processing tips
Robot End-of-Arm Tooling: Making a Big Difference
Often overlooked as a small part of an automation system, clever end-of-arm tooling techniques and designs can improve part quality, heighten efficiency, and eliminate headaches for any molder.
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TOOLING: Ejectors: Watch That ‘Unsupported Length’
It may be an unfamiliar term, but it’s the key to preventing ejector-pin deflection and breakage
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EXTRUSION: Avoid General ‘Pump Ratios’ On Two-Stage Screws
Instead, rely on basic data and calculations to determine the proper depth of the first and second metering sections
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INJECTION: First to Second Stage Transfer: Should There Be ‘Bounce-Back’?
How much screw ‘jumping’ or bounce-back can your process tolerate? The answer is no surprise: It depends
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MATERIALS: Analysis Gone Wrong
A lot of resources are devoted each year to trying to figure out why products fail. Sometimes it’s because no one involved in a project realizes the data provided was wrong.
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Try Multilayer Injection for Efficient Molding of Thick-Walled Lenses
A new approach to multilayer injection molding boosts productivity in making challenging optical plastic parts, such as thick-walled LED lenses for automotive headlights, which have tolerances in the micron range.
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Put the Brakes on Resin Conveying Speed to Minimize System Maintenance
Here’s how to manage pneumatic conveying speeds to extend equipment life and reduce material waste in your plant.
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TOOLING: Designing the Tool for the Material
To design a mold for the widest processing window and the fewest problems, start by considering the conditions imposed by the material being run.
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EXTRUSION: About Your ‘General-Purpose’ Dies
There is no such thing. While dies can be adjusted to provide some flexibility, the fact is they are optimized for one specific output of one particular polymer.
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INJECTION MOLDING: Another Way to Deal with Regrind
You can run into a lot of problems molding parts from a blend of regrind and virgin material. Might you be better off using 100% regrind?
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