Introduction

Injection molding is the most versatile way to produce parts and products. It’s fast,
works with a variety of plastics and can result in a prototype or final product that is
both durable and highly detailed. Plastic injection moulding is the process of heating
raw material (plastic resin in pellet form, in our case) to its melting point, forcing the
viscous material into a mould, and allowing it to cool into a hardened shape. Injection
moulded parts are used in virtually every product you encounter, from electronics to
house wares to automotive to food packaging. At the highest level, it’s a very simple
process, but there’s a very complex science that goes into doing it well—from
creating the moulds to understanding the chemical and physical properties of the
materials.
Plastic injection moulding owes its existence to pressure die casting processes used
for metals in the late 1800s. Plastics were introduced in the 1920s, although the
process was still very crude at that time, with simple two-piece moulds being
manually clamped together. The art and science of plastic injection moulding has
come a long way since then.
Eight Steps to Perfect Parts
The plastic injection moulding process can be summarized into eight steps:
1. The part is designed, and prototypes are created and tested.
2. A durable steel or aluminium mould (or tool) is designed and built. This
process takes several weeks and includes a lot of complicated systems to
control the process.
3. In production, raw material is loaded into a “feed hopper.”
4. The material is fed into a heated “barrel” where it becomes viscous—a state
somewhere between solid and liquid.
5. The viscous material is forced by a plunger into a mould, which is held shut by
hydraulics to withstand the pressure of the incoming material.
6. The material cools quickly in the mould and is ejected as a finished part after
a predetermined time.
7. Quality assurance checks are performed on the part.
8. Meanwhile, the mould is closed again in preparation for the next processing
cycle.
Everything from colours and textures, to lettering, logos, and designs, to hinges and
other functionality can be incorporated into the creation of a plastic part.
The Many Benefits of Plastic Injection Moulding
There are a host of benefits that come from producing parts through plastic injection
moulding. They include:
 Infinite variety. Virtually any shape you can think of can be manufactured as
a plastic part.
 Intricate details. The force with which plastic is injected into a mould ensures
that even the tiniest spaces are properly filled.
  Low per-piece cost. While there are upfront costs for creating the mould,
highly automated production processes result in a very low cost per part.
 High output. Parts can be produced very quickly.
 More cost-effective than machining. While the upfront cost of machining
may, in some cases, be lower, in the long run, plastic injection moulding is
much more cost-effective.
 Resource-conscious process. The injection process uses only as much
material as needed for each part, and any material left at the end of a process
can be ground up and recycled.

Problems
Most Common Injection Moulding Problems
 Flow Lines
 Sink Marks
 Vacuum Voids
 Surface Delamination
 Weld Lines
 Short Shots
 Warping
 Burn Marks
 Jetting
 Flash

Flow lines
Definition: Off-tone streaks, patterns or lines that appear on parts.

Sink Marks
Definition: Small depressions located in thicker areas of the injection moulding after there is
shrinkage in the finished product.
Vacuum Voids
Definition: Air pockets trapped inside of or close to the surface of an injection moulded part.
Surface Delamination
Definition: Thin layers of “material” that appear on a part surface and can be peeled off.
Weld Lines
Definition: A seam that appears where two areas of molten plastics meet
Short Shots
Definition: When the molten plastic does not fully fill the mould cavity (or cavities)
Warping
Definition: When the finished part is unintentionally twisted, uneven or bent in areas.
Burn Marks
Definition: Rusty discolorations that appear on the surface of a part.
Jetting
Definition: When molten plastic fails to adhere to the surface of the mould and instead creates
wavy folds on the surface of the part.
Flash
Definition: When some of the molten plastic escapes from the mould cavity through the parting
lines, ejector pins, etc.
Defects Solution
1. Flow lines 1. Increase the injection speeds and pressure to
ensure the cavities are filled evenly
2. Sink marks 2. Decrease the mold temperature, increase the
holding pressure and time, and allow the plastic to
cool and cure longer inside the mold
3. Vacuum voids 3. Position the gate near the thickest part of the
molding. Increase the holding pressure and time,
and check to make sure your mold parts seamlessly
align.
4. Surface delamination 4. Pre-dry plastic before molding. Increase the mold
temperature and smooth out any sharp corners or
turns in the mold to facilitate even melt flow.
5. Weld lines 5. Raising the temperature of the mold or the molten
plastic. Increase the injection speed, switch to a less
viscous plastic or adjust the flow pattern to a single-
source flow.
6. Short Shots 6. Work with a less viscous plastic and increase the
mold or melt temperature to enhance flowability.
Adjust your process to account for any gas getting
trapped inside the mold and use proper ventilation.
7. Warping 7. Make sure your cooling process isn’t being rushed
(both in time and speed). Uniform wall thickness
within the mold also will help ensure the molten
plastics flow evenly and in a single direction. Semi-
crystalline materials are prone to warping.
8. Burn marks 8. Lower your injection speeds and improve degassing
quality. You also can try reducing mold and melt
temperatures.
9. Jetting 9. Increase your mold and melt temperatures and the
size of the gate to slow down the injection speed.
The right amount of contact is being made between
the molten plastic and the mold.
10. Flash 10. Increase your clamp pressure and confirm that the
mold doesn’t require cleaning and maintenance.
Assess your injection speed, injection pressure and
mold temperature.