To make a plastic product which would satisfy the expectations of consumers, the suitable production process cannot be ignored. Generally, customers in injection molding industries for years are equipped to judge and select by themselves suitable injection molding machines that fit them. But under certain circumstances, customers may need the assistance of the manufacturer to decide which specifications will meet their needs.
To make a plastic product which would satisfy the expectations of consumers, the suitable production process cannot be ignored. Generally, customers in injection molding industries for years are equipped to judge and select by themselves suitable injection molding machines that fit them. But under certain circumstances, customers may need the assistance of the manufacturer to decide which specifications will meet their needs.
Sometimes, they may ask if the machines of the manufacturer could produce the products they have in mind, which they merely have a concept or sample, or they would ask which model is suitable. Also, some of the products may need special devices, such as accumulator, close loops, and injection compression, to match with the selected unit to manufacture their products efficiently. Hence, it is of vital importance to determine what type/model of the machine will serve their needs best. The following is information for your reference in making a decision.
Horizontal VS Vertical Injection Molding
The Injection Molding can be generally separated into two types by opening and closing direction of the mold clamping unit: horizontal and vertical. Both Vertical and Horizontal Injection Molding operate in the same manner, injection molten resin into an injection mold, hold the mold together to allow the part to harden, open the mold and then eject the parts.
Most common type of injection molding machine in the market
Horizontal Injection Molding Machine is considered to be the most common machine in the market. Most of the injection molding machines are horizontal type and ideal for cylindrical parts and used for higher-volume production runs. FCS is the leading manufacturer of Horizontal Injection Molding Machines. On the contrary, vertical type is suitable for small inserting products.
Difference between horizontal injection molding and vertical injection molding
Horizontal injection molding machines with a low center of gravity, easy to operate and maintain, and develop automation systems. Until now, FCS has produced a wide range of horizontal injection molding machines, covering clamping force from 30 tons to 4,000 tons.
Vertical injection molding machines are characterized by a small footprint, easy to place. But the product needs to be removed by hand after ejection, which is not easy to realize in automatic operation. The vertical injection molding machine is only suitable for producing small plastic parts.
7 Steps to Select a Right Horizontal Injection Molding Machine
Now, let&#;s take a closer look at Horizontal Injection Molding Machines. Generally, the main factors that affect the selection of horizontal injection molding machines include molds, products, plastic material, molding requirements, etc. Therefore, before proceeding with the selection, the following information must be collected first:
- Mold size (width, height, thickness), weight, and special design.
- Type and quantity of plastic materials to be used (single or multiple materials).
- The outer dimensions of the products (length, width, height, and thickness) and their weight.
- Molding requirements, such as quality, manufacturing speed, etc.
After obtaining the above information, follow the following steps to select a suitable injection molding machine:
Select the right one:
Choose the most suitable series/type/collection per your products and materials.Accommodate:
Based on the dimensions of the mold, determine whether the tie bar spacing, mold thickness, min. Mold dimension and mold plate dimensions are suitable or not to confirm that the machine can accommodate the mold.Retrievable:
Based on the mold and product, determine whether the Mold Opening Stroke and Ejecting Stroke allow the product to be retrieved.Clampable:
Determine the mold clamping force based on the product and plastic material.Sufficient Injection:
Determine the volume of injection from the weight of products and number of mold cavities, and select suitable screw diameters.Well injection:
Determine the &#;screw compression ratio&#; and &#;injection pressure&#; from the plastic materials.Quick injection:
Checking the injection rate and injection velocity.
Horizontal Injection Molding Machines Manufacturer
In the plastic field of injection molding machines for 45 years, FCS has a great database and professional technology in R&D. FCS provides full ranges of horizontal injection molding machines, including single injection molding, multi injection molding, special material injection molding and turnkey service to assist customers to break the bottleneck of production and find the better injection molding solutions.
While horizontal molding machinehorizontal molding machines were the first of their kind to become a standard in plastic manufacturing, vertical molding machines may be a more sustainable way of molding for certain applications and many manufacturers are now to utilize their many advantages. With the advancement of injection molding becoming more standard in consumer products, it's time to delve deep into the differences of its sub-groups.
This article will map out the difference between vertical and horizontal molding machines and will mention the advantages of vertical injection molding.
If you were to visit the American Injection Molding Institute, you would see a variety of molding machines. But only by working on the machines would you be able to know exactly what works best for you.
Vertical molding machines are more flexible in terms of efficient production cycles, cost, and types of products it can handle. Take insert molding as an example. This is when a pre-formed product is inserted into a mold that needs plastic formed around it (see pictures).
Each cycle requires having the finished product taken out of the mold, and a new one added before the molding process begins.
Attempting to do this on a horizontal machine would be difficult and awkward as you would be fighting gravity, slowing down production and raising the risk of bad parts. Horizontal molding creates even greater risks when it comes to medical injection molding, which requires high tolerance parts.
With a vertical molding machine, the parts can easily be placed in the mold quickly and comfortably without having to worry about the insert becoming misaligned.
Learn about injection molding basics and how injection molding works here.
