Introduction

Injection molding machine, also known as injection molding machine or injection machine, is the main molding equipment that uses plastic molding molds, that is, injection molding machines, to make plastic products of various shapes from thermoplastics or thermosetting plastics.

It’s also the equipment that does the most important job in the modern plastic injection molding process. So,What are the injection molding advantages ? what are the benefits of injection molding machines? This article explains the benefits of injection molding machines.

What is the Working Principle of Injection Molding Machine?

plastic injection molding is a manufacturing molding processes in which a plastic polymer is melted and then solidified under pressure in a pre-machined injection molds to form a specific shape of injection molded parts .

Injection molding machine is a special machine for manufacturing plastic components, which consists of two main parts: injection device and clamping device. When the injection molding machine is running, the screw rotates, and the plastic rubs and moves against the inner wall of the barrel, the bottom surface of the screw groove, the screw edge pushing surface, and between the plastics.

The plastic is pushed forward by these movements, and the heat generated by friction is absorbed to increase the temperature of the plastic and melt the plastic.

 What are the Structural Components of the Injection Molding Machine?

Injection molding machines typically consist of an injection system, clamping system, hydraulic transmission system, electrical control system, lubrication system, heating and cooling system, safety monitoring system, and so on.

Injection System

The injection system is the most important part of the injection molding machine. Its job is to inject a certain amount of molten plastic into the mold cavity at a certain pressure and speed.The injection system consists of two parts: the plasticizing device and the power transmission device.

The plasticizing device of the screw injection molding machine mainly includes a feeding device, a barrel, a screw, and so on. The power transmission device includes an injection cylinder, a moving cylinder, and a drive device.

Clamping System

The clamping system is responsible for closing and opening the mold and ejecting the product. It also provides enough force to keep the mold closed during injection molding, preventing gaps that could cause defects like flash on the product.

The clamping system of the injection molding machine consists of the clamping device, the ejection mechanism, the safety protection mechanism, and so on.

Hydraulic System

The hydraulic transmission system is there to give power for all the different things the injection molding machine needs to do, and to make sure that all the different parts of the injection molding machine have the right amount of pressure, speed, and temperature.

It is mainly made up of various hydraulic components and hydraulic auxiliary components, among which the oil pump and the motor are the power source of the injection molding machine. Various valves control the oil pressure and flow rate to meet the various requirements of the injection molding process.

Electrical Control System

The electrical control system and the hydraulic system work together to meet the process requirements of the injection molding machine, such as pressure, temperature, speed, time, and various program actions.

It is mainly made up of electrical appliances, electronic components, instruments, heaters, sensors, etc. There are generally four control methods, manual, semi-automatic, fully automatic, and adjustment.

Heating/Cooling System

The heating system is used to heat the barrel and injection nozzle. The barrel of the injection molding machine usually uses an electric heating ring as a heating device, which is installed on the outside of the barrel and detected in sections with a thermocouple. Heat is conducted through the barrel wall to provide a heat source for material plasticization.

The cooling system is mainly used to cool the oil temperature. If the oil temperature is too high, it will cause a lot of faults, so the oil temperature must be controlled.

Another place that needs to be cooled is near the discharge port of the material pipe. If it is not cooled, the raw material will melt at the discharge port, resulting in the failure of the raw material to be discharged normally.

Lubrication System

The lubrication system is a circuit that provides lubrication conditions for the relative moving parts of the injection molding machine, such as the dynamic platen, mold adjustment device, connecting rod hinge, etc., in order to reduce energy consumption and increase the life of parts. Lubrication can be regular manual lubrication or automatic electric lubrication.

Safety Protection and Monitoring System

The safety device of the injection molding machine is mainly used to protect the safety of people and machines. It is mainly composed of safety doors, hydraulic valves, limit switches, photoelectric detection elements, etc., to achieve electrical-mechanical-hydraulic interlocking protection.

The monitoring system primarily monitors the oil temperature, material temperature, system overload, and process and equipment failures of the injection molding machine, and indicates or alarms when abnormal conditions are detected.

What Types of Injection Molding Machines are There?

Horizontal Injection Molding Machine

A horizontal injection molding machine is a commonly used type. It has the advantage of having the center line of the injection assembly concentric or consistent with the center line of the clamping assembly and parallel to the installation ground.

It has the advantages of low center of gravity, stable operation, convenient mold installation, operation and maintenance, large mold opening, small space height; but it occupies a large area, and is widely used in large, medium and small machines.

Vertical Injection Molding Machine

It has the following characteristics: the clamping device and the injection device are arranged in a straight line and perpendicular to the ground. It has the advantages of small footprint, convenient mold assembly and disassembly, easy installation of inserts, relatively uniform plasticization of materials falling from the hopper, easy automation and automatic line management of multiple machines.

But it is not easy for the product to fall automatically after being ejected, and it must be removed by hand, which is not easy to achieve automatic operation.

The vertical injection molding machine sealing machine is suitable for small injection molding machines, generally more for injection molding machines below 60 tons (60 tons refers to the clamping force), and large and medium-sized machines are not suitable.

Angle Injection Molding Machine

The injection direction and mold interface are on the same plane. It is especially suitable for flat products that cannot have gate marks in the machining center. It takes up less space than a horizontal injection molding machine, but the inserts placed in the mold are prone to tilting and falling.

Multi-Mode Turntable Injection Molding Machine

It’s a special injection molding machine with multi-station operation. The characteristic is that the manual packing machine mold clamping device adopts a turntable structure, and the mold rotates around the rotating shaft.

