Plastic Injection Molding Glossary

 

Below are words commonly used in the plastic injection molding industry:

Additive Manufacturing – The technical term for 3D printing -- the process of manufacturing a three-dimensional object by placing layer on top of layer -- based on a CAD model.

Blow Molding – A technique in which plastic is forced to take on the shape of a mold cavity by way of a hollow plastic tube applying internal pressure with air.

Blushing – The whitening of plastic in areas that come under high stress.

Casting – Injecting liquid plastic into a mold without using pressure to form solid o-hollow articles.

Cavity – A hollow part of a mold that forms the outer part of a plastic-molded object.

Curing – Using heat, chemicals or radiation to make a polymer more stable and functional by changing its physical properties.

Degradation – A change in physical properties of plastic resulting from light exposure, heat, exposure to oxygen and general weathering.

Extrusion – Forcing molten plastic through a die in order to form continuous shapes.

Fabricating – The use of various manufacturing methods to create plastic products -- examples of fabrication processes include: cutting, tapping, fastening and punching such plastics as sheets, tubes, rods and more.

Gate – Molten resin flows through the gate in order to get from the runner to the cavity of the mold.

Impact Resistance – The measure of how much a plastic item can withstand high-speed stresses.

Injection Molding – The process of creating plastic parts and components by way of heating granular or powdered plastics and then forcing the liquid into a mold.

Insert Molding – The process of forming an object by molding plastic around metal inserts.

Land Area – The part of a mold where surfaces come in contact with one another when the mold is closed.

Low Temperature Flexibility – The ability of plastic to withstand fracturing at low temperatures.

Mar Resistance – A glossy plastic’s resistance to damage caused by abrasion.

Masterbatch – Within a polymer base -- the concentration of pigments, fillers, additives and other substances.

Melt Flow – The viscosity of a polymer based on the polymer’s weight when extruded under certain pressure and temperature -- varying by specific polymer.

Memory – A plastic article’s tendency to revert to previous dimensions based on earlier stages of manufacturing.

Metalizing – Covering or coating any plastic item with metal.

Mineral Reinforcements – Inorganic substances such as clay, talc or mica used as filler in plastics.

Mold Frame – The steel plates that comprise the components used in molding -- mold frames typically include: cores, runner systems, cavities, cooling systems and ejection systems.

Polymer – Organic compounds of high-molecular weight -- naturally occurring or synthetically made.

Sink – Imperfections such as dimples that occur as plastic cools at different rates along the surface.

Splay – Streaks occurring as the result of moisture in resin.

Sticking – A complication during ejection, during which a part is lodged in half of a mold.

Tear Strip – A removable feature that creates a crisp end of a molded part.

Warp – Curving or bending that results as a part cools and shrinks at varying rates along a surface

Jingwei industry has served the injection molding industry for over 20 years and has a team dedicated to providing you with the most cost effective solutions for design and manufacturing.Contact us via info@jweimolding.com