Milacron Blog

LPIM (Low Pressure Injection Molding) – Structural Web Injection Molding

Structural Web molding technology is a variation of Low Pressure Injection Molding (LPIM) that was developed by Milacron as a proprietary molding process on our LPIM machines. It is a process that is well suited for large part/large shot sizes with good part surface aesthetics and low molded in stresses. The process also creates a part with a dual wall section (hollow) allowing for 10% to 30% part weight savings over a solid molded part with the same part geometry.

by milacronmarketingSeptember 20, 2018no comment

Plastics Technology Article – Pellet to Gate Control

Injection molding: A pellet goes in, and a few moments later a part comes out. Seems simple enough, but what really happens in between these points, and how can optimization of this process create value for you in your operation? What happens in the machine barrel and the hot runner can significantly impact your molding productivity and quality.

by milacronmarketingSeptember 6, 2018no comment

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What Mold Do You Fit Into?

The plastics industry, understandably so, is a rather diverse industry; not unlike other large global industries. It is comprised of companies and organizations of all shapes and sizes, usually differentiated by organizational structure or revenue. Aside from the typical size comparisons of companies, the diversity extends outward in a great number of ways and categories (i.e., output product type, machine type, injection/extrusion/blow, industries serviced, supplier/mold maker/machine manufacturer/part molder, etc.); so much so that I wouldn’t pretend to be able to cover even a small fraction of it in this post. What I do want to chat about this month is more in line with the self-assessment or self-classification of the company that you currently operate. In essence, let’s talk about “What is your buying type”?

by injection-marketingAugust 20, 2018no comment

Top Things to Consider When Assessing Ejector Pins for Breakage

Ejector pins are a critical component to the injection molding process. An ejector pin is driven into the rear of a mold cavity to force the finished piece out and is also often referred to as a knockout pin. Having pins you can count on can make the difference between manufacturing a product efficiently or creating future unwanted costs.

If you’re experiencing ejector pin breakage here are some things to consider when assessing your pins:

by milacronmarketingAugust 8, 2018no comment

What is Plastic Extrusion Part 2: The Extruder and Screw

In the first post in our series ‘What is plastic extrusion?’, we discussed the basics of the plastic extrusion process. If you haven’t already read this post, you can check it out here. In the second post of the series, we are focusing on the extruder and the screw and how they influence the extrusion process.

by milacronmarketingJuly 25, 2018no comment

Understanding Differences in Hot Runner Heater Technologies – Manifolds

All hot runner systems need a heat source to operate as designed, however not all hot runner systems are heated by the same methods. The type of heater technology your hot runner system uses can significantly affect molding performance, molded part quality and system cost. No heating method exists that is ideal for every scenario and each one has their own pros and cons but illustrating their differences may help you in understanding how your hot runner system is constructed and provide you with some additional insight on your next purchase. Some hot runner systems may use a mix of heating methods depending on the components of the system and application but for the purposes of this discussion we will focus on manifold heater elements.

by milacronmarketingJuly 12, 2018no comment

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Top 10 Things to Know/Ask When Buying a Used Injection Molding Machine

If you’re looking at buying a used injection molding machine, below are some things to know/ask before purchasing.

by milacronmarketingJune 28, 2018no comment

NPE 2018 Recap

This May, Milacron participated in The National Plastics Expo or NPE as it is more commonly known. NPE is a triennial trade show and the largest of its kind in North America. Businesses associated with plastics in any way exhibit, visit and make purchase decisions at this must-attend event. This year’s show was held May 7th to 11th in Orlando, Florida and was one for the record books. It was the largest in NPE history with 2,180 exhibitors and 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space.

by milacronmarketingJune 15, 2018no comment

Understanding Differences in Hot Runner Heater Technologies – Nozzles

All hot runner systems need a heat source to operate as designed, however not all hot runner systems use the same heating methods. The type of heater technology your hot runner system uses can significantly affect molding performance, part quality, and system cost. No heater method exists that is ideal for every scenario and each one has their own pros and cons but illustrating their differences may help you in understanding your hot runner system a little more and give you a bit more insight on your next purchase. Some hot runner systems may use a mix of heating methods depending on the components of the system and application but for the purposes of this discussion we will focus on nozzle heater elements.

by milacronmarketingMay 30, 20182 comments

Weight Reduction in Blow Molding Containers

There are many opportunities today that exist in reducing a containers weight, often referred to as “light weighting”. The challenge lies in designing a container along with the tooling that allows for weight reduction, without sacrificing the containers aesthetic appeal, top load requirement, impact performance and stability. Industry experts have dedicated a significant amount of time to mold engineering design and researching “light weighting”.

by milacronmarketingMay 16, 2018no comment

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