This type of injection molding machine fully utilizes the plasticizing ability of the injection device, which can shorten the production cycle and improve the production capacity of the machine.

But because the mold clamping system is large and complex, the mold clamping force of the mold clamping device is often small, so this type of injection molding machine is widely used in the production of products such as plastic soles.

What are the Advantages of Injection Molding Machines?

Efficient Production

The injection molding machine has a fast production speed and high production efficiency. It can be automated and the efficiency is significantly improved. Multiple items can be obtained in one molding, which greatly improves the manufacturing efficiency and can meet the needs of large-scale production. Thereby reducing the unit manufacturing costs of the product.

Energy Saving and Environmental Protection

Injection molding machines have made great strides in energy saving and environmental protection thanks to technological advancements.

For example, some advanced injection molding machines have an energy-saving design and an efficient heating system, which can effectively reduce energy consumption. At the same time, by optimizing the production process and recycling waste plastics, pollution to the environment can be reduced.

When making an injection molding machine, you can adjust the production parameters to get the best use of raw materials. Plus, the injection molding machine doesn’t make much waste, so it’s good for the environment.

When you use the injection molding machine, there is no noise, pollution and other environmental pollution. Under the requirements of modern factories, it is more suitable for the production environment of the enterprise, achieving energy conservation and environmental protection, and helping to prevent fire and other related safety issues.

High Manufacturing Precision

In the manufacturing process , The injection molding machine is able to achieve high-precision manufacturing, and the products it produces can reach precise dimensions, reducing manual operation errors and improving production efficiency.

Injection molding machines can produce a large number of plastic products continuously and stably in a short period of time, greatly improving production efficiency. At the same time, its high-precision processing technology ensures the consistency and accuracy of the products, meeting the requirements of various complex shapes and sizes.

In the manufacturing processes , The control system of the injection molding machine is very accurate, and can accurately control each link such as material delivery, heating, and injection, so that the dimensional accuracy of the workpiece is as high as +/-0.1 mm, ensuring that the products produced meet the requirements in size and appearance.

Stable Production Quality

Compared with 3D printing , Injection molding machines can accurately control parameters such as material temperature, pressure, and speed, ensuring the quality stability of products. The use of injection molding machines can avoid product differences caused by different worker skills in manual operation, improving the consistency and quality of production.

Reducing the Labor Intensity of Workers

Compared to manual operation, the use of injection molding machines can greatly reduce the labor intensity of workers. Injection molding machines don’t require workers to do periodic repetitive labor, which can effectively reduce the labor burden of workers and improve their work efficiency and quality of life.

Plus, injection molding machines can do automated production, reduce the amount of manual labor, and are better for production workshops that make a lot of stuff.

Fully Automated Production

You can make injection molding machines that are fully automated, which will reduce the number of mistakes made by people and the amount of quality control you have to do. Injection molding machines are more automated and make things faster than the old way of doing things.

Modern injection molding machines are usually equipped with advanced control systems and human-machine interfaces, making operation simple and intuitive. Even non-professionals can quickly get started after simple training.

Wide Application of Raw Materials

Injection molding machines can handle a variety of types of plastic raw materials, including thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. This enables injection molding machines to produce a variety of different types of plastic products to meet different market needs.

Injection molding machines can process a wide range of materials, like PP, PE, PS, PVC, ABS, PC, etc., which can be used to make all kinds of plastic products. Also, during the production process of the injection molding machine, you can add various additives and pigments to meet the needs of different fields.

Reduce Costs

Using injection molding machines for production and manufacturing can help reduce production costs, improve production efficiency, minimize manual operations, and reduce waste of raw materials. The efficient production advantages of injection molding machines can effectively reduce production costs.

Injection molding machines have a low production cost and don’t require much manual maintenance and operation. They can greatly reduce the production scrap rate and cut down on labor and repair costs for businesses.

Wide Application

Injection molding machines have been widely used in many industries like automotive parts, household appliances, and medical devices. According to the different requirements and characteristics of the products, various types of injection molding machines can flexibly adjust parameters to ensure product quality and process requirements.

Injection molding machines can make plastic products in different shapes and sizes, like parts, containers, shells, and so on. That’s why injection molding machines are used in many industries, like cars, electronics, medical, and packaging.

What are the Application Scenarios of Injection Molding Machines?

One of the biggest uses of injection molding machines is in the automotive industry. design injection molding to finally manufacture injection molded products , You’ll see that car parts like bumpers, dashboards, and even smaller components are often made using these amazing machines. This method allows manufacturers to make a lot of the same plastic parts with precision and speed.

You might also see injection molding machines playing a big role in the consumer goods industry. Stuff you use every day – like toothbrushes, storage containers, or toys – all start their journey in an injection mold. The machine’s ability to make a lot of stuff fast makes it a great solution for mass-producing products.

Another area where these machines are indispensable is medical device manufacturing. They are used to create components for devices like syringes, implants, and surgical instruments. Given how critical these products are, the level of precision that injection molding provides is absolutely vital.

Aside from these applications, there are a lot of industries that rely on injection molding machines for their production needs. For example, electronics like mobile phone and laptop casings, construction like plastic pipes and fittings, and packaging like bottle caps and food containers.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the use of injection molding machines has made production faster, made sure the stuff we make is good, made it so people don’t have to work as hard, and made life better. Injection molding machines are a big deal in the world of making stuff and being smart about it.