In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, efficiency is paramount. Every second shaved off a cycle time translates directly to higher profits and a competitive edge. And when it comes to injection molding, tooling design is often the foundation upon which everything rests. At SyBridge, we understand this, and it’s why we’ve become the industry leader in design, engineering, and manufacturing of injection mold tooling.

Our expertise goes beyond simply creating high-quality tools. We are experts in optimization, and our dedication to understanding your specific needs allows us to craft solutions that streamline your entire injection molding process.

A Real-World Example

Supercharging Production

One client, a manufacturer of plastic dosing scoops, faced a common challenge: production couldn’t keep up with demand. They were running four 175-ton injection molding machines 24/7. Each existing 12-cavity tool had a 9.5-second cycle time and produced 110,000 parts per day, but it simply wasn’t enough.

Phase 1

SyBridge engineers evaluated the customer’s existing equipment, systems, and output needs, then designed a new 12-cavity tool using innovative solutions for filling and cooling the component. Upon installation, they realized a remarkable 5.0-second cycle time, a 47% reduction from their previous 9.5-second cycle time. This translated into an 88% increase in daily production with the same machine, producing an impressive 207,000 parts per day.

Phase 2

But SyBridge didn’t stop there. Building on this success, we engineered another tool, this time with 16 cavities; as before, the cycle time was at 5-seconds, and the higher-cavitation tool was still able to run in the same 175-ton presses. This powerhouse pushed daily production even further, reaching 275,000 parts – a 150% increase from the original tool.

The Proof is in the ROI

The impact was undeniable. The manufacturer not only met demand but was also able to get ahead of it, opening up opportunities for new sales growth. SyBridge tooling solutions delivered such significant production gains that the customer was able to recoup their tooling investment in less than 6 months, a testament to the immediate value delivered by SyBridge expertise. But even beyond the initial investment payback, with the increased output, the customer was able to better schedule planned maintenance, extending the life of the tools and leading to additional long-term financial benefits. This is just one example of how SyBridge empowers our partners to achieve remarkable results. Our commitment to precision engineering, coupled with our in-depth understanding of the injection molding process, allows us to:

• Reduce cycle times through innovative tool design, leading to greater output and increased production efficiency.
• Lower your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) through more efficient tooling that drives lower direct and indirect material costs for molded products.

Ready to unlock the full potential of your injection molding process?

At SyBridge, we are more than just toolmakers; we are your optimization partners. We understand the unique challenges you face and are committed to developing solutions that not only meet your needs but exceed your expectations.

Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and discover how our expertise can help you achieve breakthrough results:

• Faster cycle times
• Increased production output
• Reduced total cost of ownership
• A competitive edge in the marketplace

The post How SyBridge Expertise Optimizes Your Process and Lowers Costs appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Defects can reduce the speed and cost-efficiency of the entire product development process, and can potentially shorten product life spans if left unchecked. Injection molding issues and defects can be caused by a host of reasons, including poor design, production process mistakes, quality control failures, and more. As such, it’s important to take a proactive approach to risk mitigation throughout the product development process so as to reduce the chances of potential injection molding defects.

Here are a few of the most common defects that may occur in plastic injection molding — and how product teams can avoid them.

1. Flow Lines

Flow lines are off-color lines, streaks, and other patterns that appear on the surface of a part. These are caused by the shot of molten plastic moving at different speeds throughout the injection mold, which ultimately causes the resin to solidify at different rates. This is often a sign that injection speed and/or pressure are too low.

Flow lines can also appear when the thermoplastic resin moves through parts of the mold with different wall thicknesses — which is why maintaining consistent wall thickness or ensuring that chamfers and fillets are an appropriate length is critical. Placing the gate in a thin-walled section of the tool cavity can further help to reduce flow lines.

2. Sink Marks

Sink marks appear as depressions, dents, or craters in thick sections of a part. Thicker sections take longer to cool, which can have the often unanticipated side effect of the inner portions of the part shrinking and contracting at a much different rate than the outer sections.

