protection equipment - small run injection molding

Join KraussMaffei for an insightful webinar designed for industry professionals, engineers and anyone interested in the manufacturing processes of PVC pipes. This session will provide a comprehensive understanding of the technology behind the production of high-quality PVC pipes: from raw material preparation to final product testing. Agenda: Introduction to PVC extrusion: overview of the basic principles of PVC pipe extrusion — including the process of melting and shaping PVC resin into pipe forms Equipment and machinery: detailed explanation of the key equipment involved — such as extruders, dies and cooling systems — and their roles in the extrusion process Process parameters: insight into the critical process parameters like temperature, pressure and cooling rates that influence the quality and consistency of the final PVC pipes Energy efficiency: examination of ways to save material and energy use when extruding PVC pipe products

Plastics Technology’s Tech Days is back! Every Tuesday in October, a series of five online presentations will be given by industry supplier around the following topics:  Injection Molding — New Technologies, Efficiencies Film Extrusion — New Technologies, Efficiencies Upstream/Downstream Operations Injection Molding — Sustainability Extrusion — Compounding Coming out of NPE2024, PT identified a variety of topics, technologies and trends that are driving and shaping the evolution of plastic products manufacturing — from recycling/recyclability and energy optimization to AI-based process control and automation implementation. PT Tech Days is designed to provide a robust, curated, accessible platform through which plastics professionals can explore these trends, have direct access to subject-matter experts and develop strategies for applying solutions in their operations.

Second quarter started with price hikes in PE and the four volume engineering resins, but relatively stable pricing was largely expected by the quarter’s end.

Across the show, sustainability ruled in new materials technology, from polyolefins and engineering resins to biobased materials.

Ultradent's entry of its Umbrella cheek retractor took home the awards for Technical Sophistication and Achievement in Economics and Efficiency at PTXPO.

When, how, what and why to automate — leading robotics suppliers and forward-thinking moldmakers will share their insights on automating manufacturing at collocated event.

In this three-part collection, veteran molder and moldmaker Jim Fattori brings to bear his 40+ years of on-the-job experience and provides molders his “from the trenches” perspective on on the why, where and how of venting injection molds. Take the trial-and-error out of the molding venting process.

In a time where sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, the food and beverage packaging industry is required to be at the forefront of this innovation. By adopting circular packaging processes and solutions, producers can meet regulatory requirements while also satisfying consumer demand and enhancing brand reputation. Join Husky to learn more about the broader implications of the circular economy — as well as how leading brands are leveraging this opportunity to reduce costs, increase design flexibility and boost product differentiation. Agenda: The cost and operational benefits of embracing circularity Key materials in circular packaging — including rPET and emerging bioplastics How to design a circular food and beverage package Strategies for selecting sustainable closures to future-proof packaging solutions Optimization and streamlining of production processes for enhanced efficiency How Husky Technologies can enable your sustainable success

In this collection of content, we provide expert advice on welding from some of the leading authorities in the field, with tips on such matters as controls, as well as insights on how to solve common problems in welding.

Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.

The speed and simplicity of the process is reminiscent of “gig” apps like Lyft or Uber Eats in terms of its convenience and ease of use. First, a prospective client visits Protolabs’ website. They upload a 3D model of the part they want to create. Protolabs then uses software to analyze the model and evaluate how well it can be made using injection molding, making recommendations along the way. This design-for-manufacturing analysis, or DFM, plan is then usually checked over by one of the company engineers, many of whom now work remotely.

Learn about sustainable scrap reprocessing—this resource offers a deep dive into everything from granulator types and options, to service tips, videos and technical articles.

There’s no getting around it: Protolabs’ Injection Molding Facility in Plymouth, Minnesota, stands out as an unusual IW Best Plants winner. Most winners make one product or a small handful of products, and they aim to maximize the amount of time their machines are running.

Join Wittmann for an engaging webinar on the transformative impact of manufacturing execution systems (MES) in the plastic injection molding industry. Discover how MES enhances production efficiency, quality control and real-time monitoring while also reducing downtime. It will explore the integration of MES with existing systems, emphasizing compliance and traceability for automotive and medical sectors. Learn about the latest advancements in IoT and AI technologies and how they drive innovation and continuous improvement in MES. Agenda: Overview of MES benefits What is MES? Definition, role and brief history Historical perspective and evolution Longevity and analytics Connectivity: importance, standards and integration Advantages of MES: efficiency, real-time data, traceability and cost savings Emerging technologies: IoT and AI in MES

This Knowledge Center provides an overview of the considerations needed to understand the purchase, operation, and maintenance of a process cooling system.

