In this article, we’ll explore the different types of safety equipment indispensable for industrial molding personnel, highlighting their importance and functionality. By understanding the significance of these safety measures, we can ensure a secure working environment and promote the well-being of all individuals involved in this crucial industry.

Some standard safety signs and labels that may be relevant when using a machine like the industrial injection molding machine:

In addition to using the correct type of respiratory protective equipment, workers must also be adequately trained to use and maintain their equipment. This includes knowing how to put on and remove the respirator, check for a good seal, and clean and store the respirator after use.

Here are some essential safety equipment for industrial molding personnels who perform tasks like injection molding, compression molding, melt molding, and more:

Safety signs and labels play a crucial role in communicating important safety information and warnings to personnel in the injection molding facility.

From head to toe, someone operating an injection molding machine or other types of molding machines must be equipped with the right gear to navigate the complex and potentially hazardous areas of industrial molding.

By implementing these measures, molding facilities reduce the risk of accidents and injuries, ensuring workers have a safe and healthy work environment.

Plastic injection molding industry personnel are often exposed to respiratory hazards such as dust, fumes, vapors, and gasses. For this reason, they must use appropriate protective equipment to prevent toxic inhalations.

LEVEL I PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE This is level of PM is the most common and will be routinely scheduled during a mold’s production run. Minimal disassembly of the tool is required as we will perform a face cleaning of the cavity & core inserts and inspect for any premature wear.

We also utilize IQMS throughout our facility to optimize scheduling, production monitoring, and preventative mold maintenance. These combined industry 4.0 efforts have led to a remarkable 99% year-over-year on-time delivery.

LEVEL II PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE This is level of PM will build on the first level and we will conduct a deeper dive into the tool. Partial disassembly of the tool will be required as we will lubricate the tool, clean vents, and further inspect for any wear or damage.

Industrial molding is a critical process that requires utmost attention to safety. To protect the well-being of the personnel involved, providing them with the necessary safety equipment is essential.

The safety of industrial molding personnel is of utmost importance and should be a top priority for all workers engaged in injection molding, compression molding, melt molding, and other tasks that put them at risk of serious injury. A holistic approach to safety, encompassing appropriate safety equipment, regular training and education, and a strong safety culture, is essential to safeguarding the well-being of molding personnel.

The chart below provides a comprehensive list of the precision injection molding equipment that we utilize at Plastikos. All departments are supported by our highly-trained team of processing, tooling, and quality control experts.

Two white room molding centers with all-electric high-speed machines ranging from 66T – 220T. All molding machines are equipped with cavity-pressure monitoring software (eDART) and many outfitted with 3-axis robotics for part handling.

Emergency equipment and procedures ensure the well-being of personnel and minimize damage in case of accidents. Here are key elements related to emergency equipment in molding safety:

Various types of helmets or hard hats are available in the market, and each is designed to protect workers from specific hazards. Here are some common types of helmets used for different molding tasks:

Rooted in advanced moldmaking and driven by unparalleled precision molding expertise, nothing defines Micro Mold and Plastikos more than our people. With more RJG Master Molders and degreed Plastic Engineers than any other manufacturer our size–and a vast majority of larger resources as well–you’ll find a tight-knit, technologically advanced workplace that’s brimming with talented, motivated individuals. Committed to innovation, we bring together experts from various disciplines to deliver exceptional products, service and value on every project. It’s a mindset that extends throughout our entire organization and influences our approach as we cultivate future strategic partnerships.

At Plastikos, our engineering and tooling team has developed our own proprietary mold maintenance program ranging from Level I – Level III. The various preventative maintenance levels are proactively scheduled based on the mold’s production volume, cycle count, and the abrasiveness of the raw material. As a result of our rigorous mold maintenance techniques, we have helped clients extend their mold life beyond 10 million cycles (and counting) in many cases.

Additionally, we highly recommend implementing each precision mold with cavity pressure sensors as a method to further detect any process variation within the cavity. Once a nominal cavity pressure has been established through the process development phase, a master file can be saved. During start-up production, this master file is uploaded and will provide 100% traceability through the production run. Any product that falls outside of the established process window will be automatically discarded at the press with the use of a 3-axis robot. All molding machines at Plastikos are equipped with this cavity pressure monitoring software and tied directly into our molding machines for real-time process monitoring.

Industry 4.0 strategies have been implemented plant-wide to provide enhanced data sharing and traceability among molding machinery. This proprietary system ensures only our process engineers can adjust process parameters, which minimizes manual error during production startup.

Plastikos & Plastikos medical operate around the clock to further minimize downtime / risk to our customer’s supply chain. Due to the extensive engineering & automation techniques, many of our high-volume molding machines can run completely light’s-out at night & weekends. All departments (QC, tool maintenance, material handling, etc.) are staffed to support this 24/7 schedule.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of personnel in the industrial molding industry. Workers must use personal protective equipment to protect themselves from potential safety hazards and minimize the risk of accidents.

Process validation is a critical step in the development cycle before the mold & product can be deemed fit for production. During this process, scientific molding principles should be applied to establish the nominal running conditions for that given mold, material, etc.

The type of respiratory protection needed can vary depending on the specific hazards present. The following are ways to protect your respiratory system:

Our team of degreed Plastics Engineers has completed rigorous training in scientific decoupled molding strategies through Penn State’s Plastic Engineering program along with RJG’s Master Molder program. This specialized training is essential for successful process optimization and qualification.

Make sure your personal protective equipment is quality-certified to avoid risks of injury. When purchasing personal protective equipment and other safety devices, think of the level of safety rather than cost.

We implement Arburg’s proprietary ALS system through our entire precision molding operation. This plant-wide system is used to store and upload a qualified process to any molding machine and virtually eliminate the chance for operator error during process set up. Key process variables can only be accessed (and changed) by a qualified process engineer, further reducing any chance for variation throughout production.

At Plastikos, we are completely standardized on our precision molding equipment along with our auxiliary equipment (dryers, thermolators, hot runner controllers, and so on). All supporting equipment is directly tied into our molding machines, providing real-time data to our engineering and manufacturing team. This real-time data tracking is used detect a variation in any process variables, machine interruptions, and overall product yield for a specific production run.

Our team of degreed Plastics Engineers has completed rigorous training in scientific decoupled molding strategies through Penn State’s Plastic Engineering program. This specialized training is essential for successful process optimization and qualification.

Scientific molding consists of sequential steps that are followed to establish nominal fill time, injection pressure, gate freeze time, pack pressure, cycle time, and clamp tonnage among other process variables. From there, key process parameters are often tested through the means of a Design of Experiment (DOE) to reach the process window that will be duplicated each production run.

LEVEL III PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE This is level of PM requires full disassembly of the tool and is scheduled off the mold’s cycle count and production volume. Wear items will be replaced, as needed. Water lines are fully cleaned to prevent scaling and manifolds will be serviced, where applicable.

Digitalizing a manufacturing operation remains at the forefront of Industry 4.0. The ability to gather real-time data has become essential when optimizing key elements such as product yields, machine efficiency, product quality, and overall profitability.

Our In-house Mold Maintenance Department is staffed with experienced toolmakers—ensuring the longevity of our customers’ injection molds and minimizing downtime due to repair and maintenance issues. All spare steel is assigned a custom detail number and cataloged in our ERP system which will notify us when we need to reorder certain spare cavity & core inserts.