An added advantage to vertical molding machines is pairing book molds with a rotary table.
Book molds close on the inserts and hold the pieces tightly in place before, during, and after the molding process. Rotary tables can hold between 1-12 molds at a time and rotate giving the mold technician to time to replace the insert without holding up the molding process.
Multiple book molds on a rotary table can offer the fastest cycles and highest possible yields in molding. They also allow different molds for a family of products to be run at one time.
The video at the top of this article shows an example of a vertical injection molding machine with rotary table.
Another advantage of vertical injection moulding machine vs horizontal is that they take up well over half the space required for a horizontal molding machine. See the two machines pictured side-by-side:
Additionally, the vertical clamp units on vertical molding machines are versatile and allow maximum flexibility with associated mold tooling.
Vertical injections can offer more control when the resin reaches the mold cavity through a short distance. Often times with horizontal machines, the plastic has to travel a longer distance to reach the mold which makes room for resin to cool too quickly and produce bad shots.
Two huge factors that play a major role in the quality of a product formed by vertical insert molding are clamping force and shot size.
Clamping force is the amount of pressure required to keep the mold and product closed during the injection process. On vertical machines, especially when using book molds, the clamp is more of an added precaution since the top of the mold will be kept in place by gravity.
Additionally, the vertical clamp units on vertical molding machines are robust and allow maximum flexibility with associated mold tooling.
Shot size is the amount of molten plastic required in the injection process of the mold. Since the plastic is coming from the top, the size of the runner needed to complete a part is much less than that of a horizontal molding machine. This helps cut costs and reduce waste while keeping the process as efficient as possible.
What did we miss? Tell us below what you think are the main differences between vertical and horizontal molding machines.
Stuck on a project? Request a risk-free evaluation to see how medical injection molding experts Aberdeen Technologies can help move your project forward.
Sometimes, they may ask if the machines of the manufacturer could produce the products they have in mind, which they merely have a concept or sample, or they would ask which model is suitable. Also, some of the products may need special devices, such as accumulator, close loops, and injection compression, to match with the selected unit to manufacture their products efficiently. Hence, it is of vital importance to determine what type/model of the machine will serve their needs best. The following is information for your reference in making a decision.
Horizontal VS Vertical Injection Molding
The Injection Molding can be generally separated into two types by opening and closing direction of the mold clamping unit: horizontal and vertical. Both Vertical and Horizontal Injection Molding operate in the same manner, injection molten resin into an injection mold, hold the mold together to allow the part to harden, open the mold and then eject the parts.
Most common type of injection molding machine in the market
Horizontal Injection Molding Machine is considered to be the most common machine in the market. Most of the injection molding machines are horizontal type and ideal for cylindrical parts and used for higher-volume production runs. FCS is the leading manufacturer of Horizontal Injection Molding Machines. On the contrary, vertical type is suitable for small inserting products.
Difference between horizontal injection molding and vertical injection molding
Horizontal injection molding machines with a low center of gravity, easy to operate and maintain, and develop automation systems. Until now, FCS has produced a wide range of horizontal injection molding machines, covering clamping force from 30 tons to 4,000 tons.
Vertical injection molding machines are characterized by a small footprint, easy to place. But the product needs to be removed by hand after ejection, which is not easy to realize in automatic operation. The vertical injection molding machine is only suitable for producing small plastic parts.
7 Steps to Select a Right Horizontal Injection Molding Machine
Now, let&#;s take a closer look at Horizontal Injection Molding Machines. Generally, the main factors that affect the selection of horizontal injection molding machines include molds, products, plastic material, molding requirements, etc. Therefore, before proceeding with the selection, the following information must be collected first:
- Mold size (width, height, thickness), weight, and special design.
- Type and quantity of plastic materials to be used (single or multiple materials).
- The outer dimensions of the products (length, width, height, and thickness) and their weight.
- Molding requirements, such as quality, manufacturing speed, etc.
After obtaining the above information, follow the following steps to select a suitable injection molding machine:
Select the right one:
Choose the most suitable series/type/collection per your products and materials.Accommodate:
Based on the dimensions of the mold, determine whether the tie bar spacing, mold thickness, min. Mold dimension and mold plate dimensions are suitable or not to confirm that the machine can accommodate the mold.Retrievable:
Based on the mold and product, determine whether the Mold Opening Stroke and Ejecting Stroke allow the product to be retrieved.Clampable:
Determine the mold clamping force based on the product and plastic material.Sufficient Injection:
Determine the volume of injection from the weight of products and number of mold cavities, and select suitable screw diameters.Well injection:
Determine the &#;screw compression ratio&#; and &#;injection pressure&#; from the plastic materials.Quick injection:
Checking the injection rate and injection velocity.
Horizontal Injection Molding Machines Manufacturer
In the plastic field of injection molding machines for 45 years, FCS has a great database and professional technology in R&D. FCS provides full ranges of horizontal injection molding machines, including single injection molding, multi injection molding, special material injection molding and turnkey service to assist customers to break the bottleneck of production and find the better injection molding solutions.
Comments
All Comments (0)