Md Plastics’ Inject-EX inline screw/plunger injection unit, shown with two outboard hydraulic cylinders that move the entire unit (with feed hopper) forward to inject. Melt feeds from the screw through a shutoff valve and a channel inside the plunger to the front of the plunger. Source: Md Plastics

Associate Editor Ryan Secard covers topics relevant to the manufacturing workforce, including recruitment, safety, labor organizations, and the skills gap. Ryan has written IndustryWeek's Salary Survey annually since 2021 and has coordinated its Talent Advisory Board since September 2023.

The end-to-end digital chain of Protolabs Plymouth’s process, Singh says, is one of the company’s competitive advantages over operations that prioritize front-end tech. Each part can be digitally tracked through the process of the plant by the client that ordered it.

Vigorous devotion to speed and quality, a strong focus on customer satisfaction tied with a culture that encourages employees to experiment, and innovative technology: These are the features that qualify Protolabs Plymouth as an IW Best Plant.

Sustainability continues to dominate new additives technology, but upping performance is also evident. Most of the new additives have been targeted to commodity resins and particularly polyolefins.

After successfully introducing a combined conference for moldmakers and injection molders in 2022, Plastics Technology and MoldMaking Technology are once again joining forces for a tooling/molding two-for-one.

Across all process types, sustainability was a big theme at NPE2024. But there was plenty to see in automation and artificial intelligence as well.

Mixed in among thought leaders from leading suppliers to injection molders and mold makers at the 2023 Molding and MoldMaking conferences will be molders and toolmakers themselves.

“Websites are common now, right?” Singh points out. “Our level of automation is high on the front end, but I think on the front end, everybody’s figuring out how to do it. I think we still are significantly different from any other competitor on the back end.”

Introduced by Zeiger and Spark Industries at the PTXPO, the nozzle is designed for maximum heat transfer and uniformity with a continuous taper for self cleaning.

Join Engel in exploring the future of battery molding technology. Discover advancements in thermoplastic composites for battery housings, innovative automation solutions and the latest in large-tonnage equipment designed for e-mobility — all with a focus on cost-efficient solutions. Agenda: Learn about cutting-edge thermoplastic composites for durable, sustainable and cost-efficient battery housings Explore advanced automation concepts for efficient and scalable production See the latest large-tonnage equipment and technology innovations for e-mobility solutions

Protolabs’ other advantage over its competitors, Singh says, is its manufacturing expertise. While some prototyping companies are essentially intermediaries that connect clients to other contract manufacturers, Protolabs Plymouth has the know-how to do its own stunts. At the same time, though, the company is planning to expand its footprint on what it can provide for customers beyond its own house-made prototypes: Protolabs’ acquisition of 3D Hubs last year, Singh says, will cover even more ground by enabling Protolabs to connect clients to other manufacturers for high-scale orders.

Md Plastics is now offering for sale injection machines incorporating its novel Inject-EX injection-unit design with an inline screw and plunger. Inject-EX was previewed in prototype form at the last NPE in 2018. Now it is incorporated in servohydraulic machines from EdeX in Taiwan. The first Inject-EX model available is a 70-tonner with 2.2-oz. (64.23-cc) shot capacity. It’s also outfitted with the unique Temp-Sense melt sensor for melt-density verification. Md Plastics has one of these presses at its plant in Columbiana, Ohio.

When determining the best ejection option for a tool, molders must consider the ejector’s surface area, location and style.

“We are extremely fortunate. We have got a very committed and very engaged workforce,” Wesling says. Plymouth employees feel connected to the success of the plant, he says, thanks in part to clearly indicated plant KPIs displayed on whiteboards, as well as individual goals and annual merit pay increases.

Performing fundamental maintenance inspections frequently assures press longevity and process stability. Here’s a checklist to help you stay on top of seven key systems.

