Injection Mold Components-Choosing Ejector Pins

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The best plastic injection mold in the world will fail if something as simple as an ejector pin fails! That is why choosing the right pin for the job is important. Saving money on poor quality mold components just does not make sense in the long run.

You can find out about the various types of injection mold components,including ejector pins, and find a great supplier list on our web site. Injection mold components are often overlooked because they are so common. Yet they can spell trouble if you choose the wrong type

Using Coated Carbide Inserts In Mold Making

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Plastic injection mold makers face a very daunting task when it comes to picking the correct coating for carbide inserts. Just consider the number of quality companies offering carbide inserts, plus the geometries and coatings available from each company!

Add the choices for carbide insert substrates, coolants, high speed machining and the many types of tool steels used in mold making and the selection process becomes even more complicated.

This article is one of a series dealing with carbide inserts, specifically the coatings used. There are quite a few coatings in use for the machining of injection mold cores and cavities. Our discussion will focus on the milling of cores and cavities rather than mold bases.

Carbide inserts are comprised of three main features:

  • Substrate material
  • Type of coating
  • Insert geometry

What are substrates?The substrate is the base material used in the carbide insert. Most thinly coated carbide inserts use tungsten carbide, grade C-2. This is commonly used for a wide range of coated inserts, and it is increasingly less important what type of carbide substrate is used because the coatings are so efficient. However, there are many grades of substrates that can be used depending on the application.

How are coatings applied to the substrate?

The various coatings used on carbide inserts, such as diamond coatings, are applied by chemical vapor deposition, or CVD. The diamond must stick to the substrate with very strong adhesion in order to function well in a machining application.

Carbide Inserts In Injection Mold Making

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My appreciation for carbide inserts was dramatically increased recently. You see, I had to do some manual lathe work and needed a special tool bit for my project. As I looked through my box of lathe tool bits I came across a very old one I inherited from my grandfather.

Out of curiosity I set it up and tried to cut the contour in my H-13 core. Hmm.. there was a problem; it wouldn’t even cut the steel! Fortunately, I found the carbide inserts that I was looking for and was soon making all the chips I ever wanted.

Besides the rather slow process I was involved in on the manual lathe, carbide inserts are such an important part of any injection mold making operation that the entire process would simply come to a screeching halt without them.

Carbide inserts are an absolute necessity in any 5-axis milling operation, CNC turning operations, 3 axis milling, and any manual milling or turning. Just try to imagine life without your carbide inserts!

What kind of carbide inserts are the best?

The best carbide inserts are the ones that do the job best for your particular application. One reason there are so many excellent choices is because there are so many different requirements. One shop might specialize in high speed milling, while another needs carbide inserts for hogging off massive amounts of stock. There are many very good companies offering high quality carbide inserts.

Who are some of the leading suppliers for mold making?

Find out all about carbide inserts on our website, http://global-plastic-injection-molding.com

What About The Rotational Molding Process

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The rotational molding process is a commonly used method of manufacturing for many items we all use on a daily basis. Some good examples would include bulk tanks, canoes, kayaks, helmets, footballs, playground equipment, bins and refuse containers.
Another name for the rotational molding process is rotomolding, or rotomoulding. It is one of those processes that people take for granted and scarcely ever even notice. Yet it includes many products we all use and enjoy.
In the past, rotomolding was very slow and had a very limited application. With the ever advancing technologies of modern industry it has become more efficient and has a broader area of application.

What plastics can use the rotational molding process?
The main plastic used is the polyethylene family of plastics; PE, HDPE, LLDPE and HDPE. A few other plastics used in rotomolding include nylon, PVC, and polypropylene.
Why is it called the rotational molding process?
It is called the rotational molding process because the mold rotates! It actually rotates in two axes. This is to enable the plastic to be evenly distributed over the molding surface of the mold. In the rotational molding process, a predetermined amount of plastic powder is placed in the mold and heated to it’s melting point. The mold is then rotated in two axes, which spreads the molten plastic over the face of the mold.
Find out more about the rotational molding process at our website: Global Plastic Injection Molding

Is Precision Surface Grinding A Thing Of The Past

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I have heard the same story so many times: precision surface grinding is obsolete. The use of manual surface grinders is a thing of the past, etc.

The odd thing is that there are always injection mold makers standing there performing precision surface grinding when this is said by the salesman who is showing clients through the shop!

It is true though that WEDM has replaced a huge amount of precision surface grinding. Anyone I know is very thankful for this! Not many people miss the days of elaborate setups required for contour grinding, for example.

How is precision surface grinding used in Plastic Injection tooling?


First, there should be a distinction between manual surface grinding and hydraulic surface grinding. For the purpose of this article, manual surface grinding means the grinding of mold components, such as core pins, slides, lifters, core and cavity details, etc. Hydraulic surface grinding refers primarily to squaring up blocks and plates for subsequent machinings, such as CNC milling.

