Injection molding or injection molding is one of the staple manufacturing processes utilized in the manufacturing industry today. In fact, most of the favored electronic gadgets like smartphones, cameras, and many electronic gadgets were made using this process. Although this process has been employed by different industries for an extended time, its effectiveness and reliability aren’t tarnished. This process is liable for manufacturing different products including plastic containers, automotive parts, airplane parts, toys, plastic casings (remote controls, cell phones, etc.), plastic tables and chairs, plastic utensils, among more. Virtually any plastic material that buyers use on a day-to-day basis is manufactured using this process.
Despite the common use of this process within the manufacturing industry, its definition and background are quite alien to people not involved within the industry. Hence, so as to completely understand the advantages and importance of this manufacturing process, it’s essential to obviously define it and explain how it works.
The book “Manufacturing Processes Reference Guide” authored by Robert Todd, Dell Allen, and Leo Althing gives a concise definition of injection molding. Consistent with said book, this process “is a shaping process during which thermoplastic material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and made into a mold cavity. Injection molding is employed to supply more thermoplastic products than the other process. In some circumstances, thermoset plastics also can be used with injection molding.”
Based on the mentioned definition, injection molding is employed to supply quite complicated and complex designs for thermoplastic materials. As it is, the work of the mold maker or toolmaker plays a really important role within the process. The molds or tool they design and make is significant for the entire process because it is employed to configure the form of the materials fed into it. Basically, the molds are those employed by the manufacturers to supply unique and complex designs of the thermoplastics.
Injection molding has definitive and particular characteristics. The mentioned book also described these characteristics, which include:
- Utilizes a ram or screw-type plunger to force molten plastic material into a cavity mold
- Produces a solid or open-ended shape conforming to the cavity mold
- Uses thermoplastic or thermoset materials
- Produces a parting line and sprue AND circuit marks
- Ejector pin marks are usually present
Industry historians believe that the roots of the method are often traced back to 1847. Historical accounts contend that Jons Jacob Berzelius produced the primary condensation polymer, polyester, using glycerin and hydroxy acid. This paved the thanks to modern-day manufacturing processes including injection molding. Over the years, this process had seen such a lot improvement as manufacturing companies invested on research on the way to develop the technology and the way to use it for manufacturing activities.
Today, many industries are using this process to deal with the demand of the market. Most of children’s toys including action figures, electronic gadgets, toy soldiers, model cars, building blocks, play houses, and lots of more are manufactured through injection molding. Certain plastic car parts also are made with the help of this manufacturing process. Many household and essential day-to-day items like toothbrush, comb, plastic spoon and fork, plastic plates, among more are produced via this process. Electronic gadgets couldn’t also survive in production without the assistance of injection molding. Plastic casings of smart phones, tablet computers, computer monitors and music players, keyboard, mouse, gaming consoles and controllers, are all made with this process.
Thanks to injection molding, many items we use on a day to day are produced and made. Without this manufacturing process, many items of today could also be difficult to supply or might not even exist in the least.
