Vents injection molds

When processing polyphenylene sulfide, it is necessary to vent injection molds appropriately, because the sulfurous degradation products cause mold corrosion. Because of the low melt viscosity the vent holes have to be narrow (flash formation). That is why poorly stabilized compounds require frequent and quite involved mold purging [573]. 

The injection mold need not be made of noncatalytic metals any high grade tool steel may be used because the plastic cools in the mold and undergoes Httle decomposition. However, the mold requires good venting to allow the passage of small amounts of acid gas as well as air. Vents tend to become clogged by corrosion and must be cleaned periodically. 

Many injection molded products will influence the final product s performance, dimensions, and other characteristics. The mold includes the cavity shape, gating, parting line, vents, undercuts, ribs, hinges, and so on (Table 3-17). The mold designer must take all these factors into account to eliminate problems. At times, to provide the best design... 

Design Considerations for Injection Molded Parts (Parting lines, draft angles, wall thickness, fillets and radii, bosses, ribs, opening formations, shrinkage, gating, vents, potential knit lines)... 

HPM and Johnson Plastics Machinery report that they can use vented extruders, and vented screw plasticators on injection molding machines, to eliminate the pre-drying step required by many plastics, and thus reduce processing costs 5-20% ( y. 

Resin Transfer Molding (RTM). Reinforcing fibers are distributed uniformly in the mold and the mold is closed. Liquid resin is injected into the mold until the excess comes out of the vents. The mold is pressed and heated, similarly to preform molding, until cure is complete. 

The mold is designed for optimum material flow and gating. It is also designed for gas (or water, if used) injection and venting. The mold must also have shut-offs for the gas (and water), and another shut-off valve for the overflow. 

The output rate of the extruder is a function of screw speed, screw geometry, and melt viscosity. The pressure developed in the extruder system is largely a function of die resistance and dependent on die geometry and melt viscosity. Extrusion pressures are lower than those encountered in injection molding. They are typically 500 to 5000 psi (3.5 to 35 MPa). In extreme cases, extrusion pressures may rise as high as 10,000 psi (69 MPa). Variants on the single screw include the barrier or melt extraction screw and the vented screw (Chapter 3). 

Most thermoplastic processes utilized for HIPS applications use a single screw to melt and pressurize the polymer. Screw extruders in industry used with HIPS can have screw diameters from 20 to 200 mm and can melt process over 2000 kg/h. Two-stage, vented screw designs are predominantly used for extrusion of HIPS, whereas single-stage reciprocating screws, with a nonreturn valve, are common in the HIPS injection molding process. 

As is the case in molds for thermoforming, the design of injection molds must provide for venting to remove trapped air, which otherwise will mar the finish of the molded object, and may, in extreme cases, prevent accurate mold filling. The simplest way to accomplish this is to build vent holes into the mold parting line, where the core and the cavity come together. For large molded objects, this may be insufficient, and additional vents may be needed. 

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