Machine Selection Process

1. 2. 3. 4.

Know the plastic parts you intend to mold Select machine type: Hydraulic, hybrid or electric Calculate clamp tonnage requirements Calculate the injection unit size.

1.Know The Plastic Parts You Intend To Mold

Plastic material Weight Length x width x height Average wall section Gate location Maximum flow length from the gate Estimated cycle time. Click here to estimate cycle time. Quality requirements Annual quantity requirements

In addition you should also know the mould size and weight.The correct part information will then allow you to find the injection unit size, clamp tonnage requirements and machine type.

2.Select Machine Type

Fully Hydraulic Fully Electric Hybrid - combination of hydraulic and electric drive

Fully Hydraulic Machines The types of hydraulic machines available are defined by the type of clamp design, type of hydraulic pump design and the presence or absence of an accumulator. Clamp design is either a toggle clamp or by hydraulic ram. Hydraulic pump design can be a constant displacement pump (also called fixed displacement pump), a variable displacement pump (also called a piston pump) or a servo pump (also called frequency control or RPM control) . If an accumulator is present then some machine manufacturers use it to drive the entire machine, while others use it for the injection stage only. Accumulators are required for molding of parts which have wall thicknesses in the range of 0.3mm to 0.8mm this is known as thin wall molding. Accumulators might also be required for moulding thicker parts but this must be checked on a case by case basis.

Which one is suitable for you? It depends on your priorities. Here are some criteria to consider before selecting a hydraulic moulding machine:

Buy a new or used machine Purchase price Energy efficiency Plastic material to be processed Part design Mould design Clean room requirement Cycle time requirement Hold time requirement Local service agent capability

If low power consumption is a priority then choose a hydraulic machine with a servo pump as this is the most energy efficient of the fully hydraulic machines. A servo pump will only operate when the machine requires movement, the rest of the time it is using minimal power. However, the purchase price is 10%-15% higher than a hydraulic machine with a constant displacement pump or even a variable displacement pump. Keep in mind a servo pump control will only save you power if you have long cooling times or machine inactive times such as long take out time for robot. Fully Electric Plastic Injection Molding Machines Every movement of the machine is done with direct drive electric servo motors only drawing power when movement is required so they are very energy efficient. Electric machines have excellent repeatability which virtually guarantees consistent part quality. This makes them suitable for molding medical devices. Click here to learn more about medical injection molding. Electric machines are suited to clean room operations because there is no hydraulic oil that can leak on to the floor. Click here to learn more about electric molding machines. Hybrid Plastic Injection Molding Machines A hybrid plastic injection molding machine uses a combination of hydraulic drive and electric direct drive. The hydraulic drive is used to generate fast injection speeds when moulding thin wall parts. The rest of the machine uses electric drive servo motors and each axis of the machine has its own dedicated motor. For example, the mould opening/closing stroke has its own motor. These injection molding machines are very energy efficient

3.Calculate Clamp Tonnage Requirements

By experience injection molders and machine manufactures have this information Computer simulation using software such as Mold Flow By a simple calculation Projected Area X Average Cavity Pressure X Number of Cavities. (Click here to find the machine clamp tonnage for plastic parts made from polypropylene).

In order to find the tonnage using the simple calculation the following part information is required:

Plastic material Length x width x height Projected area (length X width) Average wall section Gate position Maximum flow length from the gate Number of cavities in the mold

The average cavity pressure is also required and this information is available in some plastic injection molding machine manufacturers hand book for certain materials. Most injection molded parts average cavity pressures lie in the range of 300-800 bar. Parts with long flow paths and thin walls will have pressures in the upper range while parts with short flow lengths and thicker wall sections will have much lower pressures. Plastic material selection also influences the cavity pressure. In addition, you need to know the mold weight and size so that you can check that the mold will physically fit into the machine and that the machine can carry the mould weight.

4.Calculate The Injection Unit Size

Plastic material Cycle time Cooling time Shot weight (part weight, cold runner weight and number of cavities) Peak injection pressure requirement Plasticizing rate Injection rate Hold time and pressure

For a specific tonnage machine, manufacturers usually offer 2 injection units to choose from. Both units usually have 3 different screw diameters on offer. In order to select the correct diameter the shot size must be calculated as a percentage of the barrel capacities and must lie between 15% and 80% so that good quality parts can be made. Most barrels are rated in grams of general purpose polystyrene (GPPS). To calculate the shot capacity for materials other than for GPPS the density needs to be known (which is available in most molding books or can be found online by doing a search). Lets assume we have a barrel with a screw diameter of 56mm and the capacity is 510 grams of GPPS. What is the barrel capacity for polypropylene (PP)?

Density of GPPS = 1.06 grams per cubic centremeter Density of Polypropylene = 0.91 grams per cubic centremeter

Calculation to find barrel capacity for PP is: (Density of PP/Density of GPPS)xBarrel capacity of GPPS grams

=(0.91/1.06)x510 grams=438 grams PP So maximum barrel capacity for this 56mm screw diameter is 438 grams. Next we need to make sure the shot size is within the maximum and minimum limits of between 15% and 80%. If the shot size for the injection mould is 110 grams then the shot size as a proportion of the total barrel capacity is: =(110/438)x100= 25% which is within limits. Next, the following 3 criteria must be confirmed to be within limits of the injection unit with the 56mm diameter screw.

Injection pressure Plasticizing rate Injection rate

These can be found in one of 2 ways: The first is by experience - perhaps you have a similar part in production in which case you can read the pressure directly off the screen. Be sure to check the screw diameter is the same. The second is by computer simulation but keep in mind the results are only as good as the information that is entered. It is advisable to check these results against some real life examples. Just remember, the screw diameter selected is crucial to long term part quality and productivity.