Injection moulding

Injection moulding is used to create many things such as wire spools, packaging, bottle caps, automotive parts and components, toys, pocket combs, some musical instruments (and parts of them), one-piece chairs and small tables, storage containers, mechanical parts (including gears), and most other plastic products available today. Injection moulding is the most common modern method of manufacturing plastic parts; it is ideal for producing high volumes of the same object. ==Process characteristics==

resin pellets for injection moulding Injection moulding uses a ram or screw-type plunger to force molten plastic or rubber material into a mould cavity; this solidifies into a shape that has conformed to the contour of the mould. It is most commonly used to process both thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, with the volume used of the former being considerably higher. Thermoplastics are prevalent due to characteristics that make them highly suitable for injection moulding, such as ease of recycling, versatility for a wide variety of applications, To prevent spikes in pressure, the process normally uses a transfer position corresponding to a 95–98% full cavity where the screw shifts from a constant velocity to a constant pressure control. Often injection times are well under 1 second. Once the screw reaches the transfer position the packing pressure is applied, which completes mould filling and compensates for thermal shrinkage, which is quite high for thermoplastics relative to many other materials. The packing pressure is applied until the gate (cavity entrance) solidifies. Due to its small size, the gate is normally the first place to solidify through its entire thickness. For a two-shot mould, two separate materials are incorporated into one part. This type of injection moulding is used to add a soft touch to knobs, to give a product multiple colours, or to produce a part with multiple performance characteristics. For thermosets, typically two different chemical components are injected into the barrel. These components immediately begin irreversible chemical reactions that eventually crosslinks the material into a single connected network of molecules. As the chemical reaction occurs, the two fluid components permanently transform into a viscoelastic solid. Solidification in the injection barrel and screw can be problematic and have financial repercussions; therefore, minimising the thermoset curing within the barrel is vital. This typically means that the residence time and temperature of the chemical precursors are minimised in the injection unit. The residence time can be reduced by minimising the barrel's volume capacity and by maximising the cycle times. These factors have led to the use of a thermally isolated, cold injection unit that injects the reacting chemicals into a thermally isolated hot mould, which increases the rate of chemical reactions and results in shorter time required to achieve a solidified thermoset component. After the part has solidified, valves close to isolate the injection system and chemical precursors, and the mould opens to eject the moulded parts. Then, the mould closes and the process repeats. Pre-moulded or machined components can be inserted into the cavity while the mould is open, allowing the material injected in the next cycle to form and solidify around them. This process is known as insert moulding and allows single parts to contain multiple materials. This process is often used to create plastic parts with protruding metal screws so they can be fastened and unfastened repeatedly. This technique can also be used for In-mould labelling and film lids may also be attached to moulded plastic containers. A parting line, sprue, gate marks, and ejector pin marks are usually present on the final part. None of these features are typically desired, but are unavoidable due to the nature of the process. Gate marks occur at the gate that joins the melt-delivery channels (sprue and runner) to the part forming cavity. Parting line and ejector pin marks result from minute misalignments, wear, gaseous vents, clearances for adjacent parts in relative motion, and/or dimensional differences of the melting surfaces contacting the injected polymer. Dimensional differences can be attributed to non-uniform, pressure-induced deformation during injection, machining tolerances, and non-uniform thermal expansion and contraction of mould components, which experience rapid cycling during the injection, packing, cooling, and ejection phases of the process. Mould components are often designed with materials of various coefficients of thermal expansion. These factors cannot be simultaneously accounted for without astronomical increases in the cost of design, fabrication, processing, and quality monitoring. The skillful mould and part designer positions these aesthetic detriments in hidden areas if feasible. == Advanced and Hybrid Injection Molding Techniques ==

Woven fabric reinforced thermoplastic composites are a result of embedding a composite material such as glass, carbon, or natural fibers that are made of woven fabric, in a thermoplastic polymer matrix. They are considered a lightweight alternative to metal in industries requiring high stiffness and strength. These composites are generally made using a two-step system involving prepreg and then molding the final product. With the advancements in injection molding processes, the composites can be fabricated in a single step process. There are also hybrid approaches that combine injection molding and other techniques. A hybrid approach can encourage process flexibility, and can optimize the mechanical properties of the composites by extension. Some composites have a tensile strength increase of 4.18 times more compared to the base polymer matrix. For automotive applications, advances like these allow a better production of parts with customized properties. ==History==

