Time Still to Register For PT Tech Days
It’s free. It’s online. It’s scheduled every Thursday through December. And you can register now to hear technology experts address a wide range of topics in plastics processing.
Jim Callari
Editorial Director, Plastics Technology
RJG Opens New Training Lab in Germany
RJG Germany GmbH opened its new training lab on Jan. 1, 2020, including a classroom that seats up to 20 students and a fully-equipped lab for hands-on experience.
RJG Helps Bring Molding Training to Nebraska College
Central Community College (CCC) to embed RJG education into curriculum when new training lab is completed in the beginning of 2020.
Mold-Clamping Details for Profit
Taking time to sweat the details of clamping is not much fun, but they do make a difference in a company’s bottom line.
Process Capability and the ‘Hesitation Effect’
Understanding the concepts of pack and hold and applying them during process development is critical for molders to achieve consistent part quality.
PART 2: The Importance of Consistent Fill Time
To make identical parts, you need to keep fill time constant. In part one we covered the why. Here’s the how.
Best of…Best Practices in Injection Molding
Fifty expert speakers at Plastics Technology’s annual Molding Conference will offer their insights to help you optimize your process.
Make Your Mark in Plastics Technology’s 'Top Shops' Survey
Benchmark your injection molding operation by being a part of our annual survey. Learn more about “best-in-class” practices that separate the tops shops from the rest.
Jim Callari
Editorial Director, Plastics Technology
Part 1: The Importance of Consistent Fill Time
To make identical parts, you need to keep fill time constant. Here’s why.
Injection Molding: Sliding vs. Locking Ring—Which Non-Return Valve Is Right for You?
The locking-ring style appears to dominate the market, as most believe it makes a make a better seal and leaks less. But is this really so?
Up to Snuff on Scientific Molding? Then it’s Time to Mold ‘Systematically’
Scientific molding is centered around learning about key molding principles and theories. The strategic application of those principles and theories is what’s known as systematic molding.
Injection Molding: Is There a ‘Most-Important’ Process Parameter?
A case can be made for multiple variables—fill balance, fill time, injection pressure, cavity pressure—as most important. But there is something else altogether that is essential to successful injection molding.
Improving Molding Process Capability: The Role of the Five Essential Pillars, Part 2
Each contributes to molded-part quality, and each must be optimized before production begins.
Injection Molding: Fill Based on Volume, Not Weight
Most parts should be 90-99% full after first-stage—by volume not weight. Here’s why that’s important and how to make a first-stage-only part.
Graphing Injection Pressure: What Should Pack & Hold Curves Show?
Are you sure your press is doing what you want? Visit your controller often to ensure your machines plot the pressure vs. time graph for all your processes. Here let’s focus on pack and hold.
John Bozzelli
Injection Molding: Safety First—Know the Compatibility of Different Resins
Certain materials don’t play well together when mixed. So it’s best not to. Here are some guidelines.
Injection Molding: Process Documentation Is Crucial to Making ‘Identical’ Parts
Use a machine/mold setup sheet to document plastic parameters and use them on any acceptable machine into which the mold is placed.
Automate Injection Molding Simulation With Autonomous Optimization
Simulation not only predicts how a mold will fill, but also provides guidance to make it fill better. The new technology of Autonomous Optimization automatically performs hundreds or thousands of simulations, testing multiple variables—gating, venting and cooling, for example—and learning which combinations help achieve objectives for injection pressure, cycle time, warpage, etc.
Improving Molding Process Capability: Understanding the PVT Graph, Part 1
Process capability is related to the variation in part dimensions from shot to shot. High values of process capability require the shrinkage of the material to be identical on each shot, which can be confirmed from the pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) graph.
Getting Started with Medical Molding: First Consider the ‘Four E’s’
Global medical molder Nypro provides first-hand guidance on what you need to get into the medical molding business.
Injection Molding: A Practical Approach to Calculating Residence Time
Toss the formulas. The best way to determine residence time is to conduct a simple experiment.
The 'Butterfly Effect' in Injection Molding—A Connected Process
In injection molding, a seemingly minor change in a setpoint can have a significant impact on part quality and process robustness and repeatability. That’s why Scientific Molding focuses on process outputs, not setpoints.
Robert Gattshall
, Scientific Molding Columnist
Injection Molding: How Backpressure Adjustments Influence Shot Size
Raising backpressure results in increasing shot size, which can cause a host of other problems.
A New Way to Mold Better Parts Faster and Easier
A new injection molding process ‘breaks all the rules’ by using low, constant pressure to achieve faster cycles and better-quality parts.
Injection Molding: How to Set Barrel Zone Temps
Start by picking a target melt temperature, and double-check data sheets for the resin supplier’s recommendations. Now for the rest...
Injection Molding: Melting Amorphous vs. Semi-Crystalline Plastics
Understanding the differences in how each melts is crucial to obtaining melt uniformity.
'Engage, Innovate, Evolve': Future-Oriented Culture at Octex Group
Using science, technology, and talent to give high-tech customers unprecedented speed to market.
Determining Vent Depths in Injection Molding
Experiments reveal the relationship between vent depths and part thickness, allowing molders and moldmakers to more precisely determine vent dimensions.