What is Mold Construction?
With injection molding, granular plastic is fed by gravity from a hopper into a heated barrel. As the granules are slowly pushed forward by a screw-type plunger, the plastic is forced into a heated chamber called the barrel where it is melted.
As the plunger advances, the melted plastic is forced through a nozzle that seats against the mold sprue bushing, allowing it to enter the mold cavity through a gate and runner system. The mold remains at a set temperature so the plastic can solidify almost as soon as the mold is filled.
Mold Construction Cycle
The sequence of events during the injection molding of a plastic part is called the injection molding cycle. The cycle begins when the mold closes, followed by the injection of the polymer into the mold cavity.
Once the cavity is filled, a holding pressure is maintained to compensate for material shrinkage. In the next step, the screw turns, feeding the next shot to the front screw. This causes the screw to retract as the next shot is prepared. Once the part is sufficiently cool, the mold opens and the part is ejected.
Different Types of Injection Molding Processes
Although most injection molding processes are covered by the conventional process description above, there are several important molding variations including:
- Co-injection(sandwich)molding
- Fusible(lost, soluble)core injection molding
- Gas-assisted injection molding
- In-mold decoration and in-mold lamination
- Injection-compression molding
- Injection molding of liquid silicone rubber
- Insert and outsert molding
- Lamellar (microlayer) injection molding
- Low-pressure injection molding
- Micro injection molding
- Microcellular molding
- Multicomponent injection molding(overmolding)
- Multiple live-feed injection molding
- Powder injection molding
- Push-Pull injection molding
- Reaction injection molding
- Resin transfer molding
- Rheomolding
- Structural foam injection molding
- Structural reaction injection molding
- Thin-wall molding
- Vibration gas injection molding
- Water assisted injection molding
- Rubber injection
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