The Plastic Injection Molding Basics
The plastic injection molding process begins with generating the product design, followed by tooling a mold to fit the product design, melting the plastic resin pellets, and injecting the molten pellets into the mold using pressure. Steps Designing the Product Designers build a part using fundamental design rules related to the injection molding method. Create a Tooling Mold to Fit the Product Design Highly trained machinists and toolmakers use the product design to create a tooling mold for the injection molding machine. A tooling mold, also known as a tool, is the heart and soul of an injection molding machine. They are meticulously built to house the negative cavity for the product design as well as extra features including sprues, runners, gates, vents, ejector systems, cooling channels, and moving components. Tooling molds are constructed from steel and aluminum grades that can survive tens of thousands of heating and cooling cycles. Mold manufacturing can take up to 20 weeks to c...