As manufacturing technology keeps getting better and society keeps changing, injection molding is a common way to make stuff. It’s a big deal because it helps make things lighter, faster, and cheaper. This article will talk about how to make things lighter and better by making the injection molding process and design better, and by using new stuff like micro-foam injection molding.

Ⅰ.What Factors Affect the Weight of Injection Molded Parts?

1. Material Density

Different materials have different densities. So, when you use the same design to make injection molded parts out of different materials, they will weigh different amounts.

2. Shape and Size of Injection Molded Parts

Different shapes and sizes of injection molded parts will have different weights.

3. Wall Thickness

For injection molded parts of the same weight, the thicker the wall thickness, the stronger and stiffer the part will be, but it will also be heavier.

4. Processing Technology

The weight of injection molded parts is also affected by the processing technology.

Ⅱ.What is the Weight Range of Injection Molded Parts?

The weight of injection molded parts is different, mainly determined by the above factors. However, generally speaking, the weight of injection molded parts ranges from tens of grams to several kilograms, and the weight of different injection molded parts varies greatly.

Ⅲ.Methods to Reduce the Weight of Injection Molded Parts

1. Adjust Temperature

The temperature control of the injection molding machine has a great impact on the weight of the product. First, you can try to lower the injection molding temperature and reduce the flow ability of the plastic during the injection molding process to achieve the purpose of reducing the weight of the product. In addition, increasing the temperature and adjusting the cooling time in the plasticizing area of the injection molding machine can better plasticize and cool the plastic, and can also shorten the injection time, thereby reducing the weight of the product.

2. Adjust Pressure

If you want to reduce the weight of your product, you can adjust the pressure of your injection molding machine. In general, increasing the injection pressure will help the plastic fill the mold cavity more completely, which will reduce bubbles and make the product lighter. However, if you increase the pressure too much, you might end up with rough or burry surfaces. So, when you adjust the pressure, you also need to make sure you keep the injection speed at a good level.

3. Adjust Speed

Another way to reduce the weight of the product is to adjust the speed of the injection molding machine. In general, reducing the injection speed can help distribute the plastic more evenly in the mold, which in turn reduces the weight of the product. Of course, when adjusting the speed, you need to find a balance between the injection speed and the injection pressure to achieve the desired injection molding effect.

4. Adjust the Mold

Besides tweaking the parameters of the injection molding machine, adjusting the mold is another way to solve the problem of excessive product weight. If the plastic feed system and runner system of the mold aren’t designed well enough or the structure isn’t tight, it can easily lead to uneven flow of plastic or the inability to completely fill the mold cavity. So when adjusting the mold, you need to design the flow channel and glue feeding system well and check whether the mold structure is tight to make sure the plastic can fully fill the mold cavity, thereby reducing the weight of the product.

5. Reduce Raw Material Usage

The weight of the product made by the injection molding machine is mainly determined by the amount of raw materials used. Reducing the amount of raw materials used is an effective way to reduce product weight. This can be done by adjusting parameters such as injection volume, injection pressure, mold temperature and cooling time.

6. Optimize Product Design

Good product design can make the product lighter without affecting its function. You can make the product lighter by optimizing the structure, reducing the number of parts as much as possible, and using different materials. But you also have to think about the stability and reliability of the product to make sure it’s good enough.

To solve the problem of overweight injection molding products, you can adjust the temperature, pressure, speed, and mold of the injection molding machine. When adjusting, you need to pay attention to the coordination and stability of the parameters to get the right injection molding effect.

Ⅳ.Methods to Reduce the Weight of Injection Molding Rubber Tracks

The rubber channel for injection molding is a key part of the injection molding process, which directly affects the quality and cost of the product. In the injection molding channel, material consumption plays an important role in the weight of the product. Therefore, reducing the weight of the injection molding rubber channel is an important means to reduce product costs and improve competitiveness.

1. Optimize Design

①Reduce Wall Thickness

To reduce the weight of injection molded rubber channels, you can reduce the wall thickness of the injection molded parts. By analyzing the product’s usage environment, stress conditions, etc., you can rationally reduce the wall thickness of the injection molded parts. This can not only reduce material consumption, but also ensure the strength and stiffness of the product.

②Add Reinforcing Ribs

Adding some reinforcement ribs to the injection molding rubber track can increase the stiffness and strength of the injection molded part while keeping it lightweight. The design of the ribs needs to consider the feasibility of the injection molding process to make sure the ribs can work well.

