Injection molding is one of the most common manufacturing methods used by plastic, rubber and other materials manufacturers. The process is simple and involves injecting melted material into a mold that shapes the material into a desired shape.
While an injection molding machine is highly efficient in its production, its can also be upgraded to increase their efficiency and productivity. Here are some of the best upgrades for injection molding machines:
1) Smart Tooling Upgrade
The smart tooling upgrade can make your injection molding machine more automated, efficient, and safer. It also makes it easier for operators to monitor their tools from a computer screen. This upgrade is also great for keeping track of tool wear and tear so you can schedule maintenance before it becomes an issue.
2) Automated Loader Upgrade
The automated loader upgrade allows you to load molds faster and more efficiently by automating the process of moving parts from one station to the next in your injection molding machine. This reduces cycle times and increases productivity by eliminating human error.
3) Additional Station Upgrade
An additional station upgrade allows you to run two molds at once instead of just one while still maintaining high production levels. This is especially helpful if you’re running expensive materials like carbon fiber or Kevlar because it allows operators to fill more orders before having to change out molds or start new ones from scratch.
4) Faster cycle times
Injection molding machines can be upgraded to increase their speed and reduce cycle times. One way to do this is by upgrading the machine's hydraulic system. This involves replacing the hydraulic pump with a larger one that is capable of handling more pressure and volume at once. This will allow you to produce parts faster than ever before.
5) Electronic Control System
An electronic control system allows users to monitor the performance of their injection molding machine remotely using a computer or mobile device while they are away from their factory floor. This increases productivity as it reduces downtime caused by failure in the machine’s mechanical components. Some companies also use this feature to monitor production rates and set alarms when required adjustments need to be made during manufacturing processes.
6) Automatic lubrication system
This system uses a computer-controlled pump to deliver lubricant to the molding machine's hot zones. It also has sensors that can detect when excess pressure builds up in certain areas, which helps prevent damage to the machine and its components.
7) Hot runner systems
If there are multiple parts being molded at once, then hot runner systems can help increase your productivity. Hot runner systems have special channels that transfer molten plastic from one injection molding station to another without having to wait for it to cool down first. This means that you can produce more parts in less time without having to worry about downtime caused by waiting for molds to cool down before removing them from the machine or carrying out any other tasks that need doing after each injection cycle finishes.
8) Tool changers
The tool changer will allow you to switch between different tools quickly and easily so that you don't have any downtime while performing maintenance on your equipment or changing over between different products.
Conclusion
Quality assurance is a complex procedure. Therefore, it's important to know the amount of tolerance required from your product. Such information will help you choose the most appropriate tool for the injection molding process.
The upgrades to the used injection molding machine are improving the performance of the injection machines for the plastic mold industry. It is well known these days that buying an injection molding machinery is no longer considered as a major industrial project. The reason is that companies have started to appreciate the importance of modifying these machines rather than spending huge amounts on buying an entirely new one.