Injection Blow Molding.
A preform (this looks like a test tube with bottle cap threads) is injection molded in one cavity, removed and then placed into another where it is pressurized with gas to stretch the hot preform into a thinnerwalled
seamless bottle or container such as a milk bottle or gas tank. This is depicted in Figure 7. This is an extension of injection molding more than a variation.
Injection Compression/Coining.
With this technique the mold is only partially closed during injection. At the appropriate time and with the right amount of plastic in the mold, the clamp is then completely closed, forcing (compressing) the plastic to the shape of the mold cavity. A variation on this is coining.
The clamp is closed but the mold has components that compress the plastic in the cavity as the plastic cools. Coining is where the cavity volume is changing during the solidification of the plastic. Plastic is injected into the cavity and then the movable platen closes completely, or a mold component moves to compress the plastic to compensate for shrinkage or densification.
Gas-Assist Injection Molding.
Here, plastic is injected into the cavity until it is 50–85% full, then high pressure gas, usually nitrogen, is injected to finish filling the cavity by pushing the plastic flow front to the end of the cavity. This leaves a gas bubble or channel inside the part. This saves plastic, reduces cost, and often improves part strength especially in thick sections. Gas can be injected at the nozzle of the machine or directly into the mold as depicted in Figure 8. Gas-assist molding can be considered as a variation of co-injection molding where the outer layer or skin of the part is plastic and the core is a gas channel rather than another type of plastic.
“Injection Molding” in EPSE 2nd ed., Vol. 8, pp. 102–138, by I. I. Rubin,Robinson Plastic Corp.
JOHN W. BOZZELLI
Midland, Michigan
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