Molding Equipment and Services

Originally Published MPMNApril 2004

SPOTLIGHT

Molding Equipment and Services

Two-stage ejector

Atwo-stage ejection system provides cut-to-length adaptability to varying mold-base sizes and plate thicknesses. The equipment features internal installation to avoid interferences with water-line connectors and externally mounted components. With bottom-last and top-last styles of ejection, the system comes in diameters of 20, 26, and 32 mm, accommodating most metric or inch standard mold bases. The stroke range for each ejection stage is achieved by cutting the center rod to the desired length and by cutting a threaded sleeve to length. The system controls the movement of two sets of ejector plate assemblies inside the mold box. Both the first- and second-stage strokes can be set independently.D-M-E Co., Madison Heights, MI www.dme.net  

Precision components

An outsource developer and manufacturer of finished, disposable medical devices has injection molding capabilities for precision components. Thirteen facilities with Class 10,000 and Class 100,000 cleanrooms also provide mold design and building capabilities. Depending on the location, the company's injection molding machines handle a tonnage capacity ranging from 22 to 360 tn. The company also offers full product life-cycle management from design to finished sterile goods.Avail, Fort Worth, TX www.availmed.com 

Vertical injection molding machine

A 37.8-tn injection molding machine is designed for fully automated molding of inserts as well as for continuous production lines. The 35 vertical series features a clamping unit equipped for vertical injection. Molding shot sizes range from 0.95 to 2.29 oz. Available models include the 35 A VV with a color interactive touch screen Procan CT microprocessor control, and the 35 M VV with a backlit flat-panel Procan MD microprocessor control. The machine is suitable for precision molding and can be equipped for liquid silicone rubber parts. A two-platen clamping unit offers a 90° rotation so that insert-molded parts will not slip during the clamping stage. Open space on the rear table permits the addition of auxiliary equipment such as robotics and automation cells. The overall dimensions are 108.7 ¥ 33.9 ¥ 74.8 in.Boy Machines Inc., Exton, PA www.boymachines.com      

Custom injection molding

A full-service custom injection molder offers quality assurance and ongoing bioburden checks and verifications to ensure contaminate-free products. The company's 100,000-sq-ft facility comprises Class 10,000- and Class 100,000-certified cleanrooms and a general molding room. Secondary operations performed within cleanroom environments include assembly, serialized bar coding, and packaging. New-tool construction and tool maintenance are performed in an in-house tool room.Trademark Plastics Inc., Riverside, CA www.trademarkplastics.com  

Molding services

With a specialty in molding engineering-grade thermoplastic and elastomeric materials, a supplier offers micromolding, machined metal component fabrication, and liquid silicone injection molding. The company's capabilities include complete design and engineering services, in-house CAD- and CAM-based tooling design and fabrication, insert molding, overmolding, and white-room molding. In addition to Class 10,000 and Class 100,000 cleanroom assembly, contract manufacturing services are available for assembly, machining, welding, and packaging. 
Donatelle Plastics, New Brighton, MN www.donatelleplastics.com     

Compression molding press

Providing 50 to 6000 lbf of clamp force, a compression molding press offers precision control through a proportional pneumatic pressure-control system. Model PS3H-8-CLX is suitable for vacuum-chamber compression molding of plastics and rubber requiring precise low-pressure force control, including testing, prototyping, and production applications. Fully programmable computer-based controls provide for data storage and dictate operating parameters, including temperature and pressure. The equipment features with an integral vacuum chamber and 8 ¥ 8-in. electrically heated and water-cooled platens. Standard electrically heated platens are available in sizes up to 18 ¥ 18 in.Wabash MPI, Wabash, IN www.wabashmpi.com  

Steel prototype production

A designer and builder of injection molds for plastic- and metal-injection molding offers steel prototypes with turnarounds in as few as 3 days. The company can produce a small amount of parts from a hand mold or a production-capable tool. The prototypes are accurate replications of results from a production tool and can be welded or plated. The full-service tooling company also provides part design and refinement, solid modeling, first-article inspection, in-house sampling, and mold construction.B A Die Mold, Aurora, IL www.badiemold.com  

Electric injection molding

A series of molding machines feature a controller permitting high-speed control of a 100-millisecond injection-scanning time. The Nex-series electric injection molding machines provide clamping compression, in-mold processing, and a variety of control programs. To minimize scrap, a protection function opens the mold if the sensing element detects any foreign matter during clamping. The series has a lineup of 22 models with nine types of mold-clamping mechanisms and 13 types of injection units. The units are suitable for a variety of applications, from small-sized precision parts to multicavity molding. Injection shafts are provided with a liquid lubrication-type ball screw to ensure high precision and high durability.Lissei America Inc., Anaheim, CA www.nisseiamerica.com  

Plastic and rubber forming 

Processing both plastic and silicone rubber, a molding service provider can meet customer requirementsfor applications from complex assemblies to implantable silicone devices. The company's services cover the process from conceptionto the final product. Design expertise includes CAD and 3-D model prototyping combined with flexible manufacturing technology. Additional supporting facilities include Class 10,000 cleanrooms, a microbiology testing laboratory, a tool roomfor mold maintenance, and printing services. Bibby Sterilin,Staffordshire, UK www.bibby-sterilin.com  

Insert molding machine

A molding machine uses a vertical clamp and vertical injection configuration with a multistation rotary table for insert placement. Medi-Molder uses book molds to enable molded parts to cure during travel, an advantage when processing long-cure-time materials such as liquid silicone.The press can also run different molds at the same time with adjustable parameters at each station. The company offers mold tooling for needle production.CA Lawton Co., DePere, WI www.calawton.com     


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