best practices
Materials Part 5: Annealing Tips for Crosslinked Polymers
As with semi-crystalline thermoplastics, annealing can be used in thermosetting polymers to obtain a level of crosslinking that may not be possible within the molding cycle.
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Tooling: Back to Basics on Die Springs Part 1
Some molding shops insist that all of their molds have springs to return the ejector plates. And there are lots from which to choose. Here we’ll focus on compression die springs for injection molds.
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Demystifying the Devolatilization Process
Here are some practical guidance and simple tools to help you better understand the process and improve your operation.
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Back to the (Re)Grind
Some amount of scrap—generated in startup, shutdown or defective parts—is inevitable. How can you reclaim regrind into new profitable parts?
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Extrusion: 'Melt-Blown' Fiber: What You Need to Know to Enter the Face Mask Market
Coronavirus pandemic has made extrusion processors curious about entering the face-mask market. But melt-blown fiber is very different from most other extrusion processes and requires specialized equipment.
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Tooling: How to Properly Size Gates, Runners and Sprues; Part 5 of 5
Get the sprue, runner and gate sizes close to ideal the first time around.
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Materials: Annealing Tips for Semi-Crystalline Polymers: Part 4
You can forgo the elevated mold temperatures normally recommended for high-performance semi-crystalline materials. But it’s risky and likely to yield parts that under-perform expectations … assuming that they emerge from the annealing process looking anything like the drawing.
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Use This Check List to Get Your Machine Properly Installed
Whether you bought a new machine or one that’s been refurbished, you need to prepare for installation so that it can be executed as seamlessly as feasible. Here some advice.
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Achieving Continuous Improvement Using SMED Programs
A good SMED quick changeover program can help optimize financial performance by converting non-value-add time into value-add time.
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Extrusion: The Importance of Zone 1 Barrel Temperature
Tweaking the temperature settings of the first barrel zones may not yield the desired result. In fact, they may yield the opposite. Here’s why.
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