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.

Although acetal material has low moisture absorption, it is recommended to pre-dry the acetal resin at 80°C to 100°C (176°F to 212°F) for 2 to 4 hours to ensure adequate drying.

Therefore, mastering the injection molding process of Acetal can not only optimize production efficiency but also significantly enhance product quality.

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.

Injection-molded Acetal (polyoxymethylene) is typically a semi-crystalline thermoplastic that can be used for mechanical components such as bushings, bearings, gears, and sprockets.

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.

Due to acetal’s minimal water absorption and outstanding dimensional stability, it is often used as a metal replacement material.

In plastic manufacturing, people often equate Acetal with POM, as they are essentially different names for the same material. Acetal, with its low friction coefficient and high wear resistance, makes it an ideal choice for producing high-precision and durable components.

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.

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.

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.

As one of the most versatile plastic materials, HDPE is widely used in packaging, piping, consumer goods, agriculture, construction, and electrical insulation due to its excellent chemical resistance and flexibility.

Generally, the mold temperature should be controlled between 75°C and 120°C, and the melt temperature should be between 190°C and 230°C (374°F to 446°F).

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.

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.

Acetal features a low friction coefficient and excellent wear resistance, making it ideal for producing sliding and friction components, such as gears, bearings, and sliders.

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.

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.

To fully leverage the superior properties of acetal material, injection molding companies often utilize the acetal injection molding process for material processing.

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.

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.

As a leading injection molding company in China, FOWMOULD is dedicated to providing customers with one-stop services from product design, mold manufacturing, to plastic molding.

Due to its low moisture absorption, acetal injection-molded products can maintain dimensional stability under different environmental conditions and are less prone to deformation.

Based on the chemical structure of the molecular chain, they are classified into two types: homopolymer acetal and copolymer acetal.

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.

The common practice is to use a moderately fast injection speed. A slower speed can cause flow marks, while a faster speed can cause jetting and shear overheating.

ACIS®, Autodesk Inventor®, CATIA® V5,Creo™ Parametric, IGES, Parasolid®, Pro/ENGINEER®,Siemens PLM Software’s NX™, SolidEdge®, SolidWorks®, STEP

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.

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.

If you want to learn about the feasibility of projects involving Acetal (POM), Delrin, or other plastics, contact us immediately for a free quote.

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.

Compared to metals and other plastics, Acetal’s low friction coefficient, stiffness, and excellent wear performance contribute to the durability and longevity of the products.

Acetal copolymer can withstand organic, inorganic solvents, and acids, maintaining stable performance over a wide temperature range, making it suitable for various industrial applications.

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.

Products made from injection-molded acetal exhibit high strength and rigidity, capable of withstanding high loads and stresses, making them suitable for manufacturing high-strength mechanical components.

We have assembled a professional manufacturing design team with extensive experience and established a physical manufacturing plant equipped with the latest injection molding equipment, offering cost-effective Acetal injection molding products.

Acetal plastics exhibit high mechanical strength and rigidity, good sliding properties (low friction coefficient), and excellent wear resistance.

Although acetal has high strength and rigidity, it can become quite brittle at low temperatures or when subjected to impact, which may cause the products to crack.

The injection pressure mainly depends on the melt flow characteristics of acetal (POM), the thickness and width of the runner and gate, and the thickness of the plastic product. Typically, it ranges from 40 to 130 MPa.

When working with acetal in the injection molding process, several key factors need to be considered to ensure high-quality and reliable products.

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.

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.