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The Basic Injection Molding Process.

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The injection molding process is the process where we melt a thermoplastic

polymer, give it the desired shape and cool it down to solidify the material
and produce a useable part. The steps are to melt our plastic, inject it
under high pressure in a mold, cool it down and remove it from the mold.

27th of December 2012:

Melt. Shape. Cool Eject!

The injection molding process can be divided in 4 seperate phases:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Started working on the

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Jan van Poppel

The Injection Phase

Holding or Packing Pressure Phase
Cooling & Plasticizing Phase
Ejection Phase

What happens exactly during those four phases of the molding cycle?
At the start of each new molding cycle the screw is in the back position and the
material is kept at a temperature suitable for the processed material by the
heater bands around the barrel. The screw is at such a position that there is
sufficient material in front of the screw to fill the tool cavity for a single shot
plus a small amount to be able to apply the pressure in the holding phase.
Material suppliers provide you with a general guideline how to set up your barrel
temperatures with a given material. It is very important to realize that the
actual melt temperature can significantly differ from the barrel temperature,
by as much as 50 C based on my personal experience. This is due to the fact
that other parameters will also influence the actual melt temperature as is
further explained on the Melt Temperature and How It Is Achieved Page

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At the start of the injection phase a pressure is applied to the screw moving it
forwards. The check or back flow valve at the tip of the screw closes as a result
of this movement and enables the screw to act as a plunger to push the molten
material (the melt) in the mold cavity.
The speed of the screw moving forward can be controlled by controlling the
speed of the screw or by maintaining a certain barrel pressure. Most injection
molding machines allow you to vary the speed or pressure during injection
creating an injection speed profile.
The injection phase ends when we have filled the 95 99 % of cavity of the
mold and then the process moves to the next phase: holding pressure. The point
at which we move from the injection phase to the holding pressure phase is
called the Switch Over Point, abbreviated SOP.

In order to be able to still apply pressure to the melt in the tool it is required
that there remains a certain amount of material in front of the screw tip; this
is called the cushion.

The purpose of the holding pressure phase is to replace the volume lost during
the cooling down and solidifying of the melt. The holding pressure phase can last
as long as the gate remains open and molten material can still enter the cavity.
In the cavity the material will cool down and exhibit thermal shrinkage. In case
of semi crystalline materials shrinkage due to crystallization, will be additional to
the thermal shrinkage, more detailed information can be found here.
From the holding pressure phase we move into the cooling phase. Apart from
cooling the part down sufficiently to be able to eject it from the tool
undamaged, during the cooling the machine is prepared to deliver molten
material for the next cycle.

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During the cooling time the material for the next shot is prepared called
plasticization. The screw is rotated at a pre-set speed and pushes the material
forward. As the nozzle of the injection unit is in contact with the tool
containing the solidified part flow of the material is prevented, pressure will
build up and the screw will be pushed backwards. The check valve will open,
allowing material to flow in front of the screw tip. A back pressure is applied
and acts as a counterforce to the screw that is pushed back to improve the
melting behavior by increasing friction and improves the degassing. More
detailed information on screw speed, back pressure and plasticization can be
found here.
The cooling and plasticization phase ends when the screw reaches its pre-set
position and the cooling time has lapsed and the cycle moves into the ejection
phase.

The clamping force can be lifted and the tool can be opened to allow the part to
be released from the tool. Ejector pins etc. usually aid with the release of the
part from the tool. When the tool is closed and the clamping force is reinstated
the machine is ready for the new cycle.
As you may gather from the description of the basic process, there are many
parameters an operator has at his disposal to influence the process. Please
review this list that mentions and explains the most common parameters used
in setting the process.

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