Thin wall molding is gaining popularity due to its lower material cost and high production output. A thin wall refers to an electronic part that has a wall thickness of less than 1mm. For large size parts, the thickness can increase to some extent as 2mm. Injection molding maximum wall thickness for large parts may be 2mm to 4mm.
Thin wall plastic parts rely on the thickness of parts. Flow length for thickness ratio and velocity also affects the thickness of the wall. We can make changes in wall thickness with:
- Fast Cooling Time
- High Speed And Pressure
- Part Ejection Modification
- Arrangement For Gathering
The requirements for the manufacturing of thin-wall parts and thin molding are different. It has been applying in various industries. Such as electronic, packaging, mobile, optical, computer accessories, etc. We manufacture light parts. We improve the output of production by reducing the wall thickness. Thin wall parts have many advantages, as they are good for low material and cost per part. They provide a high output of products because of the fast cycling time. Uniform wall thickness parts enable mold cavity for the more precise filling.
What Things To Be Considered For Thin Wall Plastic Molded Part?
There’re some basic requirements for thin-wall molded parts production. Some are:
Thin walls need special machines for their manufacturing. Machines with new technology and having various controlling functions. It should be capable of generating high speed and pressure for thin-wall parts. Machines should be reliable and strong enough for a long working process. It can hold up against the high pressure of the cavity and clamp tonnage.
- For successful thin wall molding, process parameters are of much importance. They play an important role in thin wall manufacturing. The parameter setting is narrow for the operating window. So the process should fine-tune for producing high-quality parts.
- Any difference and variation in time may cause problems for the quality of thin parts. It may cause flashing and short shots. So time should set and not vary during the operation. Some parts need 0.1 second time for their better production. Thicker wall section parts have a big operational window. It’s easy for thin-wall molding manufacturing and operation.
- Proper and regular maintenance is essential for the thin wall parts molding procedure. As high tolerance requires for thin wall mold. Any residue on the surface may become a problem for quality. The quality of multi-cavity mold can affect by improper and irregular maintenance.
- Robots use for stack parts and removing purpose in thin wall manufacturing. They use in food packaging. You must know how to operate robots and must have the necessary knowledge about them. It’s necessary for successful thin wall molding.
- To keep the surface temperature consistent. You can locate the non-looping cool lines direct in the core, and the cavity can block them.
- For maintaining steel temperature, it would be better to increase the cool flow. The difference between the return and the delivery coolant must be less than 5° to 10° F. It should not be more than these temperatures.
- Fast filling and high pressure required injecting the molten material into the cavity. It will help freeze it out. Suppose a standard part fills in two seconds. Then a 25% reduction in thickness needs a drop for 50% filling time in one second.
- Choose mold material that doesn’t take part in increasing mold wear. When this material will inject into the cavity at high speed. Because of the high pressure of the thin wall, strong mold should manufacture. Rigid steel and H-13 provide extra safety to the tooling of thin walls. You can use P20 steel for the conventional application.
- For minimizing cycle time, you can choose a heat sprue brush and hot runner. By reducing wall thickness, you can decrease 50 % cycle time. Careful and proper management recommend for the mold delivery system.
- You can’t get a fast life cycle with a thin wall. Mold cooling systems should optimize for acquiring the fast life cycle.
- Thin wall molding is more costly than other molding methods. You have to pay more for getting strong and reliable parts. A mold having poor design will break more quickly, and it can also be harmful to machines. So don’t compromise on quality to save money.
- Proper and in-depth knowledge about injection molding troubleshooting is vital. It’s necessary for successful thin-wall parts molding. Only experienced people can’t give you quality assurance and reliability of parts. Wrong parameter setting and little faults can make molding worse. So selecting a skilled and qualified molding company is essential for you.
Common Applications/ Industries Which Use Thin Wall Molding
Millions of thin wall parts are producing for various industries all over the world. Thin wall molding has a long successful history of many applications. Some industries/applications of thin wall parts are:
- Plastic housings & bakery packaging
- Electronic housing & agriculture
- Automotive & food industry
- Plastic containers & consumer electronics
- Cell phone & food packaging
- Frozen food packaging
- Meat & soup
Tips/Guidelines For The High-Quality Thin Wall Molding Manufacturing
Some tips and guidelines for the successful manufacturing of thin wall molding are:
- Part release improvement can be possible with mold surface treatments.
- For reducing pin pushing, large ejector pins can prove more helpful.
- A molded surface can consider effective for improving part release.
