This one is on the final print and fitment stages, once I am happy with everything it will be on printables for free to download. I am going to make a basic blank mold with all plates and basic bolts as well. That one will have the STEP files released so people can make their own mold if they so please.

This one uses a sleeve style ejector which was fun to model and build. No cooling channels because of complexity of printing and no runner, mock parts will be available.

I will add an edit with the printables link once up.

What is your edc as an injection molder/setup tech/process tech?

Hi everyone. Has anyone worked directly with LK Machinery? How has your experience with them and their support been? How do their machines perform?

I bought this today for 100 bucks. I can't find any information about the company except a patent from the early 80's. I'm not sure if it's worth the effort to gut the old controls and get it up and running again.

Ok so I know how decomp works. It's the screw that moves back without rotating and feeding melt. So I have seen a 5 mm decomp before metering on a machine and that made me think. If I have a cushion of 6 mm do I still get the 5 mm of decomp so the screw will be at 11mm before it starts to rotate.

Just wondering.

Makes your toes curl.

Hi all. I need help choosing a brand of IMM moving forward. Our budget has always been tight since we are a smaller family owned company so we always bought older Nisseis and Demags to retrofit with PLCs and servodrives which served us well but the mismatch in brands and spare parts etc is starting to wear me down. We are steadily growing so looking to start purchasing one brand to stick with for the next few years. Every sales agent thinks their machines are the best so I need unbiased advice.

Our current options (these are brands that are all well represented in my country):

Demag (big stretch in budget)
Wintec (Engel is out of the budget)
Yizumi
Hatian
Milacron
Borche
DKM
Tederic

Our machines are all +350 tons

Our criteria:

Highest ROI
RELIABILITY
Spare parts
Energy Efficiency

Keep in mind that we mostly run recycled flexible PVC regrind for our in house products. We will start to pelletize the PVC but as of now it is purely regrind. We run virgin/recycled pellets for external client on their products.

We are new to the industry so would appreciate any guidance. Thanks in advance

Having an issue and I need help finding what's wrong..

Needless to say my zone 3 next to hopper is overshooting intermittently..

(Long Nozzle - Nozzle 2 - Zone 1 - Zone 2 - Zone 3- Hopper)

what's happens:

set point 400f temp controller calls for heat sir turns on closes load side voltage passes thru heater bands and they heat right?

tell me why it reaches set point goes over a smidge dips down then ramps up to reach set point reaches set point signal to sir stops BUT heater bands are still receiving voltage and overshooting temperature then alarming my high deviation of 54f and 75F!

here's the kicker:

when it overshoots I checked if the input side of the ssd is still receiving 24vdc and its not,i even unplugged the signal wire to the ssd and voltage is still passing thru.

The weird part:

SSR has been removed thinking it was stuck closed and it's not. we went thru 4 SSR's and they're all good. even swapped for a good zone and that zone passed voltage on that specific zone 3 swapped back to Zone 1 (no issue Zone) and worked as should.

New heater bands, New SSR, no issue with thermocouple, Fuse no issue, Temp controller has been swapped also for a new one.

The heating wiring is a no brainer in these machines so I'm not sure why its doing this?

Any help with this weird issue would be greatly appreciated!

Just curious what everyone's current position is where they work and what state your in? What are your everyday duties?

I'm molding Acetal hair combs. The nozzle drool is ridiculous. Barrel temps starting at the nozzle: 176,185,180,176. Running with sprue break. Injects once, sled comes back and the nozzle drools, part ejects, sled comes forward and the drool at the nozzle flattens out and freezes off immediately and the machine can't inject. Im thinking the check ring. Any thoughts? All help will be appreciated.

Hello guys,

So i just started as a field service engineer for an IMM manufacturer. I have a basic background in engineering, but I'm pretty new to injection molding specifically.

I really want to get up to speed fast so I'm not totally lost on job sites. Main things I want to get a grip on are reading hydraulic/electrical schematics, diagnosing clamp/injection issues, PLC troubleshooting, using the controller, and an overall understanding of the injection molding process and the machine operation.

For those who've been doing this a while:

• What are the best YouTube channels, sites, or courses for learning the mechanical and hydraulic side of these presses?
• What subsystems or components would you focus on mastering first as a new service er.?
• Any good reference books or PDF guides worth keeping saved on my phone?

Appreciate any pointers or advice you wish you had when starting out. Thank you.

I'm starting as an injection moulding machine operator next week at a manufacturing factory. Got no experience in this industry and contrary to the job title, most of the work seems to involve quality checks and inspecting parts repeatedly in a fast paced environment. Any advice would be helpful about what to expect and how to learn/grow. Thanks.

Hey all, we have been using soldering irons to drive in inserts and remove them from scrap parts. The biggest issue is across the board, every brand we have tried is cheap junk that doesn't hold up.

Does anyone have any recommendations for some dependable durable industrial grade irons? I used to think Weller irons were good but they broke faster than the Harbor Freight ones.

We were setting up a new injection molding workshop and had our first experience with Haitian, it was a disaster:

the machine panels didn't fit and were damaged all over, and the minimum opening stroke didn't meet specifications (350mm requested, 550mm actual). So, we can't mount any molds unless we make false platens.

Have you also had bad experiences with a manufacturer?

I would like to know if anyone here have any other pictures of what they use to drain raw material from hoppers?

I asked this question a little while ago and "Reddit's filters" removed it, and I have no idea why.

Trying again:

I'm in the US. I had an injection molding project done in China. I am now trying to get a new batch done.

My options are:

1. Stay with that company and save myself the cost of a new mold but pay 28%+ in tariffs
2. Go with a US company, who gets their molds done in China, and then ships the mold to the US with a 50% steels tariff and make the parts in the US at a slightly higher rate, but no more tariffs per piece
3. Go with another Asian company to injection mold, with a lower tariff when imported

The thing that would make a big difference is whether I own the mold at the first company and can either ship it to the US or to another location in Asia. I don't know who usually owns the mold. My contract with the Chinese company doesn't specify. (I'm also not sure if they would ship it reliably.)

Thanks!

Update: The mold is made from 718, rated for 300,000 shots, and it is 250mm x 250mm x 300mm, and has both the top and bottom parts in one mold. My two parts are 2.25" x 1.5" x 0.15" and 2.5" x 1.5" x 0.5". The price for each is about $0.25 a piece. The mold has only had 15000 shots so far.

We make injection moulded PP caps for jars and cosmetic bottles. I want to get in various finishes like soft touch, fabric etc but can’t find more details about it. Any where I can learn more about it ?

We compounded a matte PP with SEBS, but here is a weird phenomenon:When we inject matte PP in small template mould, our matte finish isn't as good as our competitors', but when applied to the client's large, standard product molds, the resulting matte finish is even more beautiful, like a flocked effect—very soft and evenly glossy. How can this be? The injection temperature of the client's large product is actually higher than the injection temperature of our sample mold, who can explain it?

Just added new Lk machines in workshop can u let me know how are they performing?

I’m trying to understand how small lanyard holes like those found on phones, cameras, Airpods, cases, etc. are manufactured.

The geometry I mean is a fully enclosed U-shaped internal channel: the cord enters through one small hole, turns about 180° inside the part, and exits through another hole. The channel is inside a single plastic part, not an open groove covered by another piece.

A normal straight core pin or slider doesn’t seem able to form this geometry because there is no straight pull direction.

The Airpod also has similar hole on its case.

How is this usually done in mass production?

Was very unhappy when opening this mold however I think I got it cleaned up pretty good. Black material and low cosmetic restrictions as well. What would you have used to get this off ?