Join this webinar to explore the transformative benefits of retrofitting your existing injection molding machines (IMMs). Engel will guide you through upgrading your equipment to enhance monitoring, control and adaptability — all while integrating digital technologies. You'll learn about the latest trends in IMM retrofitting (including Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits) and discover how to future-proof your machines for a competitive edge. With insights from industry experts, it'll walk you through the decision-making process, ensuring you make informed choices that drive your business forward. Agenda: Maximize the value of your current IMMs through strategic retrofitting Learn how to integrate digital technologies to enhance monitoring and control Explore the benefits of Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits Understand how retrofitting can help meet new product demands and improve adaptability Discover how Engel can support your retrofitting needs, from free consultations to execution

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

Additive technology creates air pockets in film during orientation, cutting down on the amount of resin needed while boosting opacity, mechanical properties and recyclability.

Once the design is finalized, the front end can send the plans directly to the milling machines, which machine aluminum blocks into custom molds. At the same time, it can also send those parts to Plymouth’s quality control area, where automated 3D printers produce fittings to hold the finished, molded part in place for quality checking by a computerized coordinate-measuring machine, letting the company run inspections on the parts made without adding lead time.

Despite price increase nominations going into second quarter, it appeared there was potential for generally flat pricing with the exception of a major downward correction for PP.

Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.

Like other IW Best Plants winners this year and in the past, Protolabs credits its employees’ freedom to make decisions for part of its success through kaizen projects and getting floor employees invested.

Say “manufacturing automation” and thoughts immediately go to the shop floor and specialized production equipment, robotics and material handling systems. But there is another realm of possible automation — the front office.

Determining the source of streaking or contamination in your molded parts is a critical step in perfecting your purging procedures ultimately saving you time and money.

Achievements: Automated digital twin, Recognition as a WEF Global Lighthouse Network plant, 16.4% reduction in scrap and rework costs within past 3 years, digital process control reduced parts non-conformance by 45%, increased large injection molding capacity by more than 50% in the past 3 years.

NPE2024: Md Plastics is now offering for sale injection machines incorporating its novel Inject-EX injection-unit design with an inline screw and plunger.

Gifted with extraordinary technical know how and an authoritative yet plain English writing style, in this collection of articles Fattori offers his insights on a variety of molding-related topics that are bound to make your days on the production floor go a little bit better.

Formnext Chicago is an industrial additive manufacturing expo taking place April 8-10, 2025 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Formnext Chicago is the second in a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).

Ryan got started at IndustryWeek in August 2019 as an editorial intern and was hired as a news editor in 2020 before his 2023 promotion to associate editor, talent. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the College of Wooster.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released final figures for NPE2024: The Plastics Show (May 6-10; Orlando) that officially make it the largest ever NPE in several key metrics.

Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.

This month’s resin pricing report includes PT’s quarterly check-in on select engineering resins, including nylon 6 and 66.

Plastics Technology covers technical and business Information for Plastics Processors in Injection Molding, Extrusion, Blow Molding, Plastic Additives, Compounding, Plastic Materials, and Resin Pricing. About Us

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

While the melting process does not provide perfect mixing, this study shows that mixing is indeed initiated during melting.

“[The Hubs acquisition] basically allows us to be the one-stop shop. You want early prototyping and you want fast, we’re here for you. Hey, if you want longer lead times, we’re here for you,” Singh said. “You want millions of parts, which we’re not great for? We will help you fulfill it from a plant.”

The aim of this presentation is to guide you through the factors and the numbers that will help you determine if a robot is a smart investment for your application. Agenda:  Why are you considering automation? What problems are you trying to solve? How and why automation can help Crunch the numbers and determine the ROI

In this collection of articles, two of the industry’s foremost authorities on screw design — Jim Frankand and Mark Spalding — offer their sage advice on screw design...what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for when things start going wrong.

Multiple speakers at Molding 2023 will address the ways simulation can impact material substitution decisions, process profitability and simplification of mold design.

Processors with sustainability goals or mandates have a number of ways to reach their goals. Biopolymers are among them.

Durina says, “Instantaneous mechanical shutoff of the plunger head isolates the melt pool from the screw melting chamber, which allows for discrete monitoring and control of the melt pool for improved shot control. Isolation between the melting chamber and melt pool also allow for more precise measurement of the shot volume for good/bad part discrimination using our Melt-Profiler melt-sensing technology.” He adds that this plasticating design makes the process more energy efficient, provides a first-in/first-out melt path, requires no melt decompression to seat the nonreturn valve, and thus avoids breakup of solids-bed compaction from melt decompression. Ultraprecise shot control, especially for small shots, is also claimed, in a simpler design with fewer parts than conventional two-stage units.

