[vulcanmold]

Hi
There is some good Chinese plastic injection molding companies who also supply
low-volume plastic injection molding service.
I believe you will save cost with same quality you expected if you cooperate with the good supplier

[vulcanmold]

hi all, wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction
I've been interested in mold making for a long time and have no clue as to where to start. Can't go to school as i have young family
i work with plastics so eventually would like to get into injection molding
does anyone know of any good online tutorials?
I'm comfortable with machining just need to know the process from start to finish.
is there standard machine configs that the mold must be made to? etc..
Any help is greatly appreciated

I have some reading materials which is for mold making and which is introduce the molds and very easy for understanding, is you have interest, i can post all the materials in this forum and other people also can ready if they need.
the material including Injection Mold Injection Molding ,
,Mold Machine,Compression Molding, Compression Molds,Injection Molder

[vulcanmold]

Injection Molds
Molds for injection molding are as varied in design, degree of complexity, and size as are the parts produced from them. The functions of a mold for thermoplastics are basically to impart the desired shape to the plasticized polymer and then to cool the molded part.
A mold is made up of two sets of components: (1) the cavities and cores, and (2) the base in which the cavities and cores are mounted. The size and weight of the molded parts limit the number of cavities in the mold and also determine the equipment capacity required. From consideration of the molding process, a mold has to be designed to safely absorb the forces of clamping, injection, and ejection. Also, the design of the gates and runners must allow for efficient flow and uniform filling of the mold cavities.
Fig.2-2 illustrates the parts in a typical injection mold. The mold basically consists of two parts: a stationary half (cavity plate), on the side where molten polymer is injected, and a moving half (core plate) on the closing or ejector side of the injection molding equipment. The separating line between the two mold halves is called the parting line. The injected material is transferred through a central feed channel, called the sprue. The sprue is located on the sprue bushing and is tapered to facilitate release of the sprue material from the mold during mold opening. In multicavity molds, the sprue feeds the polymer melt to a runner system, which leads into each mold cavity through a gate.
The core plate holds the main core. The purpose of the main core is to establish the inside configuration of the part. The core plate has a backup or support plate. The support plate in turn is supported by pillars against the U-shaped structure known as the ejector housing, which consists of the rear clamping plate and spacer blocks. This U-shaped structure, which is bolted to the core plate, provides the space for the ejection stroke also known as the stripper stroke. During solidification the part shrinks around the main core so that when the mold opens, part and sprue are carried along with the moving mold half. Subsequently, the central ejector is activated, causing the ejector plates to move forward so that the ejector pins can push the part off the core. Both mold halves are provided with cooling channels through which cooled water is circulated to absorb the heat delivered to the mold by the hot thermoplastic polymer melt. The mold cavities also incorporate fine vents (0.02 to 0.08 mm by 5 mm) to ensure that no air is trapped during filling.

[vulcanmold]

Mold Machine
1. Conventional Injection Molding Machine
In this process, the plastic granules or pellets are poured into a machine hopper and fed into the chamber of the heating cylinder. A plunger then compresses the material, forcing it through progressively hotter zones of the heating cylinder, where it is spread thin by a torpedo. The torpedo is installed in the center of the cylinder in order to accelerate the heating of the center of the plastic mass. The torpedo may also be heated so that the plastic is heated from the inside as well as from the outside.
The material flows from the heating cylinder through a nozzle into the mold. The nozzle is the seal between the cylinder and the mold; it is used to prevent leaking of material caused by the pressure used. The mold is held shut by the clamp end of the machine. For polystyrene, two to three tons of pressure on the clamp end of the machine is generally used for each inch of projected area of the part and runner system. The conventional plunger machine is the only type of machine that can produce a mottle-colored part. The other types of injection machines mix the plastic material so thoroughly that only one color will be produced.
2. Piston-Type Preplastifying Machine
This machine employs a torpedo ram heater to preplastify the plastic granules. After the melt stage, the fluid plastic is pushed into a holding chamber until it is ready to be forced into the die. This type of machine produces pieces faster than a conventional machine, because the molding chamber is filled to shot capacity during the cooling time of the part. Due to the fact that the injection plunger is acting on fluid material, no pressure loss is encountered in compacting the granules. This allows for larger parts with more projected area. The remaining features of a piston-type preplastifying machine are identical to the conventional single-plunger injection machine
3. Screw-Type Preplastifying Machine
In this injection-molding machine, an extruder is used to plasticize the plastic material. The turning screw feeds the pellets forward to the heated interior surface of the extruder barrel. The molten, plasticized material moves from the extruder into a holding chamber, and from there is forced into the die by the injection plunger. The use of a screw gives the following advantages: (1) better mixing and shear action of the plastic melt; (2) a broader range of stiffer flow and heatsensitive materials can be run; (3) color changes can be handled in a shorter time, and (4) fewer stresses are obtained in the molded part.
4. Reciprocating-Screw Injection Machine
This type of injection molding machine employs a horizontal extruder in place of the heating chamber. The plastic material is moved forward through the extruder barrel by the rotation of a screw. As the material progresses through the heated barrel with the screw, it is changing from the granular condition to the plastic molten state. In the reciprocating screw, the heat delivered to the molding compound is caused by both friction and conduction between the screw and the walls of the barrel of the extruder. As the material moves forward, the screw backs up to a limit switch that determines the volume of material in the front of the extruder barrel. It is at this point that the re- semblance to a typical extruder ends. On the injection of the material into the die, the screw moves forward to displace the material in the barrel. In this machine, the screw performs as a ram as well as a screw. After the gate sections in the injection mold have frozen to prevent backflow, the screw begins to rotate and moves backward for the next cycle.
There are several advantages to this method of injection molding. It more efficiently plasticizes the heat-sensitive materials and blends colors more rapidly, due to the mixing action of the screw. The material heat is usually lower and the overall cycle time is shorter