About what is a desktop injection molding machine? Topstar has a professional explanation

What is the desktop injection molding machine?

Desktop injection molding machine is a mechanical process standard in various production cycles for permanently molding multiple materials, including plastics. Find out on this page what injection molding is, in which fields it is expected, the plastic components and objects manufactured, the mold production, and the precision molding of plastic materials.

What is Molding?

The term “molding” includes the most disparate industrial production processes, the lowest common denominator of which is molds, which are permanent forms necessary to model the product or components to be produced.

More specifically, it is a mechanical process for plastic deformation, hot or cold, which causes the material to fill the cavity between two metal matrices, the mold and the counter-mold.

WHAT IS PRECISION MOLDING?

One type of molding is that of a desktop injection molding machine. The current technological development requires production techniques with an ever-higher degree of precision, through which it is possible to manufacture finished products, components, and micro-components with complex geometry for cars, computers, and other applications.

These components have dimensions of just a few millimeters and have weights of 0.2 g, requiring injection volumes of less than one granule and geometries of less than one millimeter (micro-molding).

HOW DO THESE PLASTIC INJECTION MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES WORK?

Plastic injection molding consists of five main phases, which we can summarize as follows:

• The pellets are in preparation for injection. 
• The material is compulsory through the nozzle of the injection unit and then ends up in the sprue and finally into the cavity of the mold evenly. 
• Once the plastic material is excellent and hardened, the mold is open, and the molded part is homeless. 
• Finally, the set piece is completed by cutting the sprue and sprue.

A few tricks for a perfect molding process

Although the molding, even with precision, is performed by special machines, there are some factors to take into consideration to obtain a more than-perfect result:

• First, the molten plastic material distributes uniformly in the mold. 
• Moreover, the resinous material must be chosen according to the product to be manufactured, considering its chemical-physical and aesthetic characteristics. 
• Last – but not least -, the mold must be designed and produced with the utmost precision to prevent errors or smudges that waste time and costs.

Types of molding machines

• Motorized,
• hydraulic,
• servo-driven,
• hybrid,
• CNC machines:

Many kinds of devices and presses can be suitable for molding.

In general, however, we can say that a molding machine is made up of two main parts: a desktop injection molding machine unit that sends the molten material inside the mold and a closing unit that, on the other hand, manages the mold.

The materials common in the desktop injection molding machine

The Thermopolymers are the plastics which is common mainly in injection molding because they possess various competitive advantages:

• They are easily workable 
• They have excellent dimensional stability. 
• withstand dynamic loads and aging 
• They maintain good mechanical properties even above 100 ° C

The most common techno polymers in desktop injection molding machines, including precision ones, are

1. PMMA,
2. PEI,
3. Also, PPS,
4. Moreover, PC,
5. Furthermore, PBT,
6. PPO,
7. In addition, POM,
8. Also, ABS,
9. PC / ABS,
10. PPA,
11. PA6-PA66,
12. PP,

Structure or resistance to temperature can be classified into:

• amorphous or semi-crystalline, i.e., transparent or opaque 
• standard – common at temperatures below 100 ° C – or technopolymers – usable at temperatures between 100 ° C and 150 ° C

WHEN IS THE PLASTIC MOLDING PROCESS REQUIRED?

Precision, production speed, and relatively low costs are undoubtedly the reasons why, to date, plastic molding is increasingly applied in the most diverse sectors to produce:

• Automotive components and accessories 
• Consumer electronics 
• Medical and orthodontic supplies 
• everyday products 
• components for gates and industrial automation

Rapid development in the desktop injection molding machine

The relatively rapid development and the ever-higher precision of the technique have meant that many companies resort to desktop injection molding machines of plastic to produce components – especially electronic ones – with tiny dimensions and complex geometry, difficult to reproduce with other techniques.

desktop injection molding machine Sectors of application

The versatility of plastic polymers and their physical, chemical, and mechanical characteristics allow them to be expected in numerous sectors, so much so that they can also be common to manufacture objects or components we use daily.

The sectors that, more than others, use molding or precision molding are:

• Building and Housing 
• Also, electrical, electromechanical, and electronic 
• Moreover, household appliance heating 
• Furthermore, food and personal care 
• In addition, industrial automation 
• medical

What are the benefits of a desktop injection molding machine?

Plastic injection molding is a highly versatile technique that meets almost any need of companies that manufacture plastic products and components in large volumes and a few dozen pieces.

Here, in brief, are the advantages of the desktop injection molding machine of plastics:

• High productivity and speed – This technique allows obtaining large quantities of plastic parts in a short time, guaranteeing dimensional repeatability 
• possibility of getting shapes in disarray and complex geometries, impossible to obtain otherwise 
• A very high degree of precision, to which we also resort to the technique of microinjection molding 
• reduction of production costs through the automation of the entire injection molding process

desktop injection molding machine support system

In the injection molding support system, four subsystems perform their functions.

• Body: Link the systems of the machine together

• Power system: is the place to provide power for the motor to operate. The design of the machine’s electrical system focuses on operator safety. The electrical system consists of an electrical cabinet and a wiring system.

Desktop injection molding machine Hydraulic system:

Including pump, valve, pipe system, and motor. It is the place to generate resources such as creating force to open and close the mold, maintaining clamping force, making the screw rotate, and developing staff. For the pushpin and the slide of the surface core.

• Cooling system: Provide water or Ethylene glycol solution… to cool the mold and harden the plastic into shape before pushing it out of the mold.

Conclusion

We offer our customers various services ranging from mold design to molding of plastic components. Depending on some characteristics such as, for example, the type of product made, the material of the mold, and the compulsory geometry.