Though most often an indicator that the plastic needs more time inside the mold to properly cool and cure, sink marks may sometimes be remedied by reducing the thickness of the thickest wall sections, which helps to ensure more even and thorough cooling. Inadequate pressure in the mold cavity or higher-than-desirable temperatures at the gate can also contribute to the development of the defects.

On the design side, the risk of sink marks can be minimized by ensuring proper injection molding rib thickness and wall thickness. These actions can also help to increase the overall strength of the part.

3. Surface Delamination

What is delamination? Delamination is a condition that causes a part’s surface to separate into thin layers. These layers, which appear like coatings that can be peeled off, are caused by the presence of contaminants in the material that do not bond with the plastic, creating localized faults. An over-dependence on mold release agents can also cause delamination.

To encourage delamination repair and prevention, teams should increase mold temperatures and tailor the mold ejection mechanism to be less dependent on mold-release agents, since these agents can increase the risk of delamination. Properly pre-drying the plastic before molding can also help.

4. Weld Lines

Also called knit lines, these defects mark where two flows of molten resin came together as they moved through the mold geometry. This happens around any part of the geometry that has a hole. As the plastic flows and wraps around each side of a hole, the two flows of plastic meet. If the temperature of the flow isn’t just right, the two flows won’t properly bond together and will instead cause a visible weld line. This reduces the overall strength and durability of the component.

Raising the temperature of the molten resin can help to prevent the solidification process from beginning too soon, as can increasing injection speed and pressure. Resins with lower viscosity and lower melting points are less prone to developing weld lines in injection molding, which can also be eliminated by removing partitions from mold design.

5. Short Shots

“Short shots” refer to instances in which the resin doesn’t entirely fill the mold cavity, resulting in incomplete and unusable parts.

What causes short shots in injection molding? Typically, they are the result of restricted flow within the mold, which can be caused by gates that are too narrow or have become blocked, trapped air pockets, or insufficient injection pressure. Material viscosity and mold temperature are also contributors. Increasing mold temperature and incorporating additional venting into mold design to allow air to properly escape can help prevent the occurrence of short shots.

6. Warping

Injection molding warping refers to unintended twists or bends caused by uneven internal shrinkage during the cooling process. Warping defects in injection molding are generally the result of non-uniform or inconsistent mold cooling, which creates stresses within the material.

Preventing warpage defects in injection molding is a matter of guaranteeing that parts are given enough time to cool — and at a sufficiently gradual rate — to prevent internal stresses from forming and damaging the piece. Uniform wall thickness in mold design is crucial for many reasons, critical among them being that it helps ensure that the plastic flows through the mold cavity in a single direction.

It’s worth noting that materials with semi-crystalline structures are more likely to develop warping.

7. Jetting

Jetting defects in injection molding are another potential result of an uneven solidification process. Jetting occurs when an initial jet of resin enters the mold and has enough time to begin setting before the cavity fills. This creates visible, squiggly flow patterns on the piece’s surface and decreases the strength of the part.

Reducing injection pressure is often the best way to ensure more gradual fills, but increasing the mold and resin temperature can also help to prevent any jets from preemptively setting. Placing the injection gate so that the flow of material runs through the shortest axis of the mold is another effective means of minimizing jetting.

Prevent Injection Molding Defects and Causes

Injection molding can be a highly efficient manufacturing method for producing highly repeatable plastic parts, but, as with many processes, producing high quality end-parts requires a high level of attention to detail and a proactive approach to risk management. Everyone involved in the product development process — from the initial design and proof-of-concept stages all the way to fulfillment — needs to do their due diligence to ensure products meet the highest quality standards and avoid these common plastic injection molding issues.

Choosing a manufacturing partner like SyBridge, who is well-versed in common defects in injection molding and their troubleshooting, can mean the difference between high-quality parts — produced on-time and within budget — and those marked with weld lines, jet, flash, sink marks, and other defects. In addition to being an experienced on-demand manufacturing shop, we also provide design consulting and optimization services that ensure we’re able to help every team create functional, elegant, high-performance parts as efficiently as possible. Contact us today to learn more about our injection molding services.

