How to effectively solve the common defects in mold processing

How to effectively solve the common defects in mold processing

Effectively solving common defects in mold processing requires a systematic approach and understanding of the root causes. Here are some strategies to address typical mold processing defects:

  1. Short Shots (Incomplete Filling): Increase melt temperature, injection pressure, or injection time to ensure adequate material flow. Check for gate blockages, venting issues, or insufficient mold temperature.
  2. Sink Marks: Adjust wall thickness to avoid abrupt changes, ensure uniform cooling, and use ribs or gussets to reinforce thin sections.
  3. Warping: Optimize gate location, cooling channels, and part design to minimize residual stresses. Use proper cooling and ejection methods to prevent part distortion.
  4. Flash: Increase clamping force, improve mold alignment, and use proper venting to prevent excessive material leakage.
  5. Burn Marks: Reduce melt temperature or injection pressure to prevent material degradation. Ensure proper venting and mold release agents to avoid material sticking.
  6. Voids/Bubbles: Increase melt temperature, reduce injection speed, or use lower viscosity materials to minimize air entrapment. Optimize gate design and venting to allow air escape.
  7. Weld Lines: Modify gate location or use multiple gates to improve material flow and avoid weld lines in critical areas.
  8. Ejector Pin Marks: Optimize ejector pin layout and use appropriate pin sizes to minimize visible marks on the part.
  9. Part Sticking: Apply mold release agents and adjust ejection parameters to ensure smooth part ejection.
  10. Parting Line Mismatch: Ensure proper alignment and clamping force during mold assembly to avoid mismatch issues.
  11. Dimensional Inaccuracy: Verify part design and mold specifications for accuracy, and adjust process parameters to achieve the desired dimensions.
  12. Black Spots: Use high-quality materials and ensure proper melt temperature control to prevent material degradation.
  13. Vibration Marks: Optimize injection parameters, reduce melt temperature variations, and improve gate design to minimize vibration effects.
  14. Overpacking: Adjust packing pressure and time to prevent overpacking, which can lead to part distortion.
  15. Cracks: Check for material impurities, reduce mold temperature gradients, and adjust processing conditions to avoid stress-related cracking.

Regular maintenance, proper mold cleaning, and continuous monitoring of processing parameters are also essential to prevent defects and ensure consistent part quality. Collaborating closely with mold designers and material suppliers can help identify and address potential issues early in the process. Additionally, implementing process control measures, like statistical process control (SPC), can enhance the overall process stability and reduce the likelihood of defects in mold processing.

In the process of mold processing, what annoys us most is some common defects. These defects will directly lead to the performance of the workpiece, or even the workpiece can not be used here. Therefore, we must try to avoid some defects when we process the mold. Here is a magic weapon for this problem.

  1. Reasonably select and trim the grinding wheel. The white corundum grinding wheel is better. Its performance is hard and brittle, and it is easy to generate new cutting edges. Therefore, the cutting force is small, and the grinding heat is small. The medium grain size is used in the grain size, such as 46~60 mesh. The medium soft and soft (ZR1, ZR2 and R1, R2) are used in the hardness of the grinding wheel, that is, the coarse grain and low hardness grinding wheels. Good self excitation can reduce the cutting heat. It is very important to select appropriate grinding wheel during fine grinding. GD single crystal corundum grinding wheel is more suitable for the high vanadium and high molybdenum condition of die steel. When machining hard alloy and quenching materials with high hardness, diamond grinding wheel with organic binder is preferred. The grinding wheel with organic binder has good self grinding performance, and the roughness of the ground workpiece can reach Ra0.2 μ m. In recent years, with the application of new materials, CBN (cubic boron nitride) grinding wheel has shown a very good machining effect, which is superior to other types of grinding wheels in precision machining on CNC forming grinder, coordinate grinder, CNC internal and external grinder. During grinding, the grinding wheel shall be trimmed in time to keep its sharpness. When the grinding wheel is passivated, it will rub and squeeze on the workpiece surface, causing burns on the workpiece surface and reducing the strength.
  2. The cooling lubricant shall be reasonably used in mold processing to play the three roles of cooling, washing and lubrication, and keep the cooling, lubrication and cleaning, so as to control the grinding heat within the allowable range and prevent the thermal deformation of the workpiece. Improve the cooling conditions during grinding, such as using oil immersed grinding wheel or internally cooled grinding wheel. When the cutting fluid is introduced into the center of the grinding wheel, the cutting fluid can directly enter the grinding area to play an effective cooling role and prevent the workpiece surface from burning.

Mold processing is a critical process used in the production of various products. However, during the mold processing process, several common defects can occur, leading to reduced product quality and performance. To effectively solve common defects in mold processing, manufacturers can implement the following tips:

  1. Warpage: Warpage is a common defect that occurs due to uneven cooling of the mold. To solve this problem, manufacturers can modify the mold design to ensure uniform cooling of the mold. They can also adjust the processing parameters such as temperature, pressure, and cooling time to minimize warpage.
  2. Sink Marks: Sink marks occur due to shrinkage during cooling. To solve this problem, manufacturers can increase the mold’s cooling time, reduce the injection speed, and increase the packing pressure. They can also modify the mold’s design to increase the wall thickness in the areas prone to sink marks.
  3. Flashing: Flashing occurs when the molten plastic seeps out of the mold’s parting line, leaving a thin film of plastic on the surface. To solve this problem, manufacturers can adjust the clamping force, reduce the injection speed, and increase the mold temperature. They can also modify the mold’s design to ensure a proper parting line seal.
  4. Short Shots: Short shots occur when the mold cavity is not filled completely. To solve this problem, manufacturers can increase the injection pressure, adjust the temperature, and increase the flow rate. They can also modify the mold’s design to ensure adequate venting and proper gate size.
  5. Surface Imperfections: Surface imperfections such as pits, scratches, and bubbles can occur due to poor mold surface finish. To solve this problem, manufacturers can polish the mold surface, adjust the injection speed, and increase the mold temperature. They can also modify the mold’s design to ensure adequate venting and proper gate size.

In conclusion, effectively solving common defects in mold processing requires manufacturers to implement the above tips. By modifying the mold design, adjusting the processing parameters, and conducting regular quality checks, manufacturers can reduce defects and improve the final product’s quality and performance. This, in turn, leads to increased customer satisfaction, improved competitiveness, and greater success in the market.