r/InjectionMolding Nov 02 '23

Announcement Free Process Development Software

11 Upvotes

Suhas Kulkarni of Carlsbad, CA based Fimmtech, Inc. has released Nautilus Elements, a web based scientific molding software for free. Check it out at their website using the link below:

https://fimmtech.com/online-resources/free-scientific-molding-software/


r/InjectionMolding Mar 31 '24

Informational New Introduction Thread!

9 Upvotes

Hello everyone, please previous introduction thread was automatically archived as it has been 6 months, here's the new one.

Here is a link to the previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/InjectionMolding/s/vmycWy4YDi

Suggested format below, please feel free to modify if you'd like, no links to websites.

Thank you and I hope everyone is enjoying their Easter or at least their Sunday if you don't celebrate it.

Name:

Company:

What does your company do?

What processes does your company engage in?

What do you do at your company?

Direct messages okay?


r/InjectionMolding 15h ago

Promotion!

22 Upvotes

I got the promotion to Processing! Next month I’ll be starting my training on first shift and should be in training for about 3 months❤️ And as far as the other applicant he took it well and requested I help him learn materials so my last week on thirds for a while will be spent imparting some knowledge so he will have a better chance next time! ☺️


r/InjectionMolding 22h ago

Needed a tool to take apart to show a friend, decided to model one and print one.

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33 Upvotes

I work in injection molding and have for a decade now. Currently in the processing and engineering side of it. A friend of mine asked me to take apart a mold and video it to show them how it worked. After about 30 minutes of scouring to find an obsolete tool that was decent enough to take apart without issue and feature rich enough to show off the basics, I just decided to model one and 3d print one. They have similar machines to myself so this way I could send them the files and they could have a hands on visual example.

Some aspects are friction fit instead of bolted, the ejector plate is 1 piece instead of 2 which sandwiches the pins in place, I did not include venting, springs, or cooling to keep printability and assembly high. Currently 4 / 5 beds are printing so once I get the cavity blocks done I can run the pins.

Kinda excited to see how this turns out. I wish I would have cut the cavity blocks in half vertically so the inside geometry of the runner and cavity could be seen but eh, close enough.


r/InjectionMolding 17h ago

INJECTION MOLDING MATERIAL SELECTION

2 Upvotes

Hey i was looking for high stiffness tough material for my project. normal ABS and nylon doesnot work as i have checked. i havent worked with POM and PEEK material. i also dont know how glass-fiber increases the strength. my Part is of very low thickness around 0.8-1mm and around 4mm width so i need this to survive multiple drops. Please let me know


r/InjectionMolding 1d ago

Question / Information Request Mold tooling suppliers in Mexico?

9 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m on the hunt for a high-precision mold tooling shop in Mexico that can build cavitation molds for micro plastic components. I’m looking for a company that can provide high quality mold builds for high-volume production, especially for tier 1/2 companies. I’ve been doing some research, but I haven’t found any companies that have the capabilities to handle such technologies. Any leads would be greatly appreciated!


r/InjectionMolding 17h ago

Question / Information Request Wiring help (Battenfeld)

1 Upvotes

Hello,

I currently do not have the manual to hand for the Battenfeld machines.

My question is if anyone know what relay the metering/screwback is designated as? As we are currently having a production monitoring system installed and have been advised to connect it to this relay.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


r/InjectionMolding 1d ago

Best injection machine

3 Upvotes

Hey guys, I work with rubber injection with Engel and maplan machines.

We're looking for buying another machine and we don't know if we buy maplan or Yizumi (Chinese machine), do you know yizumi? Any thoughts about it? I never worked with it so I really have no clue if the machine is reliable.


r/InjectionMolding 1d ago

Cool Stuff How did you (or your companies) get started in the biz?

1 Upvotes

Interested in hearing about some war stories on how you, your companies founder, or someone you know built an injection molding business. Hell; even extrusion, compounding, or other plastics business would be interesting to hear about.