The post 7‌ ‌Common‌ ‌Injection‌ ‌Molding‌ ‌Defects‌ ‌and‌ ‌How‌ ‌to‌ ‌Avoid‌ ‌Them‌ appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

by Charlie Wood, Ph.D.
VP of Innovation, Research & Development

As a part of the SyBridge team, I’ve witnessed the remarkable evolution of design and engineering tools over the past decade. These digital advancements have revolutionized our approach to manufacturing, allowing for more data-driven processes and insights. But it can be difficult to know where to start, or even to understand where there are opportunities to implement.

At the heart of our approach lies the concept of the “Digital Thread,” a framework that interconnects data across the entire lifecycle. This concept enables us to leverage the wealth of design and operational data across our data lake that is generated in the manufacturing process, from CAD designs to inspection results. While the industry is still moving towards seamless integration, we’ve made significant strides in creating workflows that prioritize data-driven decision-making.

Streamlining Injection Mold Design Workflows

One key area where data is contributing to efficiencies within manufacturing is that of injection mold tooling design. By utilizing virtual component libraries for mold designs, we’ve been able to streamline the complex process of coordinating and collaborating on intricate assemblies for mold making. In these libraries, we have standard blocks, system approaches and components stored in a way that allows us to quickly identify and digitally pull components. This approach offers lots of flexibility when it comes to customer requests and needs, all while keeping standard practices built right into our tools. Over the course of many years, we’ve built software-driven processes to design new builds based off of these standard components, allowing us to quickly handle new requests from customers and build a learning feedback loop to avoid costly mistakes.

Additionally, through the use of parametric component libraries, we’ve been able to significantly reduce design complexity and incorporate our own manufacturing intelligence into these components, allowing us to directly check for design issues and integrate manufacturing information into CAD files. This process creates a flow of information from the conceptual stage of the design through manufacturing and approval, extending our Digital Thread from end to end. This information flow can also go backwards, tying quoting, estimation assumptions and specifications directly to tool designs. These advancements in our design approach have not only made the job of a tool designer a bit easier, but have improved quality by creating
more explicit feedback loops in our design processes.

Innovations in Conformal Cooling

As many know, 3D printing has unlocked incredible design freedom for manufacturing engineers around the world. However, what can be overlooked is how impactful it has been for system designers, like toolmakers, who can utilize that design freedom and low cost of complexity to create components that radically improve performance. In the case of toolmaking, 3D printing has unlocked new cooling channel designs simply not possible before.

Although increasing numbers of toolmakers are using these advanced manufacturing techniques today, the new design space is so complex it can be hard to probe. In the past, conformal cooling channels were fairly straight, in-plane paths driven by tool access limitations in machining. With metal 3D printing, the limits are far less restrictive and allow designers to pursue more creative and complicated structures.

Using advanced data-driven methods with virtual design and testing capabilities, we’ve been able to uncover non-obvious opportunity areas in the design space. Through these novel design and
manufacturing workflows, we’re optimizing cooling performance and achieving remarkable improvements in tool performance as measured through cycle time. Through our approach, we’re seeing cycle time reductions as high as 50%. These successes have inspired us to further integrate and enhance these workflows, driving continued innovation.

AI Tools for Manufacturing

The Fast Radius Portal’s AI-powered DFM checks

Looking ahead, we’re enthusiastic about the possibilities that emerging technologies like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) offer. These novel data modeling approaches have shown incredible potential, and the pace of technological advancement is rapidly accelerating. We’ve been able to use ML models to build data models faster than through simple bottom-up logic, particularly for complex problems that contain many correlating factors.

The critical ingredient in implementing AI for manufacturing are large data sets that provide a source of truth for model training and validation. By leveraging our existing datasets, we aim to predict defects, optimize designs in real-time and ultimately revolutionize quality control processes. These technologies are not a distant vision; they’re an integral part of our current digital platform, with features like instant quoting and DFM checks based on captured manufacturing data. And this is just the beginning of what’s possible.