Some common applications of manual surface grinding are:

  • Finishing shut-offs on core and cavity blocks
  • Making lifters
  • Finishing core pins and inserts
  • Electrode manufacture
  • Ejector pin grinding
  • Finishing slides and cam blocks
  • Squaring up small inserts and blocks after heat-treat

Why apprentices should do a lot of precision surface grinding

You can read the entire article about precision surface grinding on our website:  https://www.plasticmold.net/

Injection Molding Technology

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Recent developments in domestic Injection Mold Design in the following aspects should focus:


(1) improve the metallurgical quality, increase variety specification, bad material products change, change

Adopt the advanced equipment and technology, using advanced metallurgy method and process, such as refining outside the furnace slag, electricity, the vacuum remelting process, multiplex forged, precise forging, fine rolling, the production high quality steel; dramatically Increase production high uniformity and higher to sex module, flat, industry, plank, etc. Through the machining, quenching and tempering treatment methods of providing products and the quality of Injection Mold Design products themselves. Our country the rich alloy resources and labor resources into steel product superiority, improve the international market competitiveness, expand exports, this is our country steel development of strategic objectives.

(2) development, popularize and apply new mold steels

Domestic new 2D Mold Design to develop a new variety, but 
the space is very big still, steel and some new steel grade. these steel performance needs to be improved. Such as aluminum alloy casting increasingly large developed aluminum alloy die-casting, steel is still a large task. And as in recent years, the development of construction developed low price and soon wear high, have enough of ceramics, tenacity refractory steel mold is also an urgent problem to be solved.
In view of new Custom Mold Design can be greatly improved service life and can solve the mould Design, manufacture, use, the repair of production and technical problems, can gain the great benefit, and shall generalizing applied new steel Mold, is expected to new YingYongLiang nano number increases year by year. Also should attach importance to the old steel grade. these steel use, through the rational choice materials, using new craft, enhances strong points and avoid weaknesses, exert its greater utility.

(3) establish a mold material timber expert system

As products breed diversification, mold conditions complicate, reasonable selection material more important and urgent. The existing research accumulated lots of data, and on this basis added sound calibrated performance data, summarizes the domestic and foreign technology in mould material, with the latest achievements and experience more widespread popularization application of the modern computer technology, to establish a team with guidance of strong, advanced, reliable, practical tool selection timber expert system is imperative.

(4) establishing the plastic mold steels series

The plastics industry develops very quickly, Plastic products widely used in agriculture, machinery, chemical, construction, toy, daily necessities, automobile, lamps and lanterns, household appliances, demand is big, high-quality requirements, correspondingly, the Plastic Mold steel demand has increased rapidly in quantity, the use of performance, technology of steel performance also raised taller requirement. But now Plastic Mold material chaos, not to have zhang abide, optional the gender is big, the impact of the die longevity, also influence plastic products quality and market competitiveness, need through manufacture, introduction, supplement and perfect the suitable for China, establishing nichel plastic mold steels series, make plastic mold steels smelting, quality control, supply, materials, processing and use level a new stage order.

(5) strengthen the surface treatment technology application

Surface treatment was able to keep the original compositions and mold the core based on the performance, gift mould surface special use.it can (mainly wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc.), greatly improved the die longevity, broaden the scope of steel application of low price, also can replace the high price tool steel, therefore has the broad application prospect by all over the world, attention. Our country should strengthen basic theory and application of the surface treatment, USES the advanced equipment and technology to many kinds, high-quality surface treatment is widely used in the mould.

Carbide Inserts: What Is Carbide

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As the demand for better cutting tools increases, cutting tool suppliers also continuously develop products that can pass manufacturers’ demands.

Through the years, a lot of materials for the manufacture of cutting tools have been experimented upon; some have passed the standards while others were simply dropped.

Today, there are only two types of cutting tools heavily favored in the machining industry: high-speed steel (HSS) cutting tools and carbide cutting tools; and it seems that carbide, especially carbide inserts have slightly overtaken the other in popularity.

You can find out just how carbide is made and why it is so popular on our website: www.global-plastic-injection-molding.com

Five Axis Machining And Workholding

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Five-axis machining is here to stay and most modern injection mold making shops use it on a daily basis. Finding the right work holding device is critical to success in 5 axis machining.

Five axis machining offers many benefits for injection mold making and is rapidly becoming the norm in CNC milling. One of the problems associated with 5 axis milling is workholding. How do you hold your workpiece to effectively machine 5 sides of the workpiece?

Two of the more common approaches to 5 sided machining are mechanical clamping systems and work holding magnets. It does not make economic sense to invest in a high end 5 axis milling machine and skimp on the work holding. The maximum benefits can realistically only be realized with proper tooling.

Read the entire article about five-axis machining and work holding and learn how to be more competitive!
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Grinding Wheel Dressers And Precision Surface Grinding

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Despite the fact that a great deal of precision surface grinding has been replaced by Wire EDM, there is still a demand for the skillful use of grinding wheel dressers. This is one of those toolmaking skills that requires considerable time and patience to master.

The skill to accurately dress angles and radii on surface grinding wheels is half art and half science, well maybe mostly science. However, it does take considerable experience to become accomplished and accurate.

Find out which wheel dressers are the best and why on our site: Global Plastic Injection Molding