Think injection molding (IM) and you immediately think, plastic;sackfuls of little green army men and building blocks. However, metal, glass and even chocolate can be used in this process. Everything from DVD holders to Easter Bunnies is manufactured using IM technology.
Mobile phone covers, toy bricks, plastic forks, styrofoam cups, metal scissors and the fans that go inside computers to keep them from overheating while you are playing Candy Crusher, all of these items are fashioned using IM technology. The process, which was first used in the mid-19th century, is amazingly versatile and yields gizmos and widgets for everything from kitchen gadgets to the International Space Station.
One application for the art is in the manufacture of collectible toy soldiers and military miniatures. If there was a war, chances are there are miniature toy soldiers for some enthusiast to recreate it. A horseback-mounted Duke of Wellington can set a collector back in the realm of $200. Intricately detailed and meticulously painted, lesser soldiers can be acquired for a much more reasonable price. Of course, when you are purchasing hundreds of the brave soldiers, it adds up pretty fast.
Electric train collectors are also avid users of IM technology. As with miniature soldiers, the pieces here are made of molded metal and painted. The authenticity and level of detail of the train driver, the little mailmen, babies in buggies, etc., is a wonder to behold.
The starting material, whether polymer, metal or thermoplastic, is pulverized into a fine dust and, in the case of metal, mixed with what is called a binder to produce what is called feedstock. The feedstock is fed through a hopper and passed through a heater while being fed through a tube by a linear actuator. The material is melted into a liquid and then fed into a mold and then cooled.
The variety of items that can be produced via IM is mind-boggling. It is worth doing an image search on the Internet just to get an idea of the scope of work that this simple process is capable of giving rise to. Even the machines that produce the items have moving parts that have themselves been manufactured this way.
A surprising number of feeder industries are part of the IM process. Computer software programmers, polymer manufactures, the chemical industry that makes binders and other additives and the makers of molding machines all contribute to the art and science of the IM process. One thing that will be fun to watch in the coming years is how the IM industry will develop as the field of three-dimensional printing becomes more common.
Mobile phone covers, toy bricks, plastic forks, styrofoam cups, metal scissors and the fans that go inside computers to keep them from overheating while you are playing Candy Crusher, all of these items are fashioned using IM technology. The process, which was first used in the mid-19th century, is amazingly versatile and yields gizmos and widgets for everything from kitchen gadgets to the International Space Station.
One application for the art is in the manufacture of collectible toy soldiers and military miniatures. If there was a war, chances are there are miniature toy soldiers for some enthusiast to recreate it. A horseback-mounted Duke of Wellington can set a collector back in the realm of $200. Intricately detailed and meticulously painted, lesser soldiers can be acquired for a much more reasonable price. Of course, when you are purchasing hundreds of the brave soldiers, it adds up pretty fast.
Electric train collectors are also avid users of IM technology. As with miniature soldiers, the pieces here are made of molded metal and painted. The authenticity and level of detail of the train driver, the little mailmen, babies in buggies, etc., is a wonder to behold.
The starting material, whether polymer, metal or thermoplastic, is pulverized into a fine dust and, in the case of metal, mixed with what is called a binder to produce what is called feedstock. The feedstock is fed through a hopper and passed through a heater while being fed through a tube by a linear actuator. The material is melted into a liquid and then fed into a mold and then cooled.
The variety of items that can be produced via IM is mind-boggling. It is worth doing an image search on the Internet just to get an idea of the scope of work that this simple process is capable of giving rise to. Even the machines that produce the items have moving parts that have themselves been manufactured this way.
A surprising number of feeder industries are part of the IM process. Computer software programmers, polymer manufactures, the chemical industry that makes binders and other additives and the makers of molding machines all contribute to the art and science of the IM process. One thing that will be fun to watch in the coming years is how the IM industry will develop as the field of three-dimensional printing becomes more common.
About the Author:
Henry A. Parker has taught plastics molding techniques for over 15 years. He specializes in injection molding and thermoforming. If you are interested in learning more about plastic pallet supplier then he recommends you visit his friends at PTM: Custom Plastics Injection Molding Company.