Unlocking Manufacturing Innovation via the Digital Thread

Our journey in harnessing digital workflows for injection molding design has seen remarkable progress and tangible results. The end-to-end integration of data into the Digital Thread, combined with the power of ML and AI, holds the key to unlocking even greater innovation. As we continue to push boundaries and explore new frontiers, we’re excited about the advancements at the interface between the physical and digital worlds.

Are you ready to harness the power of the Digital Thread for your organization? Contact us today to get started.

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Choosing the right tooling materials for manufacturing medical parts can be complicated, but with the right expertise and partner it can be a smooth process for long-term results.  

This is where having options makes a difference. Steel (hard) and aluminum (soft) tooling are both good options for creating the components used to manufacture medical parts. Selecting the option that will deliver the most value depends on your volume requirements, design complexity, and the lifespan of the mold. 

Aluminum Tooling: Fast Turnaround, Limited Cycles    

Specialized tool manufacturers can generally build aluminum tooling quickly, Aluminum tools are compatible with a variety of materials, cost less than steel, and have better heat conductivity. The ability to quickly gain or dissipate heat shortens production cycle times and offers a more consistent mold temperature, reducing the chances of warpage and increasing yields.    

Although aluminum boasts better heat conductivity and shorter production time than steel, its main drawback is that it can begin to wear down more quickly (typically after tens of thousands of production cycles) than steel. Worn tooling increases the chances for imperfections, a deal breaker for medical applications. Manufacturers may need to replace or repair aluminum tooling more often than steel tooling.    

Steel Tooling: High-Volume Production, Higher Upfront Costs  

Steel is a harder material than aluminum. This gives steel tooling many advantages: components can produce millions of parts over years without diminishing quality, the material allows for more complex designs, and the material is resistant to scratches and erosion. Steel tooling supports high-volume production runs for an extended period.  

However, steel tooling is also more expensive, and because steel is so hard, tooling may become difficult to repair or modify once produced. Steel doesn’t allow as much heat conductivity and so, molds take longer to heat and cool, increasing cycle times, potentially introducing warpage, shrinking, or sink marks. Additionally, high-featured designs or those that have unique requirements (e.g., thin, non-uniform walls) may require the use of steel molds to provide the required results. 

Choosing Your Tooling Material 

Both steel and aluminum tooling can be suitable options once the complete part design, budget and volume scenarios are fully considered. While the raw costs are distinctively different, the overall return on investment will depend on the lifespan of the tool and its usage.  

The decision comes down to the intended use of your tooling. Figure 1 shows a simplified version of the three factors to consider when determining which tooling material to use.  

Figure 1. Decision chart for steel vs. aluminum tooling 

Prototypes and Aluminum Tooling  

Prototypes are essential to developing new medical devices and other types of health technology. They allow engineers to test how their concept works in the real world, answering important questions, such as how well the part addresses the treatment’s core problem, how it fits with existing systems, and how easy it is to access and maintain. Without prototyping, these essential questions go unanswered, and the product is less likely to succeed during later stages.   

Consider using aluminum tooling for early prototypes if your volume needs are low – for example: less than 50,000 parts. Aluminum tooling will maintain its quality and reliability for the number of runs required to produce the prototype. Creating steel tooling for these low-volume runs may not provide the return on investment that aluminum will. Steel tooling is a more viable investment for high-production runs when volumes increase.   

Medical Industry Solutions From SyBridge  

Choosing the appropriate tooling for manufacturing your medical parts is crucial. The right tooling material will help guarantee the reliability of parts in high-volume production or the cost-effectiveness of parts in low-volume runs. Consider working with a tooling design and manufacturing expert to ensure consistent, reliable and high-quality outcomes. 

At SyBridge, our expert engineers can help you select the right tooling material to meet your needs. We bring decades of expertise in tool design and manufacturing of various types and levels and can guide you with the right choice for your application. 

