Injection moulding (U.S. spelling: injection molding) is a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting molten material into a mould, or mold. Injection moulding can be performed with a host of materials mainly including metals (for which the process is called die-casting), glasses, elastomers, confections, and most commonly thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers. Material for the part is fed into a heated barrel, mixed (using a helical screw), and injected into a mould cavity, where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity.After a product is designed, usually by an industrial designer or an engineer, moulds are made by a mould-maker (or toolmaker) from metal, usually either steel or aluminium, and precision-machined to form the features of the desired part. Injection moulding is widely used for manufacturing a variety of parts, from the smallest components to entire body panels of cars. Advances in 3D printing technology, using photopolymers that do not melt during the injection moulding of some lower-temperature thermoplastics, can be used for some simple injection moulds.
Core:
In injection molding, the mold core refers to a solid component that is used to create the internal features and cavities of a molded part. It is typically made of hardened steel and is separate from the mold cavity itself. Mold cores are used in conjunction with the mold cavity to form the complete shape of the molded part.
Lifter:
The injection mold lifter is an essential component that makes the whole injection molding process successful. Why is that? Because the lifter is used at the final stage of producing plastics. This is when the molten plastic has been poured into the mold and is ready to be removed.
Additionally, there are so many details regarding the mold. It opens and closes to allow molten plastic in and solidify. Moving forward, when it is ready, products with undercuts are removed from the mold using a lifter.
Insert:
Mold inserts are irregular mold accessories implanted in the mold to attach the mold plate. Mold inserts do not comprise a fixed shape and structure, and they must usually be tailored by the actual mold construction, which has high precision requirements.
Furthermore, the mold inserts are suitable for reaction, injection molding, and hot embossing. They can endure temperatures of up to 150° C and pressures of up to 10 MPa with ease.
Slide:
However, in most cases, the mold release direction of a specific part may not be consistent with the mold opening direction of the injection molding machine (product undercut). Hence, the slider, also called an injection molding slide, is a molding mechanism developed to solve problems associated with the undercut.
The fundamental idea is to rotate the mold’s normal opening and closing motion horizontally instead of vertically.
Forming surfaces, slider bodies, guide pins, wedges, press blocks, and wear plates are the fundamental components that makeup slide mechanisms. Other common components include a pressing block. The injection mold slider is subject to wear and tear during normal operation.
Additionally, surface nitriding is frequently conducted to mitigate some damage and keep the components in working order for longer. Although designing intricate shapes is the most intriguing aspect of working with a slider, an additional obstacle is preventing displacement that may occur due to the pressure generated throughout the injection molding process.