Plastic molding technology continues evolving with the market and with the advances in science. Plastic molding is the process used in producing plastic components for a variety of industries.
When plastic molding resin materials are heated the resin will flow, and can then be injected into a mold. A plastic mold consists of two halves referred to as the “A” side (cavity side) and the “B” side (core side). The “A” side is where the molten plastic enters the mold, and the “B” side contains the ejector system which removes the parts from the mold.
Plastic molds are required to have many components in order to make high-quality plastic parts. Below is some of the terminology used to describe the components and processes that are required when producing injection molded parts:
Sprue – this connects the nozzle of the injection molding machine to the main runner, or cavity
Runner – this component conveys the melted plastic from the sprue to the gate and into the part
Gates – these are the openings that allow the molten plastic to be injected into the cavities of the mold
Cold Runner mold – this design involves the plastic entering into the “sprue” and then traveling through the “runner” where it then enters the part cavities through the various “gates.”
Hot Runner mold – this design is an assembly of heated components used to inject molten plastic into the cavities of the mold. Hot Runner mold usually makes mold more expensive to manufacture but allow savings by reducing plastic waste and reducing the cycle time.
When observing plastic molding products, you will often see a line running between different sides of the finished plastic part.
Here are some descriptions of why parts have a specific appearance:
The Parting Line – this occurs anywhere there are any two pieces of mold that meet.
There are also several configurations of plastic molds. These configurations are described as follows:
The Two Plate Mold – consists of one parting line where the mold splits into two halves. The sprue, runners, gates, and cavities are all on the same side of the mold.
The Three Plate Mold – has a runner plate in between a moving half and a fixed half. These molds will have two parting lines and are used because of their flexibility in gating locations.
An Unscrewing Mold – is what is used when there is a requirement for male or female threads on a plastic component
The Action Mold – these consist of a mechanical cam action incorporated in their design, when a hole, slot, undercut or thread is needed that is not perpendicular to the parting line.
The MUD Unit Mold– these are standard frameworks for toolsets (u-frame), which allow for custom-machined tooling inserts to be made for specific components.
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