INJECTION AND BLOW MOLDING

INJECTION MOLDING AND BLOW MOLDING

Reporters: GROUP3
Albayalde, John Marthin CHE EL 16
Astadan, Chantelle Gayle B. 1030TThS
Calub, Jhoanna Marie G.
Guitelen, Peter Murphy D.
Magmoyao, Janine Ann D.
Saculles, Larissa
Umalla, Philmar A.

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Injection molding and blow molding are terms commonly interchanged even by the professionals. The
table below is prepared as a summary and an overview of the groups report.

INJECTION MOLDING BLOW MOLDING

Most commonly used manufacturing process for
Used to create hollow plastic parts
the fabrication of solid plastic parts
Raw Material: Raw Materials:
Either thermosets or thermoplastics Thermoplastics
Thickness:
Thickness:
based on how much the material has to stretch as
determined by the mold and core relationship
it is being blown
Process cycle: Process cycle:
(1) Clamping
(1) Clamping (2) Introduction of Raw Material
(2)Injecting a. Extrusion
(3)Cooling b. Injection
(4)Ejecting (3)Inflating
(4)Cooling
(5)Ejecting
Making the mold is 90% of the job Making the mold is 50% of the job
Minimizes the air presence in the injected plastic Air is needed to force the plastic to expand
Advantages: Advantages:
FAST PRODUCTION
MATERIAL AND COLOR FLEXIBILITY Produce a variety of products
LOW LABOR COSTS Low machinery cost
DESIGN FLEXIBILITY Allows multiple methods of production
LOW WASTE Promotes a higher level of productivity
Disadvantages: Disadvantages:
Highly dependent on petroleum
High initial tooling cost Requires process and material precision
Part design restrictions that creates waste
Accurate costing is difficult Comes with limited uses
Recyclable Raw Material Recyclable Used Products