In 1834 a British patent for the injection moulding of candles was filed by a pewterer called Joseph Morgan. In 1846 the British inventor Charles Hancock, a relative of Thomas Hancock, patented an injection moulding machine. American inventor John Wesley Hyatt, together with his brother Isaiah, patented one of the first injection moulding machines in 1872. This machine was relatively simple compared to machines in use today: it worked like a large hypodermic needle, using a plunger to inject plastic through a heated cylinder into a mould. The industry progressed slowly over the years, producing products such as collar stays, buttons, and hair combs (generally though, plastics, in its modern definition, are a more recent development ). The German chemists Arthur Eichengrün and Theodore Becker invented the first soluble forms of cellulose acetate in 1903, which was much less flammable than cellulose nitrate. It was eventually made available in a powder form from which it was readily injection moulded. Arthur Eichengrün developed the first injection moulding press in 1919. In 1939, Arthur Eichengrün patented the injection moulding of plasticised cellulose acetate. The industry expanded rapidly in the 1940s because World War II created a huge demand for inexpensive, mass-produced products. In 1946, American inventor James Watson Hendry built the first screw injection machine, which allowed much more precise control over the speed of injection and the quality of articles produced. This machine also allowed material to be mixed before injection, so that coloured or recycled plastic could be added to virgin material and mixed thoroughly before being injected. In the 1970s, Hendry went on to develop the first gas-assisted injection moulding process, which permitted the production of complex, hollow articles that cooled quickly. This greatly improved design flexibility as well as the strength and finish of manufactured parts while reducing production time, cost, weight and waste. By 1979, plastic production overtook steel production, and by 1990, aluminium moulds were widely used in injection moulding. Today, screw injection machines account for the vast majority of all injection machines. The plastic injection moulding industry has evolved over the years from producing combs and buttons to producing a vast array of products for many industries including automotive, medical, aerospace, consumer products, toys, plumbing, packaging, and construction. In France, 1979, St. Gobain-Vetrotex, Billon, and SEVA developed a new thermoset injection molding technique. The ZMC process is a significant advancement in composite manufacturing. It combines polymer compunds with a screw/plunger hybrid injection machine. The ZMC process allowed large scale productions in the automotive department, particularly the rear doors being produced at 1,000 per day. It also reduced labor requirements and enhanced surface quality. ==Examples of polymers best suited for the process==

Most polymers, sometimes referred to as resins, may be used, including all thermoplastics, some thermosets, and some elastomers. Since 1995, the total number of available materials for injection moulding has increased at a rate of 750 per year; there were approximately 18,000 materials available when that trend began. Available materials include alloys or blends of previously developed materials, so product designers can choose the material with the best set of properties from a vast selection. Major criteria for selection of a material are the strength and function required for the final part, as well as the cost, but also each material has different parameters for moulding that must be taken into account. Common polymers like epoxy and phenolic are examples of thermosetting plastics while nylon, polyethylene, and polystyrene are thermoplastic. Until comparatively recently, plastic springs were not possible, but advances in polymer properties make them now quite practical. Applications include buckles for anchoring and disconnecting outdoor-equipment webbing. == Sustainability Aspects ==

Although plastics are not considered sustainable, efficient steps such as process improvements, material management, and design strategies can prove to be sustainable in production manufacturing. Some companies have taken the initiative to include automated regrind systems to the process. These systems can collect and recycle scrap materiels, and feed it back into molding presses without major process changes. Companies have been able to reduce their landfill contributions to less than 1% of materials used. The upgrade to modern injection molding presses, including electric and hybrid machines, reduces energy consumption while increasing production by 20% more than the traditional machines. Adding filtration systems in the cooling systems will allow processed water to be recycled into the cooling towers, minimizing water, water consumption, and environmental impacts. An important factor is the material selection. When designing parts, monomaterials allow assemblies to be recycled as a whole, reducing contamination issues and simplifying end-of-life processing. ==Equipment==

