When talking about materials that are popularly used to produce products, appliances, packaging, or various types of tools for both household and industrial use, many people will undoubtedly think of “plastic” first. This is because of its strengths, durability, affordability, recyclability, and, most importantly, its wide variety of colors and textures. However, before becoming the products or plastic packaging that we see every day, each type of plastic pellet must first go through the manufacturing process and be molded by a machine we call an “injection molding machine.”
For those who want to know more about the types and working principles of injection molding machines (Injection Molding Machine), including the steps and methods for producing and shaping various types of plastics by injection molding machines (Injection Molding Machine), today J Tech Machinery will take everyone to explore the details of injection molding machines (Injection Molding Machine) together in this article. What is an injection molding machine? And what are the working principles of each type of injection molding machine for producing and shaping plastic pieces?
Getting to know the plastic injection machine
Injection Molding Machine is one of the essential equipment that cannot be missed in any industry related to plastics. Because these injection molding machines have an important role in melting plastic pellets or plastic powder, whether it is Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) into liquid before being injected into molds to be modified into objects, appliances, packaging, and various types of plastic parts for multipurpose use as desired.
Types of plastic injection machines The working principle for the classification of plastic injection machines (Injection Molding Machine) At present, the plastic injection machines (Injection Molding Machine) available in the market can be divided into 2 main types according to the system and working format of each type of plastic injection machine (Injection Molding Machine) as follows:
Plastic injection machines are divided by operating system. For the classification of plastic injection machines by operating system, it can be divided into 3 types: Hydraulic system, Electric system, and Hybrid system. Each system has different operating formats and strengths as follows:
Plastic injection machine, hydraulic system
Hydraulic system is the working system of industrial machinery and plastic injection machines that uses water or oil as a medium to drive the cylinder or hydraulic motor to drive and transmit energy. This working system makes the hydraulic system considered a working system of machinery and plastic injection machines that are easy to use, control and maintain. It is also cheaper than machinery with other working systems.
Therefore, this hydraulic system is considered a popular working system used with various types of industrial machinery. It was the first and only industrial working system used with plastic injection machines until 1983.
Plastic injection machine, electric system
It is another type of plastic injection machine that was first seen in use in the early 1980s before quickly gaining popularity in the plastic parts manufacturing and molding industries due to its outstanding performance in terms of efficiency, accuracy, silence, and speed in plastic molding that is superior to plastic injection machines with other working systems, as well as its ability to help reduce operating costs and save energy effectively.
However, with the outstanding working system of the plastic injection machine, the electric system is necessary to exchange for a higher price of the plastic injection machine and more maintenance and care than the plastic injection machine with other working systems.
Plastic injection machines are divided by their working mode.
For the classification of plastic injection machines according to the working format, which is the injection of plastic that has been melted into the plastic injection machine, it can be divided into 2 types as follows:
Horizontal Injection Molding Machine
Horizontal Injection Molding Machine is a plastic injection machine that is most popularly used in the manufacturing industry of various types of plastic products or packaging due to its horizontal working format.
That is, when the plastic pellets are placed in the plastic injection machine and heated until they are completely melted, these molten plastic pellets will be injected into the mold in a horizontal straight line, perpendicular to the plane of the mold. It can be observed that this Horizontal Injection Molding Machine has a plastic injection set and a mold opening and closing control set in the same direction.
Vertical Injection Molding Machine
In addition to the Horizontal Injection Molding Machine, there is another type of injection molding machine that we know as the Vertical Injection Molding Machine. The operation of the Vertical Injection Molding Machine takes place in the opposite direction of the Horizontal Injection Molding Machine.
When the plastic pellets are brought into the plastic injection machine and are put through a process to melt the plastic pellets, the machine will inject the molten plastic into the mold in a straight line in a vertical direction which is perpendicular to the plane of the mold used to form the plastic.
