XTD 207 Materials and processes research Plastics

Mikes kitchen quiz, a group object analysis exercise

Look in detail at the sample product provided. Analyse it to reveal clues; how is it used, what it is made from and are the materials chosen appropriate, how was it made? Record your ndings below. Section A The Product and its material properties 1. What is it? A rubber mixing spoon (Food safe silicon) 2. Describe how materiality contributes to the experience of the product (how is it useful, useable, appropriate, desirable and how do its material properties contribute to our perception of these qualities?) The material makes the product easy to grip and soft to the touch. It is durable and there are no pieces which could break off and become a hazard. The exibility in the spoon enables efcient mixing by exing around the bowls surface when used. It is also very easy to clean. 3. Draw the object (draw 2 three-quarter views to illustrate it from above and below)

4. How many parts does it have? (identify them on your drawings) 5. What materials is it made from? (identify them on your drawings) 6. Describe its colours (identify them on your drawings) 7. Describe its surface nishes (identify them on your drawings)

Section B Production processes 8. How was the object made? (name the process) Injection molding 9. Create drawings and diagrams to communicate the tooling associated with this process

10. How many parts does the tooling have? (identify them on your drawings/diagrams) 11. What is meant by the following terms (and identify if/where evidence of them can be observed on your sample product): Injection point Where the desired material is forced into the mold Sprue mark The raised insert point, from the injection point Moulding ash Excess material that leaks out of the mould and creates a thin membrane around the product Parting lines Plane in which two halves of mold meet Witness lines Line left on surface of part from parting lines Split lines Creating a feature where two components of the product come together (e.g. two halves of a mobile phone case) Ejector marks Non cosmetic side of part left by eject pins Draft angle - In injection moulding the cooled parts must be ejected from the mould halves and in order to achieve this a slight slope, or draft, is added to the walls of the part that are perpendicular to the direction of the mould pull. A normal two or three degree draft is preferred but occasionally a draft as small as a half of a degree is permissible while in other instances (such as metal to metal contact) ve to seven degrees is required Sliding cores - Often referred to as part of a core/cavity split, the core is the eject half side of the cavity that often forms the inside of the part and so looks more like a protrusion in the tool Wall thickness - Very thick or inconsistent wall sections are undesirable in mould making because they are often the cause of defects like sink marks in the nished part. An even and appropriately sized wall provides the most effective mould shot. The wall must not be so thick as to cause warping or add cooling time to the cycle, but it must be thick enough to allow plastic to ow easily though the entire cavity

Sink marks - Eject pins push the completed part out of the mould cavity. They leave small marks and are generally placed on the non-cosmetic side of the part Twin shot moulding - Two injection points for many reasons, different colours, complex shapes or different forms of plastics Living hinge - A joint designed with a very thin segment of plastic that is meant to be repeatedly bent and forms a functional hinge between two parts