Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find heated and specialty nozzles to apply resin to your plastic injection mold

Heated nozzles are generally attached to the machine barrel, allowing you to inject the perfect temperature plastic into your plastic injection mold. This plastic injection molding solution keeps the temperature of the plastic constant and can provide other benefits as well, such as improved resin color dispersion and filtering. Heated nozzle tips are generally replaceable, and fit most injection systems from most popular plastic injection molding companies.

I recommend: Get heated and dispersion nozzles from Synventive or pick up replacement nozzle tips from HTC/TOPS-ALL Clamps.

Buy resin for the plastic injection molding process

You'll need to select a plastic injection material for your injection molding. These come in hundreds of different types with many different traits. For instance, some plastics are heat resistant, while others are ultraviolet resistant or chemical resistant. Plastics for injection molding also come in varying colors and hardnesses. What you choose will depend on the type of product you wish to make, any industry safety standards you must follow, and what type of injection molding machine you will use.

I recommend: Get plastic resin from ExxonMobil Chemical, or Plastics International.

Purchase injection mold cleaner for plastic molds

A plastic mold cleaner should always be included in your supplies for plastic injection molds. This type of cleaner is generally found in spray form, and removes resins and lubricants from the mold. Mold cleaner should be used when resin or plastic builds up in the mold, causing deformations and pitting in your molded product. Always make sure that the resin cleaner will not harm your mold before using it. In extreme cases, mold cleaners can even be used to clean and rescue molds that would normally have to be discarded after several uses.

I recommend: Find injection mold cleaner at Complete Plastics and the Price-Driscoll Corporation.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Injection mold equipment manufacturers often sell items like heated nozzles and other supplies for plastic injection molds that are suited for their particular system models. In addition, most manufacturers can recommend mold cleaner products to use on their systems.

1. Hot runner plastic molds have advantages over cold runner molds.
2. Manufacturers offer test runs so you can get the bugs out of your plastic injection molding process.
3. Not all manufacturers are equipped to handle odd-shaped projects.
   

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The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose between cold runner plastic molds and hot runner molds

A cold runner mold initially injects the plastic into a runner system where it is redirected to the individual cavities and has a lower start-up cost. Hot runner plastic injection molds inject the plastic directly into the cavities and therefore requires less handling.

I recommend: Find a plastic molding company such as BMJ Molding that performs both types of plastic molding for a less biased comparison of the two techniques. LongMold Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in making runners for both types of plastic molds.

Sample different plastic injection processes to find the best one for your part

Many full-service plastic mold manufacturers offer mold tryouts and limited production runs. This allows you to find defects in your molding process before tooling up for full-scale production.

I recommend: Get a full range of production runs for plastic injection molding at Dynamic. Get consultation on the plastic molding process from concept to finished product at ACM Molders.

Use a company experienced in plastic part design for unusual parts

Some types of plastic parts do not lend themselves to the plastic molding process and may require special expertise in designing the part.

I recommend: Get a quote from Plastic Mold Designs, a company that specializes in molding plastic parts that are not well-designed for injection molding. Tech Molded Plastics also has substantial experience with difficult projects in plastic molding.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Fill new plastic molds slowly to 99% capacity. Apply a holding pressure until gate freeze-off has occurred and increase the pressure until the parts no longer have sinks. Produce a setting sheet to repeat the desired results.

Guide to Plastic Injection Molds Key Terms

Use plastic injection molds terminology with confidence

By R.N. Dolgener, Special Education Teacher

Action Steps
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Order prototypes from plastic injection mold technology companies

You'll need certain plastic injection mold information just to order a quote for prototype production. First of all, you need to know the number of cavities and their purposes within the product design. You will need to provide the molding company with information about whether the runner system will use hot or cold sprue, what kind of polymer you want used for production, and what type of finish -- high-gloss, sandblasted or textured, for instance -- you'll want your prototype to exhibit.

I recommend: Learn the terms you'll need when ordering injection molding for plastic from Protomold, then visit LongMold Technology to see a sample quote form.

Research plastic injection molding solutions to save money on production

As affordable plastic injection molds go, it may still be more cost-effective for your business to order molded parts from an experienced manufacturer. What you don't know could cost you money, however. Your part design may not allow for a standard draft angle for removal from the mold, for instance, but if you adjust the design slightly to allow a small opening in the part, you can avoid serious retooling lead time and extra expense.

I recommend: View examples of plastic injection molding solutions and schematics through eFunda. Read up on computer-aided design (CAD) considerations and see a sample CAD rendering of a boss structure from Engineer's Edge.

Find information on plastic injection molds when in the market for special orders

Traditional plastic injection molding companies may not always fit the bill; when you need rapid-fire production or have orders that require quick redesign, retooling and prototyping, you have to understand exactly what's involved in the process to avoid extra charges. Also, understanding the technology will help you remain realistic as you search for a plastic injection molding solution to your current dilemma.

I recommend: Get in-depth information on rapid prototyping and test your understanding of plastic injection molding company terminology with 3-Dimensional Services Group. Or, learn more with "A Practical Guide to Prototyping" from Design Prototyping Technologies.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When ordering prototypes made through plastic injection molds, know what type of resin you'll be using in production before you design the CAD model. The type of resin used will determine the thickness of your prototype's walls, which should only be thin on smaller parts.