Practical Guide to Injection Moulding

Book excerpt: This Practical Guide to Injection Moulding is based on course material used by ARBURG in training operators of injection moulding machines. It comes from many years of experience in this field and has been edited by an expert injection moulder at Warwick University. It will be of use to experts looking to fill gaps in their knowledge base and to those new to the industry. The factors involved in injection moulding, from material properties and selection to troubleshooting faults, are all examined in this book. It covers the equipment types in use and machine settings for different types of plastics. Material flow is critical in moulding and there are sections covering rheology and viscosity. High temperature can lead to poor quality mouldings due to material degradation and this is discussed. There are an exceptional number of figures in this text, with many photographs of machinery and mouldings to illustrate key points. There are also numerous tables listing key properties and processing parameters. Flow charts are included in the chapter on troubleshooting to indicate what can be changed to resolve common problems. Injection moulding in the Western World is becoming increasingly competitive as the manufacturing base for many plastics materials has moved to the East. Thus Western manufacturers have moved into more technically difficult products and mouldings to provide more added value and maintain market share. Technology is becoming more critical, together with innovation and quality control. There is a chapter on advanced processing in injection moulding covering multi-material and assisted moulding technologies. This Guide will assist progress in developing good technical skills and appropriate processing techniques for the range of plastics and products in the marketplace.