Injection molding is one of the most widely used processes in custom case creation, ideal for high volume manufacturing of the same object. It’s a process that we at Advanced Packaging Inc. are intimately familiar with, but how is it done? The injection molding process can be most easily broken down into the 4 following steps:
- Clamping: Before injecting any material into the mold, the mold must be tightly closed so that none of the melted plastic escapes and damages the machine, or results in an irregularly shaped product. Each half of the mold is placed in a hydraulic clamping mechanism, which pushes the two sections together. Larger machines will take longer to clamp a mold.
- Injection: Raw plastic, typically in pellet form, is fed into the injection molding machine and pushed towards the mold’s interior where it is then melted via a combination of extraordinary heat and pressure. The pressure forces the plastic to expand to fit the mold exactly. The amount of injected material is referred to as the “shot”.
- Cooling: As soon as the molten plastic makes contact with the interior mold’s surface, it begins to cool. As it cools it solidifies, taking on the shape of the mold and shrinking slightly. Packing more material in during the injection stage can mitigate this shrinkage. While the mold cools, the chamber is locked and cannot be open until the cycle is completed.
- Ejection: After the preset amount of time has passed, the cooled plastic will be expelled from the mold via an ejection system attached to the rear half of the mold. The mold opens and a hydraulic mechanism pushes the cooled plastic free. The mold is then typically sprayed with a mold release agent, to prevent subsequent injections from sticking.
This entire process can occur in 2 seconds or 2 minutes, depending on the size and efficiency of the machine. Injection molding allows precision control and quick manufacture of a wide variety of parts, and is both reliable and inexpensive. If you’re a Maryland business looking to have custom cases professionally designed and manufactured with the powerful tool of injection molding, then you need look no further.
Contact Advanced Packaging Inc.
Advanced Packaging, Inc. was established over 40 years ago with the mission of engineering and delivering the highest quality shipping and cushioning systems available. Since then our worldwide customer base has grown to include those in the military, government, commercial and industrial business sectors, as well as many other industries. API’s local clients value our convenience to the Washington, DC tech corridor.
Not only do we make custom cases for every type of industry, API is also equipped with the latest in quality assurance and process control monitoring technology, including drop testing, protecting your electronic equipment from unforeseen accidents and events. Our team of craftsmen regularly build and then test a variety complex electronic assemblies.
If you have any questions, please contact Advanced Packaging Inc. by calling 1-888-206-5250 or visit our website today!
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+
Source: Custompart.net