Plastic Injection Molds

Training Objective
After watching the program and reviewing this printed material, the viewer will become familiar with the
variety, design, and productive use of plastic injection molds.

Mold components are identified and explained

The various mold types are featured
Aspects of mold maintenance and storage are detailed

The Injection Molding Process

Injection molding is the most widely used method of producing parts out of thermoplastic material. The
molten thermoplastic material is injected into the mold at high pressure. Once this material cools and
solidifies, the mold opens and the part is ejected. During the injection molding cycle, the mold serves several
purposes, including:

Determining the finished shape of the part

Venting trapped air or gas during injection
Acting as a heat exchanger to draw heat from the part to aid in solidification
Providing a means of ejecting the part from the mold

Mold Components
All molds contain a number of common design features. These features include:

Mold base
Mold cavity
Mold core
Sprue bushing
Runner system
Gates
Vents
Cooling system
Ejector system, plus other components

The mold base is an arrangement of steel blocks manufactured to specific dimensions. Mold bases may be
purchased from commercial mold base manufacturers or produced in-house by moldmakers.
The basic mold base consists of two halves. The 'A' half, which is also referred to as the stationary half, or
the injection half, and the 'B' half, which is also referred to as the moving half, or the ejector half. The mold
cavity which creates the outer image or surface of the part is usually mounted on the 'A' half of the mold,
while the mold core which reproduces the inner image of the part is typically mounted on the 'B' half of the
mold. Collectively the cavity and core halves are known as the 'cavity set'.
Mold bases, cavity and cores are commonly made from special mold steels or from other materials such as
beryllium copper, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, kirksite, and epoxy. The softer mold materials are
generally used for prototype molds and limited production runs.
All plastics have their own shrink factor, meaning they shrink at a certain rate as they cool and solidify.
Depending on the type of material to be injection molded, moldmakers must take it's shrink factor into
consideration when producing the cavity set. For example, if a material shrinkage is calculated to be one-

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hundredth of an inch for a part six inches in length, a total of six-hundredths of an inch must be added to the
mold design to compensate for shrinkage.
Additionally, draft angles or tapers are machined into the side walls of the cavity set to facilitate part removal
from the mold. These tapers typically range from 1 to 2 per side. Once completed, cavity sets may be heat
treated to protect them from the harsh injection molding environment. Molds may also be coated or plated
with wear resistant surfacing material, such as nickel and hard chrome.
The interfacing plane between mold halves is called the parting line. Depending on the complexity of the
part, there may be several such parting lines. Proper alignment of the mold halves is accomplished by using
leader pins and bushings.
The mold halves are mounted on platens which are components of the injection machine. Most injection
machines have three platens:

The stationary platen, which holds the 'A' half of the mold.
The movable platen, which holds the 'B' half of the mold and moves back and forth on the injection
machines four tie bars.
The rear stationary platen, which holds the other end of the tie bars, thus anchoring the entire
system.

A locating ring on the mold centers to a hole on the stationary platen. This then allows the nozzle of the
heating cylinder to seat firmly against the sprue bushing on the 'A' half of the mold. The sprue bushing
directs the molten material from the heating cylinder nozzle into the mold's runner system.
A mold's runner system is the channel or network of channels through which the material flows to reach the
cavity set. Surface runners are the most common runner design, and are half-round channels machined into
the surfaces of each of the mold halves.
Once the molten thermoplastic flows through the runner system it reaches the cavity set through an interface
called the gate. The mold gate restricts and controls the flow of plastic into the mold. Passage through the
gate causes a frictional rise in material temperature, extending the materials flow into the mold. Common
types of gates include:

The edge gate, which is usually located on the parting line, and is the most common gate type.
The submarine gate, which brings material under the parting line to fill the cavity from below.
The tab gate, which redirects material flow into the mold.
The ring gate, which is used in molding round or cylindrical parts.
The fan gate, which is used to spread material quickly over a large area.

To remove trapped air and process gases during injection, a mold venting system is needed. The number
and size of the vents are determined by part geometry, material type, viscosity, and the rate of injection.
These vents are ground on the parting line of the mold.
The hot thermoplastic remains in the mold under pressure until it cools. This cooling is usually achieved by
water circulating in channels machined into the mold. Proper cooling contributes to controlled part shrinkage,
part strength and quality. Overall, the speed of the injection molding cycle is controlled by the efficiency of
the cooling system.
Once the parts are sufficiently cooled and solidified, the mold opens and an ejector system, usually in the
form of knockout pins, is used to aid in part ejection. Ejector systems are mounted on the ejection side of the
mold and are typically activated by pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders. In addition to knockout pins, other
ejector methods include stripper plates, stripper rings, and air pressure ejection. Sometimes a sprue puller is
used to remove molded plastic from the sprue bushing as the part is ejected.

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Injection Mold Types
Typical injection molds designed to meet specific production requirements include:
The cold-runner two-plate mold, which consists of two plates with the cavity and core mounted in
them. The sprue, runners, and gates, along with the part are molded simultaneously, and then
separated after ejection.
The cold-runner three-plate mold, which includes a stripper plate that automatically separates the
sprue, runners and gates from the parts during ejection.
The hot-runner mold, which uses an electrically heated manifold that maintains material temperature
in the runners at the same level of the material in the injection cylinder. The runner system is
contained in a plate of its own and does not open during ejection of the part. This is also known as
'runnerless' molding and can decrease cycle time by 25 percent or more.
The insulated-runner mold, which uses large diameter runners and no heaters. During injection the
outer layers of plastic in the runner solidify and insulate the inner material, keeping it at molding
temperatures.
Mold Maintenance and Storage
Over time and repetitive use, mold components and surfaces will degrade. The use of inserts and laminated
construction for mold surfaces subjected to high wear is recommended. Rust is also a major factor. Cleaning
and lubrication are critical measures between manufacturing cycles and for short-term and long-term
storage.

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Review Questions
1.

Injection mold bases, cavities, and cores are most commonly made from:
a. special aluminums
b. epoxies
c. beryllium copper
d. special mold steels

2.

The usual range of mold draft angles is:

a. 5 to 10 per side
b. 1 to 4 per side
c. 1 to 2 per side
d. 0.5 to 1 per side

3.

The sprue bushing is located on the:

a. 'A' half of the mold
b. 'B' half of the mold
c. movable platen
d. rear stationary platen

4.

The purpose of a fan gate is to:

a. speed solidification
b. control injection speed
c. spread material over a large area
d. redirect the flow of material

5.

Edge gates are usually located on:

a. the 'A' half of the mold
b. the sprue
c. the parting line
d. below the parting line

6.

Mold vents are found:

a. around the whole cavity set
b. on the parting line
c. near the gates
d. within the 'B' half of the mold

7.

The major factor in injection cycle speed is:

a. the type of thermoplastic
b. the temperature of the plastic
c. injection speed and pressure
d. efficiency of the cooling system

8.

A cold-runner three-plate mold has:

a. no sprue bushing
b. a stripper plate
c. integrated sprue pickers
d. a larger gate system

9.

The mold design known as 'runnerless' is the:

a. the hot-runner mold
b. the two-plate cold-runner mold
c. the insulated-runner mold
d. none of the above

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Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

d
c
a
c
c
b
d
b
a

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