- You can reduce gate wear and material shear with high injection speed. It also assists in the prevention of freeze off.
- You can reduce pressure loss in the system of the runner with the help of a hot manifold. Manifold with external heaters is helpful in this case. If you use valve gates, it should be non-restrictive and designed to work in high pressure.
- Part sticking issue in thin wall molding can end with the polishing of diamond on ribs and core.
- A heavy support plate with a thickness of 2-3 may prove valuable in thin wall molding.
- Use of gate walls recommends lessening stress at the gate, part damage, and aid filling.
- For the withholding against high pressure, you can use a gate insert having Rc hardness. Rc of the gate insert should be more than 55.
- Ventilation plays a very important role in thin wall parts molding. It can perform with ejector pins and vent core pins. They are 0.200 to 0.0400 in wide and 0.0008 to 0.0012 in deep. Some processors seal the parting lines with an O-ring. It pulls a vacuum on the cavity gas removal.
What Are The Advantages Of Thin-Wall Injection Molding?
Some of the advantages of thin-wall injection molding include:
- This process can reduce resource consumption, such as energy, water, and electricity consumption.
- It’s very helpful for manufacturing safe, cheap, and clean plastic parts.
- Because of its lightweight parts, fuel emission can lessen in the automotive industry.
- It uses less material and saves the cost of extra material in the molding process.
- We can manufacture parts at a lower cost per part.
- It’s a better method due to its increased productivity and fast speed of manufacturing.
- We can produce some thin parts from sustainable plastic.
- Thin wall molding proves effective in reducing fuel usage and delivery lead timing.
- Some industries, like food packaging, use recyclable plastic (polypropylene) to manufacture thin parts.
- It can produce thin parts that can withstand extreme weather conditions.
What Is Thin Wall Plastic Injection Molded Packaging?
Thin wall molded packaging is one of the most demanding applications in industries. Small shot size, fast cycle, heavy mold, and high injection speed make this method unique and rare. Some of the thin wall packagings are juice, bakery, vegetable, and yogurt cup packaging. You should consider some main steps. When you’re going to choose a thin wall packaging machine.
1. Mold Capacity
Stack mold is a good source that improves the output per capita. The clamp unit should be long and strong. So it can withhold the extra weight and stroke.
2. Integration
A good clamp design helps you in achieving fast and accurate movements. Lack of accuracy of the clamp can increase the mold time. When the mold opens for part removal. It’s critical for the applications of IML.
3. Speed
For thin wall manufacturing, speed is a more critical factor than pressure. The fast flow of plastic will be helpful for the proper and better filling of the part. High speed becomes a cause of high pressure. It proves helpful for reducing the pressure inside the mold.
4. Clamp Designing
How you apply clamp force to the mold is dependent on the degree of flexing. Good design has no more importance in this regard.
How Do You Differentiate Between Injection Molding And Compression Molding?
To choose a suitable and good method for your food and closure designing is not an easy decision. How can choose between injection and compression molding, which will suit your project? Let’s have a look at this comparison for selecting the right one.
Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages altogether. You need to know all factors involving in both steps
Injection Molding
In the Injection molding, plastic material injected into the mold cavity after heating. This method may be a good choice for low-volume runs. Due to an independent cavity system, injection molding is good for complex shapes. For the variant sizes and uptime efficiency, it will be a suitable choice. One of the big benefits of injection molding is design flexibility and high output. Injection molding is also a good method for the more complicated part.
Compression Molding
For a high-volume run, compression molding can prove beneficial for your work. In the procedure, we eject plastic material. After cutting and melting, it can insert into the mold cavity. It has a gate through which we injected plastic into the mold cavity. It has a great effect on wrapping, cap designing, and part dimension.
It has a low tool maintenance factor. It makes it suitable for running a high volume with less downtime. Compression molding has no gating like injection molding. Compression molding gives more abilities for working with color change over. It’s a limited method. It can’t produce complex geometries and parts having a large diameter larger than 48 mm. Some of the advantages of Compression molding are low scrape rate and energy cost.
Conclusion
Thin wall plastic parts are growing in demand due to strength, short cycle time, and less material. It can meet the requirements and precise specifications of customers. You can choose the best manufacturing company. The company can ensure efficient and safe manufacturing. The company that can help you with the optimization of packaging projects. Make sure how thin they can injection mold plastic? Can they provide you injection molding minimum wall thickness? It’ll be helpful for your work and saves you from many problems.