Safety First With Industrial Equipment and Supplies

Plastic Injection Molding On A Small Scale: What You Can Expect

21 May 2018

Lucille Palmer

When and if you think of plastic injection molding, you probably think of those huge machines into which is squirted melted plastic. It generates large plastic items that are used for cars, home decor, etc. Yet, you can get plastic injection molding on a smaller scale, too. The very tiny molded plastic bits for model car kits are one such example. If you have a project that requires small plastic moldings, here is what you can expect when you place your order for such items from a plastics company.

Trayed Molds, Multiple or Single

To use injection molding, molds comprised of a top and bottom molding tray are first created. Depending on how three-dimensional you want your plastic pieces to be, there may only be one set of top and bottom trays, or there may be multiple trays layered on top of/in between each other. The multiple trays for flatter plastic pieces help complete an order faster. The single layer trays help create a fully-flushed out set of 3D plastic objects. 

The Topmost and Bottommost Trays Are Loaded 

The topmost and bottom-most trays for this project are loaded into the plastics injector. If there are multiple layers of trays in between, these are added and secured in place next. If not, the top and bottom trays are then firmly pressed together in the plastics molding machine. Hoses and/or pipes are connected and channeled into the heart of the mold and the sides/ends of the mold. Now your project trays are ready for the melted plastic.

Pull a Lever and the Injection Begins

Finally, the big moment; the operator of the plastics injector pulls a switch and hits a couple of buttons. The plastic is forcefully pushed into the molds/trays inside the machine. It takes just a couple of minutes before the machine's operator knows that the plastic has been adequately pushed into every nook and cranny in the mold. He/she flips the switch off and then lifts the top of the machine off of the molds/trays.

The Molds Are Removed and the Plastic Cools

Now, the molds are removed from the plastic pieces made, all of the little pieces inside are carefully lifted out and left to cool on their own. They may also be blanched in cool water to cool faster, but that depends on the plastic and whether or not it will crack during the blanching process. The pieces are hand-sanded or left in their raw state for you to take care of.

For more information, check out a website like http://www.accurate-prod.com/.

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