Plastic injection molding has brought about a manufacturing revolution, enabling the creation of intricate components with unparalleled efficiency. However, even this advanced technique is not immune to challenges, and issues may arise that lead to product failures. In such cases, conducting a comprehensive product failure analysis becomes crucial in order to get your product back on the market quickly with every chance the product will live up to a reasonable expectation of a long market presence. In this article, we’ll explore how engineering failure analysis through forensic research plays ..read more

While overmolding is a versatile manufacturing process, it is important to consider and understand the requirements needed for every part created. Overmolding material compatibility is the most important consideration because if the materials used are not chemically and thermally compatible, the product may be deformed and have poor performance.   Materials for Overmolding Overmolding allows manufacturers to create strong, durable, and consistent parts by combining multiple materials. There are many combinations of materials that can be used to create any one part. Luckily, there are many ..read more

Have you ever had an injection molded part that didn’t live up to its’ use in the environment for which it was intended?  After several attempts to correct the problems did you give up and choose a metal instead?  Would it surprise you to know that many plastic parts don’t make it to market with the part properties originally intended?  Did you ever ask yourself what caused this failure?   In the last few years, PMC has picked up 35% of their new customers from part property failures molded by other injection molders. These defects in injection molding parts are not caused ..read more

Manufacturers Replace Metal with Plastic to Reap Benefits of Plastic Resins While Maintaining Integrity of Metals In today’s fast-paced world there is an immense pressure on manufacturers to create a better, faster, stronger, cheaper product, and only those who are willing to adapt and innovate will survive. Manufacturers who’ve been dragging their heels (or worse, kicking & screaming) are now getting on-board with replacing metal parts with plastic ones. Industries being most impacted by the switch include: Automotive/Transportation Aerospace/Aviation Military/Defense Consumer Appliances ..read more

Glass-filled Plastic Parts – Why They’re So Popular & What Risks They Present When discussing plastic resin injection molding, glass-filled plastic is commonly used to enhance part strength and rigidity. Some of the most common glass-filled resins include: ABS LCP PEEK PEI PET PPS While thermoplastics do have naturally-occurring mechanical properties that impart strength, durability, impact-resistance and other benefits within plastic molded parts, adding glass-filled plastic can help further reinforce the resin’s properties. The one issue that can occur with glass-filled plastic parts i ..read more

The Cooling Rate Process & How it Affects the Final Molded Part In plastic injection molding, cooling rate is the last section of the molding cycle. The cooling rate is a decreasing rate from the time the plastic resin enters the mold until the last cavity of the mold is filled. The cooling process is complete when the temperature is no longer reducing, and any additional time spent to cool the part is useless. When the cooling process is complete, it is safe to remove the part from the mold. Below, are important factors that affect cooling rate and the final molded part… Mold Cavity Press ..read more

How Speed & Gates Play a Critical Role in Plastic Injection Molding Success In plastic injection molding, the first thing to occur in the process is filling the mold with a given resin. Improper fill rate can result in various part defects, both in part strength and aesthetics. Below, we cover the 2 most important considerations for plastic injection molding fill rate: Speed and Gates. Plastic Injection Molding Speed With today’s machinery, plastic molders are able to inject resin very fast, very slow, or variations of both throughout the process, but within the same injection phase. Plast ..read more

The Importance of Melt Temperature & Mold Temperature in Plastic Molding and How the Two Work Together When it comes to plastic molding manufacturing, proper melt temperature and mold temperature are paramount for ensuring your part’s final properties meet its performance requirements. Below, our in-house Master Molders cover the various aspects of melt temperature, mold temperature, and how the two can work together during the plastic molding development process in order to produce a higher quality part at a lower cost. Melt Temperature In plastic molding, melt temperature must be careful ..read more

PMC Increases Throughput Efficiency and Job Quality with Rethink Robotics’ “Sawyer” BOSTON – April 02, 2018 – Plastic Molded Concepts (PMC), a plastics injection molding manufacturer, has deployed Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer robot at its Eagle, Wis. facility to drive business growth and offer high quality jobs for workers. PMC has turned to automation to boost the efficiency of its 38 molding machines; as a first step, Sawyer is making parts for a pressure gauge. “We qualify our success in terms of efficiency, and there’s no better solution to efficiency than automation. We initially deployed Sa ..read more

Uncover the Top 6 Considerations You & Your Plastic Injection Molding Company Should Discuss Before the Resin Selection Process Begins When it comes to material selection for medical device plastic injection molding, it’s important to work with a molding company that’s been entrusted by the medical manufacturing industry to identify the best resin for a given device and who specializes in engineered resins. Below are the top 6 material considerations you and your plastic injection molding company should discuss before the resin selection process begins. Strength – When plastic injection m ..read more