Know-How
Maintenance Terms of Endearment
Look closely at your company’s mold maintenance language and formalize your approach to create a clear and concise picture—one that can be measured.
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Mission (Nearly) Impossible: Estimating Extrusion Melt Temperature
Extrusion processors often ask screw designers to estimate the output and melt temperature of a new design in the works. Projected output of a new screw can usually be estimated fairly accurately. Melt-temperature estimate, however, is another story
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Nozzle Leaks: Why They Occur, How to Detect & Fix Them
Nozzle leaks are a serious problem in injection molding. Here are some causes and remedies.
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Use MFR Cautiously with Filled Materials
If melt flow rate tests are used to evaluate the effect of processing on the average molecular weight of the polymer, the applicable rules must consider the contribution of the filler to the test result.
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Get Smarter on Extruder Sizes
Processors tend to recommend a much larger extruder than what’s really necessary for the job and the capabilities of the downstream equipment.
Read MoreShould You Profile Injection Velocity?
If you can get by with one velocity, use only one, because fill time is easier to reproduce, and it is easier to set up the process.
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When It Comes to Nylon, Don’t Do the Math
Chemistry is seldom as simple as it looks. Polymer chemistry takes the complexity up a notch. Nylon chemistry is about much more than doing the math.
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Monday Morning Start-Up Of Accumulator Head Machines
A good way to achieve plantwide consistency on restarts is to establish a blow molding checklist based on the items discussed here, as different operators may be performing these steps at various times.
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What’s the Deal With High-Speed Extruders?
If we are talking about extruder screw speed, how about 1800 rpm? That’s how fast some extruders are running today.
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Understanding Polymer Flow: Interpreting the Viscosity Curve
Take the time to do the viscosity curve on new molds. You will learn more in that hour than many learn in years about the process for this tool.
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