
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