Shape molding machine

Glinstar, Shape molding machines. Foam Equipment Consulting Co. 

Shape molding machines (Figure 1.192) are used to manufacture molded parts from thermoplastic particle foam. These basically consist of a mold clamping unit with two steam chambers, clamping surfaces for the mold inside the steam chambers, a filling unit, as well as pipeline and valves, which are needed to guide the process media. 

FIGURE 1.192 Shape molding machine (Factory picture Kurtz GmbH)... 

Specific to each machine, the installation dimensions, centering, attachments, and connections (e.g., cooling water) of the different shape-molding machines must be taken into account. 

In the building sector, insulation panels made from PS-E are mostly used. Especially, when small water absorption is required, like perimeter insulation plated in the basement of buildings, these plates are manufactured on shape molding machines. The frequent changeovers of the machine to other plate thicknesses (depending on the number of common insulation plates) are taken into account by changeable molds. 

The approximately round shape and small size of the suspension beads is useful for some applications such as expandable polystyrene or as an intermediate for further compounding with pigments, other polystyrene beads, etc. Being round, however, they tend to roll, not only causing a safety hazard when spilled on floors but more importantly causing difficulties in some fabricating extruders and molding machines. Except for expandable polystyrene, beads are seldom sold as such but are extruded into pellets. 

Injection molding involves two distinct processes. The first is melt generation, mixing, and pressurization and flow, which is carried out in the injection unit of the molding machine. The second is product shaping, which takes place in the mold cavity. Injection molders, therefore, have two distinct parts the injection unit and the mold/clamping unit. The function of the injection unit is to melt the polymer and inject it into the mold the function of the clamping unit is to hold the mold, open and close the mold, and eject the finished product. 

The mold cavity. The central point in an injection molding machine is the mold. The mold distributes polymer melt into and throughout the cavities, shapes the part, cools the... 

Extrusion and injection molding are the two leading methods of converting plastic materials into solid products. Extrusion produces continuous products with a fixed cross-section injection molding produces discrete products with more complex shapes. Modern injection molding is a very fast, automated process for large-scale manufacture of complex products at minimum cost. An injection molding machine can be used for many different jobs and for many years, so the amortization per job can be very low. On the other hand, it requires a different mold to make each product, so the cost of the mold must be amortized over the life of its individual production run. 

Thin plastic film is thermoformed into simple to very complex shapes for packaging different products such candy, fruit, toys, auto parts, etc. Certain packaging products can be used as molds. Machines are used... 

Solids Modify Size and Shape Extruders, Pug Mills, and Molding Machines... 

Compression molding is the method by which massive (700 kg), cylindrical (billet), rectangular, and sheet shapes of PTFE are produced. The blocks and cylinders can be solid or annular and are by far the heaviest objects produced from any fluoropolymer. The height of a cylinder can exceed 1.5 m. These billets are cut (skived) into wide thin films (<0.5 mm thick) or sheets (7 mm thick). Sheets, blocks, and cylinders are utilized as stock shapes for machining more complex shapes. The same principles are applied to mold any shape. 

Pumps Injection molding, machining stock shapes PVDF, PFA, PTFE... 

Castings. Pourable sand-asphalt-sulfur mixes may be cast in various shaped molds. For example, the mix may be molded in the configuration of the New Jersey rigid median barrier (11). Stiffer mixes may be extruded with an asphalt curbing machine to form a high stability curb. A small slip-form paver may be adapted for casting sidewalks in a similar fashion. 

---