Plastic molding is an integral part of manufacturing plastic products. Here’s what you need to know about plastic molding.
1. Caring for Plastic Molds
There are several plastic mold care products available to keep plastic molds clean and in good working order. There are degreasers and cleaners to keep plastic molds clean without the need to manually scrub them, which could distort or scratch the mold. These cleaners are specially formulated without chlorinated solvents to clean molds without damaging them. You can even purchase software that controls that take over operations from manual processing, which increases efficiency and reduces the risk of overworking the molds.
2. Types of Plastic Molding
Plastic molds mainly use the injection molding method, where molten plastic is injected into the mold and allowed to cool and set. This method is quite versatile and can be used to manufacture items as small as plastic containers and bottle caps or as large as car parts. There are many sub-categories of injecting molding. One example is thin-wall injection molding, which is used to manufacture thin, delicate or small items such as packaging film and syringes. Another example is gas-assisted injection molding, best suited for hollow plastic items such as equipment casings.
3. Environmental Safety Guidelines
Because plastic can be hazardous to the environment, manufacturers who use plastic molding must follow certain environmental safety guidelines. Manufacturers must ensure that methods of treating water after it’s been used in plastic manufacturing processes before it can be recycled into the environment, for example. The water must have its pH balanced, have solid waste removed and have grease, dirt, oils and other plastic manufacturing waste products filtered out before it can be released back into the environment.
While you may not spare it much thought, plastic molding is the reason industries are able to mass-produce plastic products. There are many types of molds and several products available to care for them to ensure longevity.