Overview of Key Processes for Prototype Plastic Injection Molding
Prototype Plastic Injection Molding
Details
Details:
Model
Material
Brand
Origin
Application
Booling-Injection-16
P20, 718, S136, 2738 etc
Booling
China
Automotive parts, industrial parts, medical parts, household
The prototype plastic injection molding process has the ability of rapid manufacturing, which is a key process certificate to help quickly produce samples for testing, and even directly put them into small-scale product production to improve production efficiency.
Advantages of Prototype Plastic Injection Molding：
- Efficient
- Low Cost
- Fast Production RatHigh Precision
- High Flexibility
- Greenization
Related Hot Products
Prototype plastic injection molding mainly involves injecting molten plastic into the mold cavity to form a predetermined shape. Prototype manufacturing technology, also known as rapid manufacturing, utilizes easily processable materials such as aluminum to make molds, which can significantly reduce manufacturing time and cost, and quickly achieve product updates and iterations.
Key Process of Prototype Plastic Injection Molding
Prototype plastic injection molding involves the manufacturing of rapid prototyping, which is a key link in product development and design. The precision requirements for prototype plastic injection molding are also high, and the process considerations in the design process are also crucial.
Step 1: The first step in the rapid prototyping of plastic injection molded parts is to select suitable materials based on the appearance and performance of design drawings or CAD models of the product. These materials are usually thermoplastic materials such as ABS and polycarbonate. Choosing appropriate materials based on the required performance of the product can ensure that the final prototype injection molded product has similar physical properties to the final plastic product.
Step 2: Manufacturers need to choose suitable injection molding equipment, use injection molding machines to plasticize and melt the selected plastic materials, and inject them into the injection molding molds for rapid prototyping. Injection molding molds are made based on the design drawings or CAD models of the product, and they are the key determining factors for the shape and size of the final plastic product. At the same time, in the design of molds (cavities), manufacturers should also consider the surface quality and precision requirements of the product.
Step 3: Under the heating and cooling system of the plastic injection molding machine, the plasticized and melted material can complete the cooling and solidification process inside the mold, and the final injection molded part can be removed. During this process, manufacturers need to monitor and control the temperature, pressure, and injection time of the injection molding machine to ensure that the injection molded parts are of good quality.
Step 4: After removing the parts, the manufacturer needs to perform post-processing on the injection molded parts. Usually, the surface of plastic injection molded parts will have some corners and defects (flying edges) that need to be removed and repaired. At the same time, during the post-processing stage, manufacturers can color, paint, and perform other surface treatments on the prototype injection molded parts to make them closer to the appearance and performance of the final product.
Advantages of Prototype Plastic Injection Molding
The reason why manufacturers choose to perform prototype plastic injection molding first is mainly due to its outstanding advantages, such as:
- Prototype Plastic Injection Molding Molds can be Used for Large-Scale Production
The production process of most prototype plastic injection molding is good at creating a small number of parts and cannot be formally put into mass production of parts. For example, silicone resin casting can use up to 15 parts. Afterward, the mold will be severely damaged, and customers or manufacturers will need to manufacture other molds separately. Although rapid prototyping injection molds are not as durable as traditional molds, they can still withstand more manufacturing and usage cycles compared to most manufacturing processes. In the best-case scenario, the prototype plastic injection molding mold can create up to 100000 parts before wear and tear.
- High Surface Treatment Smoothness
The surface smoothness of molded parts depends on the quality of the mold during the injection molding of the prototype plastic. Manufacturers typically manufacture cavities through CNC milling followed by some precision machining. The most common surface treatment method is polishing. In addition, manufacturers can use EDM cutting to sharpen the inner corners of the cavity. The surface smoothness of the obtained mold can be as small as Ra 0.8 μ m.
- High Precision
Compared with other production techniques, prototype plastic injection molding has higher precision. For example, 3D printing services will generate up to IT9, while rapid prototyping injection molding is only limited by mold accuracy, which may reach IT7.
- High Intensity
Through manufacturability design (ensuring optimal spray angle and uniform wall thickness), manufacturers can inject liquid resin into the mold cavity under high pressure. This manufacturing technology ensures that the parts have no pores and the final material quality is the best. For 3D printing using powder or fine wires and sintering them together.
- Universality
In the process of 3D printing, manufacturers usually need to use blank materials to replace ink cartridges and make many pre – and post-settings before printing the same part from another plastic. In other cases, printing the same part requires replacing completely different equipment. However, these steps do not need to be performed during the injection molding of the prototype plastic. The molds required for prototype plastic injection molding are mainly made of high-grade aluminum, which has much higher processing performance and durability than any plastic. This allows for the use of any plastic material for processing on the prototype injection molding mold.
- High Efficiency
If we compare prototype plastic injection molding technology with mass production, it is not very effective. When conducting mass production, the processing time for individual parts is much longer than for the same part, because the blank is closer to the final part and the machine has fewer parts. In addition, the manufacturer has optimized the processing for mass production to minimize blank settings and trajectories. When manufacturing a small number of parts, longer processing times are completely feasible, but the larger the batch size, the more efficient the manufacturing needs to be. At this point, minimizing the time required to produce a single part becomes increasingly important. Among all other prototype plastic injection molding technologies, RIM technology has the shortest processing time, therefore, the larger the production batch and quantity, the more feasible this technology becomes.
Prototype rapid plastic injection molding is a plastic manufacturing process that ensures the accuracy and quality of parts, and plays an important role in the rapid updating and iteration of products.
Related News
Applied’s expertise in modifying materials at atomic levels and on an ihdustrial scaleenables our customers to transform possibilities into reality.