Mold maintenance is critical, and with this collection of content we’ve bundled some of the very best advice we’ve published on repairing, maintaining, evaluating and even hanging molds on injection molding machines.

While the major correction in PP prices was finally underway, generally stable pricing was anticipated for the other four commodity resins.

As for attracting newer workers, Plymouth appeals in large part because of its impressive investments in technology and the digital chain. “If you look at Protolabs and what it does, it’s a technology company, right?” says Singh. “We’re all powered by technology; we talk in technology.”

In short, since the company has so much capacity, its clients never have to reserve production time. Plymouth’s quick turnaround also explains why the company holds relatively little inventory.

Unlike most winners and most factories, though, Protolabs produces unique custom products, quickly and on demand. The Plymouth plant makes (appropriately for the name) prototypes. The products that make up its high-mix, low-volume output are modeled by a computer and made into injection-molded plastic pieces within a timespan of mere days or hours. Protolabs Plymouth’s remarkable achievements in perfecting its model of manufacturing—and working to advance beyond it—are what make it a worthy 2022 IndustryWeek Best Plants Winner.

Discover how artifical intelligence is revolutionizing plastics processing. Hear from industry experts on the future impact of AI on your operations and envision a fully interconnected plant.

August 29-30 in Minneapolis all things injection molding and moldmaking will be happening at the Hyatt Regency — check out who’s speaking on what topics today.

Mike Sepe has authored more than 25 ANTEC papers and more than 250 articles illustrating the importance of this interdisciplanary approach. In this collection, we present some of his best work during the years he has been contributing for Plastics Technology Magazine.

In this collection, which is part one of a series representing some of John’s finest work, we present you with five articles that we think you will refer to time and again as you look to solve problems, cut cycle times and improve the quality of the parts you mold.

Md Plastics has introduced a 70-ton Inject-EX machine built by EdeX in Taiwan, which incorporates a novel inline screw/plunger injection unit. Source: Md Plastics

Core Technology Molding turned to Mold-Masters E-Multi auxiliary injection unit to help it win a job and dramatically change its process.

To hear more from Raymond and other IW Best Plants winners, attend the Manufacturing & Technology Show from Oct. 18-20 in Cleveland. All four winner's of this year's awards will participate in a panel discussion on Oct. 19 to discuss how they approach continuous improvement and strive toward manufacturing excellence.

Gurvinder Singh, global product director of Protolabs’ injection molding operations, says the reason Protolabs exists comes down to one word—speed. This single-factor focus is one reason for the company’s unorthodox approach to machine availability: Part of Protolabs’ appeal for clients, according to Plymouth plant leadership, is what the company calls its “infinite capacity” model, in which machine uptime is treated as a capacity performance indicator instead of a performance capacity indicator.

Plymouth’s devotion to speed and ease of client access has led to remarkable agility for its operation. According to Greg Wesling, director of manufacturing operations, the turnaround on some projects from 3D-modeled plan to mold to a prototype in the client’s hand can be as little as 24 hours—though the standard is more often closer to 10 days.

Durina says seven Inject-EX injection units have been operating for five years in the U.S. and Canada, providing confirmation of these claims. Versions of Inject-EX are available for conventional thermoplastics, LSR and recycling (with addition of a melt filter, degassing vent and starve feeder). In addition, a variant of the design can be used in large-area, pellet-fed 3D printing.

As explained by Md Plastics president Mike Durina, “The Inject-EX plasticating unit is designed to address the deficiencies of the existing 70-year-old injection molding technology.” These include inconsistent shot size due to variable closing of the nonreturn valve and inconsistent plastication due to screw retraction, which causes incoming pellets to experience a constantly changing L/D. His design remedies the first flaw by virtue of spring-loaded shutoff valves (based on Md Plastics’ Mini-Shut design) between the screw and inline plunger and at the end of the plunger. The second flaw is avoided by having the screw/plunger unit and feed hopper reciprocate together. (For full details, see PT, December 2022).

Resin drying is a crucial, but often-misunderstood area. This collection includes details on why and what you need to dry, how to specify a dryer, and best practices.

technotrans says climate protection, energy efficiency and customization will be key discussion topics at PTXPO as it displays its protemp flow 6 ultrasonic eco and the teco cs 90t 9.1 TCUs.

Take a deep dive into all of the various aspects of part quoting to ensure you’ve got all the bases—as in costs—covered before preparing your customer’s quote for services.