Your Guide to Plastic Molding

Plastics are non-metallic compounds that are produced synthetically. They can be molded into various shapes and hardened for commercial use. Products made from molded plastics are everywhere. These include bottles, protective caps, plastic tubes, pens, toys, bottles, boxes, accessories, kitchenware and much more.

The keyboards and mice you use are also made from molded plastic. The plastic parts of the chair you sit on are also made this way.

The basic idea behind plastic molding is that molten liquid plastic is placed in a mold, such as a bottle mold. The plastic bottle is then cooled and removed from the mold.

Plastic mold can also be used to produce various customized plastic products such as garden pots, cabinets, office trays and boxes, barricades, signage, product promotions and marketing displays, etc.

If you want to go into plastic mold, you should familiarize yourself with the different processes. Choose the China mold maker that fit your budget, experience and resources. Here are some basic definitions of the different plastic molding methods.

Plastic mold processes

1. Injection mold

In injection mold, molten plastic is poured into the mold cavity. After cooling, the mold can be removed. This method of plastic injection mold is often used for mass production or prototyping. Injection mold machines were developed in the 1930s. These machines are sometimes used for the mass production of toys, kitchen utensils, bottle caps and mobile phone holders.

 2. Injection mold

Blow mold is similar to injection mold, but hot liquid plastic is poured vertically from a barrel like a molten cylinder. The mold closes, pushing it outwards to follow the internal shape of the mold. When it cools, a hollow part is formed. Examples of blown products are bottles, tubes and containers.

The equipment needed to set up a blow mold operation is relatively more extensive than the equipment needed for injection mold.

 3. Mold

This mold method involves placing solid plastic between two heated molds. Vertical presses are usually used instead of horizontal presses as in injection and blow mold. The molded parts are air cooled. The equipment used for mold is relatively inexpensive.

4 Foil insert mold

A plastic mold technique in which an image is embedded under the surface of the molded part. A film, fabric or other material is placed in the mold and the plastic is injected. Film, fabric or other material is placed in the mold and plastic is injected.

Mold with gas.

This process, also known as gas-assisted injection mold, is used to produce plastic parts with a hollow interior. Plastic is partially injected and then the mold cavity is filled with plastic using high-pressure gas.

6. Rotational mold

The hollow molds filled with powdered plastic are attached to spokes, which resemble tubes, which emanate from the hub. The molds rotate on separate axes at the same time. The hub rotates the entire mold in an enclosed furnace, where the powder melts and adheres to the inner surface of the mold. As the mold rotates slowly, it moves into the cooling chamber. Here, a stream of water hardens the plastic into a hollow component. The cost of the mold is low, while the unit cost is high. The cycle time is about 40-45 minutes.

7 Foam mold

This method of plastic mold is used for parts that require a thicker wall than conventional injection mold. A small amount of nitrogen or a chemical foaming agent is injected into the plastic to increase wall thickness. When the molten plastic enters the mold cavity, it foams. A thin plastic shell forms and hardens on the walls of the mold. This mold method can be used with any thermoplastic material that can be thermoformed under pressure.

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