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 INJECTION AND BLOW MOLDING
INJECTION MOLDING
Injection molding is the most commonly used manufacturing process for the fabrication of plastic parts. A
wide variety of products are manufactured using injection molding, which vary greatly in their size,
complexity, and application.
PROCESS CYCLE
The process cycle for injection molding is very
short, typically between 2 seconds and 2
minutes, and consists of the following four
stages:
1. Clamping - Prior to the injection of the
material into the mold, the two halves of the
mold must first be securely closed by the
clamping unit. The hydraulically powered
clamping unit pushes the mold halves
together and exerts sufficient force to keep
the mold securely closed while the material
is injected. The time required to close and
clamp the mold is dependent upon the
machine - larger machines (those with
greater clamping forces) will require more
time.
2. Injection - The raw plastic material, usually
in the form of pellets, is fed into the injection
molding machine, and advanced towards
the mold by the injection unit. During this
process, the material is melted by heat and
pressure. The molten plastic is then injected
into the mold very quickly and the buildup of
pressure packs and holds the material. The
amount of material that is injected is
referred to as the shot. The injection time is
difficult to calculate accurately due to the
complex and changing flow of the molten
plastic into the mold. However, the injection
time can be estimated by the shot volume,
injection pressure, and injection power.
3. Cooling - The molten plastic that is inside
the mold begins to cool as soon as it makes
contact with the interior mold surfaces. As
the plastic cools, it will solidify into the
shape of the desired part. However, during
cooling some shrinkage of the part may
occur. The packing of material in the
injection stage allows additional material to
flow into the mold and reduce the amount of
visible shrinkage. The mold can not be
opened until the required cooling time has
elapsed. The cooling time can be estimated
from several thermodynamic properties of
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the plastic and the maximum wall
thickness of the part.
4. Ejection - Force must be applied to eject the
part because during cooling the part shrinks
and adheres to the mold. In order to
facilitate the ejection of the part, a mold
release agent can be sprayed onto the
surfaces of the mold cavity prior to injection
of the material. The time that is required to
open the mold and eject the part can be
estimated from the dry cycle time of the
machine and should include time for the part
to fall free of the mold. Once the part is
ejected, the mold can be clamped shut for
the next shot to be injected.
After the injection molding cycle, some post
processing is typically required. During cooling,
the material in the channels of the mold will
solidify attached to the part. This excess
material, along with any flash that has occurred,
must be trimmed from the part, typically by using
cutters. For some types of material, such as
thermoplastics, the scrap material that results
from this trimming can be recycled by being
placed into a plastic grinder, also called regrind
machines or granulators, which regrinds the
scrap material into pellets. Due to some
degradation of the material properties, the
regrind must be mixed with raw material in the
proper regrind ratio to be reused in the injection
molding process.
Advantages of Injection Moulding:
1. Fast Production
Injection moulding can produce an incredible
amount of parts per hour something between
15-30 seconds for each cycle time.
2. Material and Colour Flexibility
Once you have a tool made, without lots of
difficulty, you can change the material and
colour of the part that youre producing.
3. Labour Costs Low
A self-gating, automatic tool runs on an injection
moulding machine without very much difficulty at
 INJECTION AND BLOW MOLDING
all. parts can be readied with little or no labour
on top of the production.
4. Design Flexibility
Injection moulded parts have an almost limitless
amount of flexibility.
5. Low Waste
Most plastics recycle we grind up all of the
waste that we can and reuse it, thus reducing
our waste.
BLOW MOLDING
Blow molding is a manufacturing process that is used to create hollow plastic parts by inflating a heated
plastic tube until it fills a mold and forms the desired shape. The raw material in this process is a
thermoplastic in the form of small pellets or granules, which is first melted and formed into a hollow tube,
called the parison.
METHODS OF FORMING PARISON
Extrusion blow molding - An extruder
uses a rotating screw to force the molten plastic
through a die head that forms the parison
around a blow pin. The parison is extruded
vertically between the two open mold halves, so
they can close on the parison and blow pin.
Pressurized air flows through the blow pin to
inflate the parison. This is the most common
type of blow molding and is used to manufacture
large quantities of relatively simple parts.
Injection blow molding - The molten
plastic is injection molded around a core inside a
parison mold to form the hollow parison. When
the parison mold opens, both the parison and
core are transferred to the blow mold and
securely clamped. The core then opens and
allows pressurized air to inflate the parison. This
is the least commonly used method because of
the lower production rate, but is capable of
forming more complicated parts with higher
accuracy. Injection blow molding is often
preferred for small, complex bottles, such as
those in medical applications.
Stretch blow molding - The parison is
formed in the same way as injection blow
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Disadvantages of Injection Moulding:
1. High initial tooling cost
Theres a high cost to entry to get a tool made
for injection moulding.
2. Part design restrictions
A mould tool is made from two halves that need
to pull apart, and the part needs to be able to be
released from the tool.
Each part must be made separately and be
solid. No hollow parts.
3. Accurate costing is difficult
With injection moulding, as with life, there are
always uncertainties that you should make sure
that you budget for.
molding. However, once transferred to the blow
mold, it is heated and stretched downward by
the core before being inflated. This stretching
provides greater strength to the plastic. Stretch
blow molding is typically used to create parts
that must withstand some internal pressure or
be very durable, such as soda bottles.
Advantages of Blow Moulding
1. It can produce a variety of products.
The commonness of blow molding has allowed
engineers to try and create a variety of
applications and designs, which resulted to
multiple interesting uses.
2. It comes with low costs.
It uses a lower level of pressure, which means
that machinery costs are low, making it easier
and more cost-efficient to mold external threads
or open-ended and large parts, which can be
split by opening a closed molding. Moreover, the
use of this technology will allow you to reduce
labor costs.
3. It allows for multiple methods of production.
This technology is continuing to develop to
improve such production methods, using tweaks
in design and moving towards pure automation.
 INJECTION AND BLOW MOLDING

4. It promotes a higher level of productivity.
This technology has always been moving
forward with the purpose of becoming
universally used with plastic production. It has
allowed for a significant increase in production
capabilities, allowing manufacturers to produce
greater quantities in just a short period of time.
5. It offers the benefits of automation.
Blow molding was taken to greater heights when
the Placo X-Y machine from Japan was
developed, giving rise to 3D blow molding.
Basically, this is an automated production
method that allows for minimal flash (excess
polymer) around the material, seamless part
incorporation and increased speed of
production, thanks to the precise receptacle it
creates.
Disadvantages of Blow Moulding
1. It is highly dependent on petroleum.
As oil is an essential factor in thermoplastics that
is becoming automated and more streamlined,
the technology has become an ongoing threat to
the diminishing oil supply in the world.
2. It creates a huge impact on the environment.
It contributes to the diminishing oil resources, it
creates plastic that is not biodegrade.
3. It requires a lot of production methods.
It would need more resources and the process
could not be streamlined, thus removing
correspondence in the process.
4. It comes with limited uses.
Blow molding is limited to hollow forms, such as
bottles and plastic containers, and air pressure
is essential to the process, it would come with
limited uses.
5. It requires process and material precision that
creates waste.
Considering that thickness should be precise, it
can result in wasted material from processing
containers with specific dimensions. Though
thermoplastic is stretched to save on material, it
can also lead to substandard products.

REFERENCES:
http://encyclopedia.che.engin.umich.edu/Pages/PolymerProcessing/BlowMolding/BlowMolding.html
http://connectusfund.org/11-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-blow-moulding
http://www.avplastics.co.uk/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-injection-moulding
http://www.custompartnet.com/wu/blow-molding
http://www.custompartnet.com/wu/InjectionMolding

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