Polishing Actually Removes Metal…

I heard a die setter make this statement recently… Setter Mold makers get all bend out of shape whenever we touch the mold surface. It’s no big deal to polish out a scratch. My Response First off, polishing takes a long amount of time and is a very labor-intensive process. This person has obviously never […]

Mold Temperature and Weld Lines…

I was discussing a processing issue with a technician and encountered this question… Tech The cause of the poor weld line was mold temperature, but I don’t really understand why since the melt flows from the center and should be hot when the flow fronts meet. My Response This is a true, but the strength and appearance […]

The Importance of Timeliness…

A manager spoke with me the other day about training and asked this question… GM We recently had a processing problem which cost us a large amount of money. I want to address this is one of our weekly meetings, but am not sure if we should talk about it right away, or wait for the dust to settle. My Response Processing issues should be addressed in […]

Understanding Jetting…

I was asked this question the other day when discussing molding defects… Student What actually causes Jetting? My Response This defect occurs when the polymer shoots into the mold and does not create a smooth laminar, or fountain, flow as it first enters the mold cavity. A laminar flow occurs when the polymer enters the […]

What is Micro-Molding…?

I was asked this question by a student the other day… Bob Can you please define Micro-Molding? My Response I have seen this defined as small parts around 1 milligram or less. In practice, I have seen it refer to parts much larger than that… The aspect that seems to differentiate micro molding vs. small […]