mould opened in injection moulding machine; the nozzle is visible at right Injection moulding machines consist of a material hopper, an injection ram or screw-type plunger, and a heating unit. Tonnage can vary from less than 5 tons to over 9,000 tons, with the higher figures used in comparatively few manufacturing operations. The total clamp force needed is determined by the projected area of the part being moulded. This projected area is multiplied by a clamp force of from 1.8 to 7.2 tons for each square centimetre of the projected areas. As a rule of thumb, 4 or 5 tons/in2 can be used for most products. If the plastic material is very stiff, it requires more injection pressure to fill the mould, and thus more clamp tonnage to hold the mould closed. The choice of material for the mold is not only based on cost considerations, but also has a lot to do with the product life cycle. In general, steel moulds cost more to construct, but their longer lifespan offsets the higher initial cost over a higher number of parts made before wearing out. Pre-hardened steel moulds are less wear-resistant and are used for lower volume requirements or larger components; their typical steel hardness is 38–45 on the Rockwell-C scale. Hardened steel moulds are heat treated after machining; these are by far superior in terms of wear resistance and lifespan. Typical hardness ranges between 50 and 60 Rockwell-C (HRC). Aluminium moulds can cost substantially less, and when designed and machined with modern computerised equipment can be economical for moulding tens or even hundreds of thousands of parts. Beryllium copper is used in areas of the mould that require fast heat removal or areas that see the most shear heat generated. geometry to form the desired part. The amount of resin required to fill the sprue, runner and cavities of a mould comprises a "shot". Trapped air in the mould can escape through air vents that are ground into the parting line of the mould, or around ejector pins and slides that are slightly smaller than the holes retaining them. If the trapped air is not allowed to escape, it is compressed by the pressure of the incoming material and squeezed into the corners of the cavity, where it prevents filling and can also cause other defects. The air can even become so compressed that it ignites and burns the surrounding plastic material. A mould with two or more cavities of the same parts is usually called a multiple impression (cavity) mould. (Not to be confused with "Multi-shot moulding" {which is dealt with in the next section.}) Some moulds allow previously moulded parts to be reinserted to allow a new plastic layer to form around the first part. This is often referred to as overmoulding. This system can allow for production of one-piece tires and wheels. Moulds for highly precise and extremely small parts from micro injection molding requires extra care in the design stage, as material resins react differently compared to their full-sized counterparts where they must quickly fill these incredibly small spaces, which puts them under intense shear strains. Multi-shot moulding s from a computer keyboard Two-shot, double-shot or multi-shot moulds are designed to "overmould" within a single moulding cycle and must be processed on specialised injection moulding machines with two or more injection units. This process is actually an injection moulding process performed twice and therefore can allow only for a much smaller margin of error. In the first step, the base colour material is moulded into a basic shape, which contains spaces for the second shot. Then the second material, a different colour, is injection-moulded into those spaces. Pushbuttons and keys, for instance, made by this process have markings that cannot wear off, and remain legible with heavy use. insert (yellow) on injection moulding mould for ABS resin Machining Moulds are built through two main methods: standard machining and EDM. Standard machining, in its conventional form, has historically been the method of building injection moulds. With technological developments, CNC machining became the predominant means of making more complex moulds with more accurate mould details in less time than traditional methods. The electrical discharge machining (EDM) or spark erosion process has become widely used in mould making. As well as allowing the formation of shapes that are difficult to machine, the process allows pre-hardened moulds to be shaped so that no heat treatment is required. Changes to a hardened mould by conventional drilling and milling normally require annealing to soften the mould, followed by heat treatment to harden it again. EDM is a simple process in which a shaped electrode, usually made of copper or graphite, is very slowly lowered onto the mould surface over a period of many hours, which is immersed in paraffin oil (kerosene). A voltage applied between tool and mould causes spark erosion of the mould surface in the inverse shape of the electrode. Cost The number of cavities incorporated into a mould directly correlate in moulding costs. Fewer cavities require far less tooling work, so limiting the number of cavities lowers initial manufacturing costs to build an injection mould. As the number of cavities play a vital role in moulding costs, so does the complexity of the part's design. Complexity can be incorporated into many factors such as surface finishing, tolerance requirements, internal or external threads, fine detailing or the number of undercuts that may be incorporated. Further details, such as undercuts, or any feature that needs additional tooling, increases mould cost. Surface finish of the core and cavity of moulds further influences cost. Rubber injection moulding process produces a high yield of durable products, making it the most efficient and cost-effective method of moulding. Consistent vulcanisation processes involving precise temperature control significantly reduces all waste material. ==Injection process==

