Overview
Injection mold designers are faced with the difficult task of designing
a tool that will produce quality thermoplastic products at acceptable
production rates. In addition, the tool must operate consistently over
the long term with minimum maintenance requirements. Unfortunately, the
injection mold is generally a complex piece of tooling, as it must
incorporate many necessary functions.
This three-day seminar on Injection Mold Design should give those
involved in the thermoplastics injection molding industry a strong
fundamental understanding of tooling technology and the underlying
engineering principles in the areas of melt flow, cooling, part ejection
and mold structure.
In addition, the important topic of injection mold instrumentation is
given special consideration as the use of mold pressure and temperature
instrumentation is increasing rapidly. These variables have been shown
to be extremely useful as a measure of process stability and part
quality.
Laboratory workshops will provide participants with an opportunity to
study the injection molding process using instrumented tooling. Students
will also be exposed to some of the latest computer-aided mold design
tools and techniques.
Content
Plastic Materials Behavior
-
Flow properties of plastic melts; thermal behavior/properties;
material shrinkage; test methods; filled/reinforced materials; use
of material data in mold design
Review of the Injection Molding Process
-
Materials handling; plastication/melting; injection phase; packing
and holding phases; cooling phase; part ejection; machine/mold
interactions; machine controls
Fundamentals of Plastic Product Design
Basic Functions and Types of Injection Molds
- Two-plate molds; three-plate molds; insulated/modified molds; hot
runner molds; specialty molds
Sprue Bushings and Nozzles
- Mold location; cold sprue designs; hot/insulated sprues; mounting
and cooling of bushings
Gate Location and Type
- Orientation effects/shrinkage; number of gates; weld lines; core
deflection; types of gates
Cold Runner Systems
- Cavity layout; balanced systems; pressure drops; runner balancing
for family molds; runner cooling
Computer-Aided Mold Design
- Mold filling; mold shrinkage
Structural Design of Injection Molds
- Deflection of cores and cavities; mold support system; clamp surface
area
Venting of Injection Molds
Cavity/Core Insert Mounting
Part Ejection
- Ejection techniques; engineering design of ejection systems;
ejection of undercuts
Mold Cooling and Heating
- Cooling methods; cooling time calculations; fluid flow/heat transfer
considerations
Mold Clamping Systems
Injection Mold Instrumentation
- Mold pressure measurement; mold temperature measurement; parting
line sensors