Blow Molding

Business.

Your guide to plastic molding - plastics are synthetically produced non - metallic compounds. Plastic molding products can be seen everywhere. It can be molded into various forms and hardened for commercial use.

Examples are jars, plastic tubes, protective caps, grips, bottles, toys, cases, kitchen utensils and, accessories a lot more. - even the plastic parts of the chair that you are sitting on are created this way. Even the keyboard and the mouse that you use are made through plastic molding. The basic idea in plastic molding is inserting molten liquid plastic into a ready shaped mold, for example the mold of a bottle. Plastic molding can also custom - mold a wide variety of plastic products including: garden pots, office trays and, cabinets boxes, barricades and traffic, barriers signage and displays for product and marketing promotions. It will be then allowed to cool, then the mold will be removed to reveal the plastic bottle. If you are planning to go into plastic molding business, you should first know the different processes.

Here are basic definitions of various methods of plastic molding. - choose from a plastic molding process that fits your budget, and your resources, your expertise. The Plastic Molding Processes: Injection Molding. Once cooled, the mold can be removed. In Injection Molding, melted plastic is forced into a mold cavity. This plastic molding process is commonly used in mass - production or prototyping of a product. These can be used to mass produce toys, bottle caps, kitchen utensils, and cell phone stands to name a few.

Injection molding machines were made in the 1930' s. - blow molding. The mold closes on it and forces it outward to conform to the inside shape of the mold. Blow molding is like injection molding except that hot liquid plastic pours out of a barrel vertically in a molten tube. When it is cooled, the hollow part is formed. Equipments needed in setting - up a blow molding business are relatively higher than injection molding.

Examples of blow molding products are bottles, tubes and containers. - compression molding. Compression molding usually uses vertical presses instead of the horizontal presses used for injection and blow molding. In this type of plastic molding, a slug of hard plastic is pressed between two heated mold halves. The parts formed are then air - cooled. Film Insert Molding.

Prices of equipments used for compression molding are moderate. - this plastic molding technique imbeds an image beneath the surface of a molded part. Plastic is then injected. A material like film or fabric is inserted into a mold. Gas Assist Molding. Partial shot of plastic is then followed by high - pressure gas to fill the mold cavity with plastic. Also called gas injection molding is used to create plastic parts with hollow interiors.

Rotational Molding. - the molds rotate on separate axes at once. Hollow molds packed with powdered plastic are secured to pipe - like spokes that extend from a central hub. The hub swings the whole mold to a closed furnace room causing the powder to melt and stick to the insides of the tools. Here, sprayed water causes the plastic to harden into a hollow part. As the molds turn slowly, the tools move into a cooling room.

In this type of plastic molding, tooling costs are low and piece prices are high. - structural foam molding. Cycle time takes about 40 - 45 minutes. Structural foam molding is a process of plastic molding usually used for parts that require thicker walls than standard injection molding. Foaming happens as the melted plastic material enters the mold cavity. Inserting a small amount of nitrogen or chemical blow agent into the plastic material makes the walls thicker. A thin plastic skin forms and solidifies in the mold wall.

Thermoforming. - this type of plastic molding can be used with any thermoplastic that can be injection molded. In this plastic molding process, sheets of pre - extruded rigid plastics are horizontally heated and sucked down into hollow one - piece tools. Tooling costs are usually low and piece prices vary on the machinery. When the hot plastic solidifies, its shape conforms to that of the mold. Plastic molding is a very technical process. Therefore, a very scientific and systematic study should be first made before going into this endeavor.

It needs experts in this type of manufacturing business for it to be competitive in the market.