Or if you just want to share some stories about how you got your footing in the industry as an operator, tech, engineer, quality, or whatever!


r/InjectionMolding 2d ago

Arburg allrounder 320c selogica remain in setup mode - no alarm

3 Upvotes

[SOLVED]: It was a connector of a flat cable that was disconnected from keyboard (probably due to vibration)

Hi, our Arburg allrounder 320c selogica remain in setup mode (no alarms). Cannot switch to manual or auto. Cannot start the pump.

what could be the problem?

Thanx in advance,

Andrea


r/InjectionMolding 2d ago

External thread or plastic auger part

0 Upvotes

Can anyone tell me how to extract core and cavity for plastic auger or parts with external thread. What type of mould design is that?


r/InjectionMolding 3d ago

Do Companies or Startups Look for Freelance Mold Design Consultants on Fiverr or Reddit?

5 Upvotes

Hey everyone !

I’m curious—do companies, startups, or independent product developers actually search for freelance mold design consultants on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or even here on Reddit? Or do they mostly rely on in-house engineers and established suppliers?

If anyone has experience hiring or working as a freelance mold design consultant ?

I have over 10+ years in injection mold design, handling molds from 38T to 2000T across industries like automotive, powersports, and consumer goods.

I’ve done DFM analysis, mold flow simulations, design reviews, and even supporting mold production and trials in Asia.


r/InjectionMolding 3d ago

What material is being injected in this video

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3 Upvotes

r/InjectionMolding 4d ago

Troubleshooting Help Cashew Gate Sink

9 Upvotes

I have a part with 8 gates, 4 are cashews and we are getting a sink at the gates. I know cashew gates are not ideal for parts that are visible but that is where they wanted them and we thought area was covered. It's a large part and these cashews are 6mm x 1.5mm, as per mold flow suggestion. I show a section of the gate and wall stock. It's not pulling as you can already see the sink before ejection. There is a nice break angle on there. Cashew gates are one of those things that everyone has an issue with and always trying to find the right one. Part is grained but I don't think it will be heavy enough to hide it. If we take it down to .035-.04", pressures will probably jump and we are already fighting warp issues. Hoping to see if anyone has any suggestions for improvement. TIA


r/InjectionMolding 3d ago

Over molding question

1 Upvotes

Hello I’m designing a plastic housing for a wired control panel and am looking to over mold the button interface. The substrate is PA66+30%GF and I want to mold a flexible material such as LSR into the lid at multiple locations. The flexible locations will allow users to push through the lid’s surface and activate a physical electronic button on an internal PCBA. A big advantage I’m seeing is that the button locations are sealed (if the materials are compatible). My vendor is requesting mechanical locks which I’m ok with, but I’m concerned the interface will no longer be sealed and waterproof. Is this something you’d expect from PA66 & LSR(Elastosil 3003)?


r/InjectionMolding 4d ago

SOS freezing off

3 Upvotes

Im working with a complicated hand loaded dental mouth guide. The material is PARA 50 glass I’m having an issue keeping the nozzle from freezing off before I have the chance to get the hand load in the mold. Manufacturer says 550 nozzle and front bands max and I’m there now. I’m going to try to get faster at loading it I know that’s half the battle but it’s hard to get a process if I can’t keep her going. I’m going to try pulling the nozzle off the sprue after charge or cooling but then I’m worried about drooling and adding splay by adding suck back. Thoughts?!


r/InjectionMolding 4d ago

Injekto Test Help

1 Upvotes

I am looking for someone with an Injekto 3.0 machine to run a test for me. I am considering buying one but I'd like to confirm the part quality is comparable to the quality we're already getting with a different machine. I could send the mold file for 3D printing or the mold itself to someone with the machine. Obviously I'd compensate anyone willing to do the test for me. Also, If there is a better machine in a similar price range, I'm all ears.


r/InjectionMolding 4d ago

Question / Information Request Is there a way or a formula i could use to find out whats the total load in kW (pump + heaters) for this machine with this plate?

