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Materials ListAbbreviations for Common Polymers Polymers are commonly referred to by both their names and abbreviations. Commercial polymers are also frequently referred to by the trade names of their manufacturer. ABS - acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer RUBBER
Glossary of TermsPlastic ProcessesGas assist injection moulding GAIM This process utilises high pressure nitrogen gas to produce hollow injection moulded components resulting in lower weight and shorter cycles and reduced visual sinking. Variants of this process include ‘external gas moulding’ and ‘internal gas moulding’ Advantages and Applications This process allows more design freedom. It allows discreet coring out of a thick product and thicker ribbing and can also eliminate sink marks. For more information on GAIM contact our sales team.
Water assist injection moulding WAIM This process is used in the manufacture of complex hollow items leaving a relatively uniform wall section. Water is used to displace polymer melt and provide the packing pressure during the cooling phase of the cycle. Typical examples; manifolds, elbows, water pipes. Advantages and Applications The suggested advantages of WAIM over GAIM are:
This process has been most popular in automotive components that are typically thick sectioned. For instance, conduits that convey fluids around an engine and car door handles. For more information on WAIM contact our sales team.
Metal injection moulding MIM MIM is an advanced manufacturing process for forming small, complex, high-precision and high performance metal parts. It is a development of the traditional powder metallurgy (PM) process and has several key advantages. See also catamold. Advantages and Applications Advantages of Metal Injection Moulding Over Traditional Powder Metallurgy are: In the PM process, parts with undercuts or projections at right angles to the pressing direction cannot normally be directly made. The MIM process substantially removes this limitation.
Co-Injection Moulding – 2 component moulding – multi-component moulding Similar to injection moulding but with multiple extruders to produce a single component from two 2 or more different parent materials or colours. Typical applications are soft overmoulding to produce seals or ergonomic soft-touch handles. Examples are – screwdrivers, soft-grip handles, cup-holders, toothbrushes.For more information on 2-component moulding contact our sales team.
Thin wall injection moulding TWIM Thin wall moulding is defined as a wall thickness of less than 0.025 in (0.62 mm) or a flow length to wall thickness ratio of greater than 200. When compared to standard injection molding, high melt flow materials are used (30-60 MFI), along with accumulator assist injection and higher injection speeds and pressures. Stack molds are common.
Micro moulding Recent advances in miniature moulding technology has seen major growth in the area of micro moulding for electronics and medical applications. Contact our sales team for a quote on your micro moulding requirements.
Thermoplastic Injection moulding Thermoplastic Injection moulding is the most widely used of all plastic processing methods. Injection moulding offers the lowest piece prices available, but tooling prices are generally the highest. The injection molding machine reduces pelletized raw material into a hot liquid. This "melt" is forced into a cooled mould under tremendous pressure. After the material solidifies, the mould is opened and a finished part is ejected.
Thermoset injection moulding Thermoset injection moulding is similar to thermo-plastic injection moulding except that uncured thermoset resins are mixed, injected, and held in a heated mould until cured. As with thermoplastic moulding, the price per piece can be low, but the tooling prices are generally very high.
Blow moulding This method is typically used to create hollow parts; jars, bottles, containers, etc Part prices for this style of plastic and rubber services are generally higher than injection moulded parts, but lower than rotationally moulded parts. Tooling costs are moderate.
Rotational moulding Rotational moulding uses hollow moulds filled with powdered resin, Low tooling costs and high piece prices are typical of this process.
Compression moulding Compression moulding services use a slug of hard media pressed between the two halves of a heated mould. After being formed, the part is air-cooled. Both tooling and piece part prices are moderate.
Thermoforming plastic moulding Thermoforming plastic moulding uses sheets of pre-extruded rigid plastic as the feed material. These are heated horizontally and sucked down into hollow one-piece tools.
In-mould labelling IMD (Also referred to as In-mould decorating) Mainly used in injection moulding. Robotically placed individual pre-printed decorative labels are loaded during each machine cycle into the mould tool. To assist adhesion during the closing and material flow stages, the label and tool is electrostatic charged.
Plastic welding Plastic welding – various plastic welding processes are employed dependant upon part geometry, size and polymer used. Ultrasonic welding, hot-plate welding, vibration welding, laser welding and spin welding can all be used. Contact our sales team regarding your welding application.
Structural foam moulding Structural foam moulding is a term commonly used to describe components made by the injection moulding process which have a cellular core in which the outer surface is denser than the inner layers. The core of the moulding is of a honeycomb nature and less dense than the outer surface. Also microcellular injection moulding (MuCell). Advantages and applications include - Wine corks, Energy absorbing foam, low weight products, impact absorbing pads. Contact our sales team for further information on this process.
Moisture conditioning Some plastics, including nylons will absorb moisture from the atmosphere, which alters their physical properties. Properties affected include brittleness and dimensional stability. Moisture absorption can be as high as 2% of a products weight. A pigment is often applied during the moisture conditioning process to identify treated parts. Contact our sales team for further details on our moisture conditioning facility.
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