Essentials of Plastic Injection Moulding Technology (MS266)

Synopsis

Plastic parts are found in countless big and small products today, from computers, household white goods, control and instrumentation equipments, road vehicles, sporting goods to biomedical instruments, just to name a few. The quality and finishing of the plastic products depend on the choice of plastic material, product design, mould design and moulding process.

This is a course of continuing education specifically designed for people who are new to the plastic industry and wishing to gain some fundamental understanding of the plastic injection moulding technology. This course will review the different types of plastic materials before introducing the principles for designing plastic products and moulds. The course will then continue to discuss the injection moulding process, machinery and moulding parameters. Common injection moulding defects and problems will also be studied.

This course provides an essential understanding of plastic injection moulding technology and how the choice of material, moulding parameters, machine elements, mould design and tooling, and product design affect the finished, moulded parts.

The course instructor will draw on his extensive experiences in plastic injection moulding to illustrate the subject matter with practical examples. Attendees can also bring along samples of moulding defects for diagnosis and discussion.

What You Will Learn

• fundamental understanding of plastic materials
• the terminology needed to effectively communicate in the industry
• essential understanding of product design
• essential understanding of mould design
• overview of injection moulding machines
• injection moulding process and moulding parameters
• injection moulding defects and remedies

Who Should Attend

All those concerned with improving their knowledge of plastic injection moulding technology, terminology and process in order to succeed in the business of plastics should participate.

• product designers
• CAD designers
• mould makers
• process engineers
• project engineers
• manufacturing engineers
• materials engineers
• incoming quality engineers
• purchasing agents
• sales and marketing people in the plastic industry
• personnel involved with plastic injection moulded parts

PrerequisiteNone as this course is suitable for anyone new or experienced in plastic injection moulding industry who wishes to gain a better and more complete understanding of the industry and its associated technology.

Course MethodologyThis course is conducted in a seminar room. Each participant will receive a set of course materials.

Course Duration2 days, 9am - 5pm

Course StructureDay 1

Introduction of plastic injection moulding

Overview of plastic materials

• Molecular structure
• Group of plastics
• Volume versus temperature behavior
• Semi-crystalline materials
• Amorphous materials
• Viscosity
• PVT diagram
• Fountain and skin effect
• Molecular orientation and relaxation
• Additives
• Shrinkage

Product design

• Wall thickness
• Corner design
• Rib design
• Boss design
• Gusset
• Draft angle
• Undercut

Moulding process

• Process cycle
• Moulding parameters
• Multi-steps injection
• Moulding defects and troubleshooting

Video Presentation

Day 2

Injection mould

• Types of mould
• Two & three plate mould
• Sprue and runner
• Types of gates
• Gating and moulding defects
• Venting
• Cam actions
• Ejection

Injection moulding machine

• Hydraulic system
• Injection system
• Clamping system

Case studies and group discussion