What is The Plastic Resins for Injection Molding Process?
Plastic injection molding is one of the most popular as well as versatile manufacturing techniques. It has multiple advantages like the flexibility of design, the ability to work with multiple plastic resins simultaneously, cost-effectiveness, precision and accuracy of the products, etc.
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The technique hence reigns supreme in the world of plastics.
However, the number of plastic polymers invented till date are numerous. With such a wide list to choose from, it can often be overwhelming for manufacturers and designers to choose the best one for a product.
The article here will take you through the common material selection factors as well as the most widely used plastic resins and their benefits. Read on to know more.
Material selection factors
Each plastic resin has its own unique properties. It is important to consider the defining properties of each to choose the right one for your product. It is also noteworthy that resin properties are also often enhanced by the use of fillers like silica, calcium carbonate, mica, alumina trihydrate, glass, clay, etc. Following are the key properties that need to be considered for each plastic resin before making a selection for the plastic injection molding process:
Hardness
Hardness, also popularly referred to as Shore hardness is used to measure the hardness/stiffness of the plastic resin. Hardness is basically the measure of resistance to indentation for a particular plastic resin. It is measured on the Durometer scale.
Various products have different levels of hardness requirements when it comes to plastics. Before moving on to plastic injection molding, it is important for the manufacturer to choose the appropriate type of plastic for a particular product and design.
Picking the right material means considering its usage environment, abrasion levels, as well as the purpose of the product. Plastic resins like HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene), PVC are on the softer side of the scale and are suitable for products that need soft feel. Others like PP (Polypropylene), Nylon are of moderate softness/hardness whereas those like ABS(Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PC(Polycarbonate) are considered for hard applications.
Flexibility
Material flexibility is another very important parameter that needs to be considered for product applications. Flexibility is defined as the ability of a material to bend without breaking.
It is also noteworthy to mention that flexibility is not necessarily similar to softness. Various plastic resins that are ranked as soft (like Nylon) on the Durometer scale are not flexible and break easily when stress/load is applied to it. ABS, on the other hand, is a hard plastic but is considerably flexible.
Multiple industrial applications have requirements for plastics that are sufficiently hard/durable and yet flexible. It is important to consider all the properties of a plastic resin before making a final choice for a product.
Weight
The weight of a plastic resin material plays a very vital role in its selection for different applications. The weight of plastic resin is determined by the density of the plastic polymer.
Polypropylene (PP), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) are considered as lightweight plastics. On the other hand, PVC, Polycarbonate (PC) are considered heavy.
Cost
This is again a very critical important factor for plastic injection molding. That said, it is more important to consider the other properties of a plastic resin suitable for a particular application before cost.
Cost of different plastic resins used for plastic injection molding varies based on availability, ease of production, polymer properties, etc. Plastic resins like HDPE, PP, and ABS are relatively less costly than resins like Nylon, PC, etc.
– Various other factors that are considered before selection of a plastic resin include the impact strength, tensile strength, elasticity, chemical resistance, heat deflection/tolerance, and water absorption.
Most widely used plastic resins
With hundreds of existing as well as emerging resins in the market, it can often be overwhelming to select a particular plastic resin for plastic injection molding. However, the process is not as daunting as it seems.
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