showing hopper, nozzle and die area Usually, the plastic materials are formed in the shape of pellets or granules and sent from the raw material manufacturers in paper bags. With injection moulding, pre-dried granular plastic is fed by a forced ram from a hopper into a heated barrel. As the granules are slowly moved forward by a screw-type plunger, the plastic is forced into a heated chamber, where it is melted. As the plunger advances, the melted plastic is forced through a nozzle that rests against the mould, allowing it to enter the mould cavity through a gate and runner system. The mould remains cold so the plastic solidifies almost as soon as the mould is filled. Scientific versus traditional moulding Traditionally, the injection portion of the moulding process was done at one constant pressure to fill and pack the cavity. This method, however, allowed for a large variation in dimensions from cycle-to-cycle. More commonly used now is scientific or decoupled moulding, a method pioneered by RJG Inc. In this the injection of the plastic is "decoupled" into stages to allow better control of part dimensions and more cycle-to-cycle (commonly called shot-to-shot in the industry) consistency. First the cavity is filled to approximately 98% full using velocity (speed) control. Although the pressure should be sufficient to allow for the desired speed, pressure limitations during this stage are undesirable. Once the cavity is 98% full, the machine switches from velocity control to pressure control, where the cavity is "packed out" at a constant pressure, where sufficient velocity to reach desired pressures is required. This lets workers control part dimensions to within thousandths of an inch or better. Different types of injection moulding processes Although most injection moulding processes are covered by the conventional process description above, there are several important moulding variations including, but not limited to: • Die casting • Metal injection moulding • Thin-wall injection moulding • Injection moulding of liquid silicone rubber • Reaction injection moulding • Micro injection moulding • Gas-assisted injection moulding • Cube mold technology • Multi-material injection molding A more comprehensive list of injection moulding processes may be found here: ==Process troubleshooting==

Like all industrial processes, injection molding can produce flawed parts, even in toys. In the field of injection moulding, troubleshooting is often performed by examining defective parts for specific defects and addressing these defects with the design of the mould or the characteristics of the process itself. Trials are often performed before full production runs in an effort to predict defects and determine the appropriate specifications to use in the injection process. Holding pressure is increased until the parts are free of sinks and part weight has been achieved. Material impacts Injection moulding can have effects on the integrity and composition of a material. In some cases, it can effect physical properties such as their impact tolerance. Therefore, compression molding can be considered an advantage depending on the requirements of a product. Fiber-reinforced composites are usually negatively impacted in injection molding processes due to fiber degradation and the direction of the fiber. Although injection molding has been used for automotive parts such as the rear end doors, and the front-end panels, since the eighties, compression molding can be considered with that specific material. There are technical strategies to reduce the loss of physical properties with the cost of affecting the surface texture. Some have found that the integration of fiberglass, low-profile additives, and different resin techniques to thermosets can reduce the loss of impact strength and final texture. These advancements could potentially lead to automotive parts being produced through injection molding only. Moulding defects Injection moulding is a complex technology with possible production problems. They can be caused either by defects in the moulds, or more often by the moulding process itself. Methods such as industrial CT scanning can help with finding these defects externally as well as internally. Tolerances Tolerance depends on the dimensions of the part. An example of a standard tolerance for a 1-inch dimension of an LDPE part with 0.125 inch wall thickness is +/- 0.008 inch (0.2 mm). ==Power requirements==

The power required for this process of injection moulding depends on many things and varies between materials used. Manufacturing Processes Reference Guide states that the power requirements depend on "a material's specific gravity, melting point, thermal conductivity, part size, and molding rate." Below is a table from page 243 of the same reference as previously mentioned that best illustrates the characteristics relevant to the power required for the most commonly used materials. ==Robotic moulding==

Automation means that the smaller size of parts permits a mobile inspection system to examine multiple parts more quickly. In addition to mounting inspection systems on automatic devices, multiple-axis robots can remove parts from the mould and position them for further processes. Specific instances include removing of parts from the mould immediately after the parts are created, as well as applying machine vision systems. A robot grips the part after the ejector pins have been extended to free the part from the mould. It then moves them into either a holding location or directly onto an inspection system. The choice depends upon the type of product, as well as the general layout of the manufacturing equipment. Vision systems mounted on robots have greatly enhanced quality control for insert moulded parts. A mobile robot can more precisely determine the placement accuracy of the metal component, and inspect faster than a human can. ==Gallery==

File:LegoSpritzguss.JPG|Lego injection mould, lower side File:LegoSpritzgussDetail.JPG|Lego injection mould, detail of lower side File:LegoSpritzguss1.JPG|Lego injection mould, upper side File:LegoSpritzgussDetail1.JPG|Lego injection mould, detail of upper side == See also ==