Think injection molding (IM) and you immediately think, plastic;sackfuls of little green army men and building blocks. However, metal, glass and even chocolate can be used in this process. Everything from DVD holders to Easter Bunnies is manufactured using IM technology.
Chocolates, futuristic plastic chairs, dustpans and even shoes may be made by injecting some material into a mold. Molds are designed by designers and engineers and then handed over to a moldmaker to transform the design into a metal mold, which is finally precision-machined. The process, which has been around since the middle of the 19th century, is extremely versatile and gives rise to an infinite number of widgets and parts for sewing machines, automobiles and rocket ships.
One use for the IM process to which we can all relate is in the production of toy soldiers and collectible military miniatures. There are miniature troops to match practically every war in history. The price of the piece often corresponds to the seniority of the figure. The Duke of Wellington, for example, will cost more than his minions, although Richard Sharp would probably fetch a pretty penny.
Electric toy train enthusiasts are avid consumers of IM technology. Where do you think the little toy trees and little toy engineers and signalmen come from? The amount of authenticity and detail that goes into making these items is breath-taking. Built to last, these pieces are often manufactured from molded metal so they are sufficiently robust to be passed down from generation to generation.
To manufacture parts from metal, the starting material is first ground into a fine dust and then combined with a binder to form a feedstock that is fed through a hopper into a heated tube. The mixture is pushed through the tube using a linear actuator, something that looks like a screw. The material then goes into a mold, is cooled and then ejected.
The range of objects that can be manufactured using this technology is amazing. There are a lot of parts that one would not intuitively think were made this way. Even the parts for the machines that do the injecting and molding have injected and molded parts inside them.
A surprising number of feeder industries are part of the IM process. Computer software programmers, polymer manufactures, the chemical industry that makes binders and other additives and the makers of molding machines all contribute to the art and science of the IM process. One thing that will be fun to watch in the coming years is how the IM industry will develop as the field of three-dimensional printing becomes more common.
Chocolates, futuristic plastic chairs, dustpans and even shoes may be made by injecting some material into a mold. Molds are designed by designers and engineers and then handed over to a moldmaker to transform the design into a metal mold, which is finally precision-machined. The process, which has been around since the middle of the 19th century, is extremely versatile and gives rise to an infinite number of widgets and parts for sewing machines, automobiles and rocket ships.
One use for the IM process to which we can all relate is in the production of toy soldiers and collectible military miniatures. There are miniature troops to match practically every war in history. The price of the piece often corresponds to the seniority of the figure. The Duke of Wellington, for example, will cost more than his minions, although Richard Sharp would probably fetch a pretty penny.
Electric toy train enthusiasts are avid consumers of IM technology. Where do you think the little toy trees and little toy engineers and signalmen come from? The amount of authenticity and detail that goes into making these items is breath-taking. Built to last, these pieces are often manufactured from molded metal so they are sufficiently robust to be passed down from generation to generation.
To manufacture parts from metal, the starting material is first ground into a fine dust and then combined with a binder to form a feedstock that is fed through a hopper into a heated tube. The mixture is pushed through the tube using a linear actuator, something that looks like a screw. The material then goes into a mold, is cooled and then ejected.
The range of objects that can be manufactured using this technology is amazing. There are a lot of parts that one would not intuitively think were made this way. Even the parts for the machines that do the injecting and molding have injected and molded parts inside them.
A surprising number of feeder industries are part of the IM process. Computer software programmers, polymer manufactures, the chemical industry that makes binders and other additives and the makers of molding machines all contribute to the art and science of the IM process. One thing that will be fun to watch in the coming years is how the IM industry will develop as the field of three-dimensional printing becomes more common.
About the Author:
Genevive B. Mata has taught plastics molding techniques for over 15 years. He specializes in injection molding and thermoforming. If you are interested in learning more about innovative plastic solutions then he recommends you visit his friends at PTM: Plastic Injection Molding Services.
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