Understanding the injection moulding process
Rapid injection moulding company Protomold has produced a new design resource that is intended to give its customers a better insight into how the injection moulding process works.The Protomold Demo Mould can be dismantled to show the internal workings, features and operation of a mould. This visualisation of the moulding process aims to inspire designs that can be produced with least modifications and in the shortest possible time.
Protomold UK managing director, John Tumelty, explains: “As part of our commitment to continually provide our customers with design-related resources, we have created the new Protomold Demo Mould. While most of our resources focus on part design, our Demo Mould concentrates on the features and operation of the mould itself.”
Protomold’s online ProtoQuote system produces a quote generated from 3D CAD models uploaded by the customer. From this, specifications are picked and the designs are evaluated for any modifications needed to ensure that the customer receives flawless plastic injection moulded parts. The Protomold Demo Mould is designed in two main halves, which have been colour-coded to correspond to the two halves illustrated in a ProtoQuote.
The A-Side half creates the cavity of the part and, as there are no ejector pins to compromise the finish, this usually produces the outside or cosmetic side of the product.
This half is also the side that would be fixed to the injection moulding press and is where the resin enters the mould through the sprue hole.
The B-Side half, often referred to as the core side, when fitted with the A-Side forms the hollow centre for the resin to flow in to. To give a complete picture, Protomold has even included the injected part that is formed in the mould. Once the part is formed, it will remain on the B-side half when opened and can be removed by the ejector pin system that is also fixed to this part of the Demo Mould.
“Our aim is to make the injection moulding process accessible to all product designers,” says John Tumelty. “The Protomold Demo Mould uses simple elements to illustrate how the process works and will help customers to design better, more easily moulded parts.”
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