Injection Know How

best practices

Starting or Restarting an Injection Molding Machine — What Works Best?

Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.

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Home In on These Six Variables to Monitor Molding

There are hundreds of variables in molding, but focusing on these six will help you make consistent parts.  

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Injection Molding: Focus on these Seven Areas to Set a Preventive Maintenance Schedule

Performing fundamental maintenance inspections frequently assures press longevity and process stability. Here’s a checklist to help you stay on top of seven key systems.

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Using Data to Pinpoint Cosmetic Defect Causes in Injection Molded Parts

Taking a step back and identifying the root cause of a cosmetic flaw can help molders focus on what corrective actions need to be taken.

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best practices

Revisiting the '5 M's' of Molding

All injection molding ultimately comes down to the “Man, Mold, Machine, Material and Method.” But those key aspects can be viewed differently if you’re auditing mold changes before startup or troubleshooting changes for an already validated process.

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Attending NPE2024 From the Perspective of a Molder

NPE2024 has come and gone, but before it’s completely in our collective rearview, Plastics Technology asked Rodney Davenport, vice president at injection molder CH3 Solutions, for a processor’s perspective on the big show.

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best practices

Use These 7 Parameters to Unravel the Melt Temperature Mystery

Despite its integral role in a stable process and consistent parts, true melt temperature in injection molding can be an enigma. Learning more about these seven parameters may help you solve the puzzle.

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Diagnosing Defects: Determine True Root Cause Before Adjusting a Process

Common defects can have common causes — flash equals worn mold shutoffs, right? Except when they don’t. Trust your eyes, but verify the root cause before adjusting a process.  

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The Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and Their Application to Injection Molding

As AI and ML continue to develop, they can eventually play a role in helping molders predict more accurately and, perhaps someday, model very close to the actual process results.

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Understanding the Effect of Pressure Losses on Injection Molded Parts

The compressibility of plastics as a class of materials means the pressure punched into the machine control and the pressure the melt experiences at the end of fill within the mold will be very different. What does this difference mean for process consistency and part quality?

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Process Cooling