③Optimize Structure

By optimizing the structure of the injection molded parts, we can further reduce the weight of the injection molding track. For example, using hollow structures and reducing unnecessary connectors can effectively reduce the weight of injection molded parts.

2. Material Selection

①Lightweight Materials

Using lightweight materials is an important way to reduce the weight of injection molding tracks. For example, using high molecular polymer materials instead of traditional materials can reduce the weight of injection molding rubber channels while ensuring product performance.

②High Strength Material

If you choose high-strength materials, you can make the product stronger and stiffer without making the injection molding track heavier. High-strength materials can handle bigger loads, so you can make the product’s walls thinner and make the injection molding track lighter.

③Composite Materials

Composite materials are lightweight and high-strength, which makes them ideal for reducing the weight of injection molding tracks. By selecting the right fiber reinforcements and matrix materials, you can effectively reduce the weight of the injection molding track.

3. Process Adjustment

①Optimize Injection Molding Process Parameters

By optimizing the injection molding process parameters, the weight of the injection molding rubber track can be reduced. For example, adjusting injection speed, pressure, temperature and other parameters can reduce material consumption and improve the filling performance of injection molding rubber channels.

②Use Multi-Cavity Mold

Using multi-cavity molds can improve the production efficiency of the injection molding rubber channel and reduce the weight of the injection molding rubber channel. Multi-cavity molds can inject multiple products at the same time, reducing the length of the injection molding tunnel and material consumption.

③Use Advanced Injection Molding Equipment

Using advanced injection molding equipment can improve the production efficiency and product quality of injection molding rubber channels. Advanced injection molding equipment has higher control accuracy and stability, which can reduce the scrap rate and reduce the weight of the injection molding rubber channel.

In a nutshell, by optimizing design, selecting materials wisely, and adjusting processes, we can effectively reduce the weight of injection molded tracks. This not only cuts costs and boosts competitiveness, but also saves resources and protects the environment. When it comes to reducing the weight of injection molded rubber tracks, companies should consider their own circumstances, take all factors into account, and choose methods and strategies that work best for them to get the job done right.

Ⅴ. Part Weight Reduction Design Principles

1. Material Selection

To reduce part weight, you need to choose lightweight materials. Some common lightweight materials are peek (polyetheretherketone) and PP (polyolefin material). These materials have a high strength-to-weight ratio, so they can reduce part weight while still being strong enough.

2. Structural Optimization

Make parts stronger and lighter through structural optimization. Structural optimization includes topology optimization, shape optimization, hole optimization, and other methods. By optimizing the shape and hole layout of the part during the design process, you can effectively reduce the weight of the part.

3. Hollow Design

By making better use of the space inside parts and designing parts with more hollow areas, you can make parts lighter. You make parts lighter by using less material and by making parts less dense.

4. Reduce Wall Thickness

To make sure the parts are strong and stiff, make the walls as thin as you can. When you make the walls thinner, the part weighs less.

5. Strength Analysis

Do strength analysis to reasonably figure out the size and shape of parts. By doing strength analysis, you can figure out the load on the part under working conditions, and you can figure out the size of the part based on the load to make the part lighter.

6. Interface Design

Design the interface of parts properly to reduce unnecessary material usage. For the connecting parts, use appropriate connection methods, such as threaded connections, welded connections, etc., to reduce the weight of the parts.

7. Bionic Design

Learn from the structures of living things in nature to do bionic design. By doing bionic design, you can make parts lighter and still have them be strong and stiff enough.

8. Manufacturing Process Optimization

When you design parts, think about how they will be made. Picking the right way to make parts can cut down on waste and make it easier to make them, which can make parts lighter.

9. Material Combination

By using different materials together, we can make parts lighter. For example, we can use laminated composite materials, hybrid materials, and so on to combine the good things about different materials and make parts lighter.

10. Optimize Design

By using optimization design methods like parametric design, multi-objective optimization, and so on, we can consider the strength, stiffness, weight, and other factors of the parts together to find the best design solution and achieve weight reduction of the parts.

In conclusion, the principles of designing parts to reduce weight include picking lightweight materials, optimizing the structure, making hollows, reducing wall thickness, analyzing strength, optimizing interfaces, using bionics, optimizing the manufacturing process, combining materials, and optimizing the design. By following these principles, engineers can effectively reduce the weight of parts in the design process, improve the overall performance and competitiveness of products.