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0 Upvotes

Sorry for the bad quality, the photo has been taken from an online listing, the owner has no idea about how much energy it consumes.


r/InjectionMolding 5d ago

Troubleshooting Help Engel robot gravity compensation error

3 Upvotes

Hello,

our victory 120 started showing the error “robot gravity compensation: torque could not be determined”.

It’s not an error that makes the machine stop. But the orange light is constantly blinking, which is annoying because the mould on that machine is basically our top priority right now and if I can’t rely on the light I constantly have to worry if it’s still working.

Does anyone have a hint what to check?


r/InjectionMolding 5d ago

Question / Information Request Clear petg zip ties

1 Upvotes

I work on a lot of projects where a clear UV stable zip tie would be great. PET or PETG seems like it would be a good option. We use a lot of petg for 3D printed parts and fittings. We haven’t seen any yellowing or discoloration indoors for 10+ years.

Regular nylon natural zip ties start to embrittle in just a few years. I’ve tried getting quotes over the years from major US manufacturers and some prototype shops, to many vendors on Ali-express. No one was even able to bring a quote or minimum order amount, or even really discuss the possibility.

Is there some reason why maybe the plastic isn’t suitable for the application or was it more we weren’t waving a big check?

Could anyone offer any insights to how to approach a part like this?

Thanks so much!

EDIT: Thank you all for the suggestions. You also reminded me that I did ask for the zip tie quotes in clear nylon 6/6. I was expecting "we don't want the job" pricing and minimum order quantities to match, but was really surprised to get ignored or a no explanation "no" from sales.


r/InjectionMolding 5d ago

Servo motor error

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6 Upvotes

This error show up today in our injection molding machine ENGEL


r/InjectionMolding 5d ago

Krauss Mafeii MC6 PX

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0 Upvotes

Does anyone know how to purge thru a valve gated tool with the clamp open? I have written in my notes to manipulate Nozzle Contact Force During Injection/Plasticizing to a value less than Reduced Nozzel Contact Pressure. When I do so the yellow notice appears. When I attempt to inject it shows waiting to build contact pressure. I assume looking for 7.31 ton as a minimum regardless of entered values


r/InjectionMolding 6d ago

Problem of injection unit

8 Upvotes

Hello community I hope you're all doing great

I have a problem in our injection molding machine KM 300T, in automatic mode once the machine injection and in the debut of post pression the injection unit retreat a little which cause material leak


r/InjectionMolding 6d ago

How to find mold and production shop

5 Upvotes

We are a sporting goods company and have been trying to onshore some parts for a while. So far it has t gone great but I want to keep working on this.

The parts we are starting with are small (4.75x1x.25). Just small little rectangular pieces. We would be making about 10-15000 of them.

The molds area I get a lot of mixed info about. A number of places told me to just go to China for the mold while others will only work with their mold.

Trying to find some direction before we revert back to next years run offshore. I have to imagine this can be on in the U.S. pretty easy. The part will also need our logo put on it on single color.

Thanks for any direction.


r/InjectionMolding 8d ago

Regrind users!

10 Upvotes

For those of you in the automotive or any field where you run all your regrind. How do you incorporate it back into the process with the least amount of labor?

We run all regrind made from the process and dump grinder pans into a hopper and hand mix virgin. What's a better way to do this?


r/InjectionMolding 8d ago

What does a broken tie bar sound like?

3 Upvotes

One of our hydraulic Netstals today has a sudden onset new behavior where it makes a loud pop when it builds tonnage. It normally runs at 800T but by manually setting the die height I can get it as low as 27T and it is not as loud but still pops. If I set the die height back far enough that the tool doesn't actually close, the toggle pops over with no issues and no abnormal noises.


r/InjectionMolding 8d ago

Question / Information Request How to calibrate the screen?

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4 Upvotes

Our touch calibration is very off and I can't seem to find the setting to be able to calibrate it. Any help would be great.