Ⅵ. Case Study: Micro Foam Molding

With the development of new energy vehicles, the problem of cruising range needs to be solved urgently. Since battery technology has not yet made breakthrough progress, the solution that is currently attracting more attention on the market is the construction of charging stations. However, this problem can be alleviated at the design level. The lightweight design has gradually become an important label of new cars.

Right now, in the lightweight automotive non-metallic materials field, there are a bunch of new technologies that have come out to help make things lighter. There’s micro-foaming weight reduction technology, thin-walled weight reduction technology, low-density weight reduction material technology, carbon fiber reinforced material technology, biodegradable material technology, and a bunch of other stuff.

Compared to structural optimization or manufacturing process upgrades, car companies and parts companies seem to focus more on the development and application of lightweight materials. Micro-foaming technology is actually one of the important research topics.

Micro-foaming technology is used to make special materials through extrusion, injection molding, hollow molding and other molding processes to form a honeycomb cell structure inside the product. After the product is cut open, the cross-section clearly shows a sandwich structure, with a thick surface layer at the top and bottom, and a micro-structure in the middle. Foam layer with porous structure.

1. Advantages of Micro-Foam Injection Molding Process

• Cut costs.
• The molding cycle is shortened (generally the molding time can be shortened by 15%-30%).
• Increase production.
• Use smaller tonnage injection molding machines.

The melt foaming can compensate for the shrinkage on the mold wall. Therefore, the mold clamping pressure required for foaming will be relatively much lower, and even under ideal conditions no mold clamping pressure is needed at all; in conjunction with this, the internal mold pressure is also lower than that of traditional injection molding. The injection molding pressure is greatly reduced, so the melt and mold temperatures are also reduced accordingly, which ultimately manifests as a reduction in the time of the holding pressure and cooling stages.

1.1 High Degree of Design Freedom and Improved Product Quality

• Thin wall flows to thick wall.
• 1:1 main wall and rib structure.
• Have longer flow length ratio.
• Reduce warping deformation.

Micro-foam injection molding lets you optimize the design of plastic parts, matching the right material thickness to areas that need strength and reducing wall thickness in non-structural areas. The gate is opened at the thin section to optimize filling, while at the thick section at the filling end, cells grow to provide holding pressure. Where thicker stiffeners are used to meet structural requirements, the main face wall thickness can be reduced.

1.2 Achieve Lightweight, Lower Density and Weight.

Inside the micro-foam injection molded product, there is a honeycomb cell structure. When you cut the product open, you can see that it looks like a sandwich, with a thick skin on the top and bottom, and a bunch of little holes in the middle. The layer of bubbles can make the product a lot lighter, but it still works just as well. It can usually make things weigh 20% less.

Besides losing weight, it also has some good things compared to traditional injection molding: the microporous structure makes it better at keeping heat in and it’s quieter.

1.3 High Sustainability

• Reduced Consumption of Petroleum Raw Materials.
• Reduce energy consumption of injection molding machines.
• Recyclable and reusable.

The microfoam injection molding process has a wider operating window, leaves no chemical additive residues on the final part, and, most importantly, because the microfoam injection molding process does not change the chemical properties of the polymer, zero foam molding Components can be recycled according to the original polymer category.

2. Application Areas

Microfoam injection molding is a lightweight technology that has been widely adopted worldwide because it is cost-effective and easy to process. It is mainly used in the automotive, 3C, medical equipment, packaging, and consumer goods industries.

1. Car parts: stuff for the inside and outside of your car, things for under the hood, and other stuff you might need for your car .

2. Stuff for your house, stuff for your kitchen, stuff for your TV, and other stuff you might need for your house .

3. Stuff you buy at the store, stuff you use every day, stuff you might need for your life.

Ⅶ. Conclusion

Injection molding has a wide range of applications and potential for reducing part weight. By adjusting the injection molding process parameters, optimizing the design structure, and adopting new lightweight technologies such as micro-foam injection molding, the density of the product can be effectively reduced, the weight reduced, and the product performance improved, and it plays an important role in the fields of automobiles, electronic products, medical equipment, etc. important role. With the continuous innovation and advancement of manufacturing technology, injection molding will continue to provide sustainable development solutions for all walks of life, pushing the industry towards a more lightweight, efficient and environmentally friendly direction.