Contact us  today to discover how SyBridge can produce the excellence you desire. 

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When designing a part, it’s important to understand critical differences between comparable materials. For instance, substituting a thermoplastic instead of a thermoset to create a product that’s meant to withstand high temperatures would have disastrous results. 

The terms “thermoplastic” and “thermoset” appear in many of the same conversations regarding plastic part manufacturing, but they’re not interchangeable. This article breaks down the major differences between thermoplastics and thermosets, as well as key advantages and best applications for each material.

Thermoplastics: What You Need to Know

Mechanical/Chemical Properties

A thermoplastic is any plastic material with a melting point that becomes molten when heated, solid when cooled, and can be re-melted or molded after cooling. The process is completely reversible, and doing so will not significantly compromise the material’s physical integrity. 

Thermoplastics are usually stored as pellets to facilitate easy melting during the injection molding process. Common examples of thermoplastics include acrylic, polyester, nylon, and PVC.

• Nylon: Nylon provides a unique combination of strength and wear resistance that makes this family of materials well-suited for a range of applications.
• TPE and TPU: When product designers and engineers want a part to have certain properties like shock absorption, flex rebound, or high impact strength, they often turn to polymers made out of thermoplastic elastomers. 
• ULTEM (PEI): ULTEM® is one of the only resins approved for use in aerospace settings. It is also among the most versatile plastics on the market. 

Advantages of Thermoplastics

Thermoplastics are strong, shrink-resistant, and relatively easy to use. Their inherent flexibility makes them an excellent choice for manufacturers who require shock-absorbent products that can withstand wear and tear while retaining their shape. 

Thermoplastics are generally more cost-effective than thermosets because they’re easier to process. This is because thermoplastics are made in higher volumes and don’t require post-processing. Plus, thermoplastic molds can be made from affordable materials like aluminum. Thermoplastics are highly compatible with injection molding processes, and are ideal for making repeatable parts in high volumes. 

Additionally, thermoplastics are some of the more environmentally friendly plastics on the market as they are highly recyclable by design. As an added benefit, manufacturing with thermoplastics produces fewer toxic fumes than working with thermosets. 

Common Thermoplastics Applications

Manufacturers often use thermoplastics for prototyping because if the final product doesn’t meet certain standards, they can easily melt the part down and start over without producing a lot of scrap material.

Beyond part prototyping, thermoplastics can be used to create a range of familiar consumer products, as well as medical devices, automotive components, and more.

Thermosets: What You Need to Know

Mechanical/Chemical Properties

In contrast to thermoplastics, a thermoset is any plastic material that hardens once cured by heat and cannot be reshaped after the curing process. During curing, valence bonds in the polymer cross-link together to form three-dimensional chemical bonds that cannot be undone, even under extreme heat. 

Thermosets are usually stored in liquid form in large containers. Common examples of thermosets include epoxy, silicone, and polyurethane.

• Epoxy (EPX 82): An additive material developed by Carbon for its DLS process. This material is ideal for automotive, industrial, and consumer applications. 
• Silicone (SIL 30): SIL 30 is an additive material developed by Carbon® for its digital light synthesis (DLS). Also known as SIL 30, this silicone urethane offers a unique combination of biocompatibility.
• RPU 70: Known for its toughness, strength, and ability to withstand heat, RPU can be used across multiple industries including consumer products, automotive, and industrial. 

Others like Phenolics are available as a granular product.

Advantages of Thermosets

Thermosets offer a wide range of benefits; overall, they are strong, stable, chemical-resistant, and have outstanding electrical properties. They won’t warp, degrade, or break down easily in extreme temperatures. 

Due to their strength and durability, thermosets are often used to reinforce another material’s structural properties. Among the most impact-resistant materials on the market, they are frequently used to seal products to protect them against deformation. 

Common Thermosets Applications

While thermoplastics offer a more diverse range of high and low functionality applications, thermosets can be used to create high-performance products in a wide variety of industries. 

Thermosets are ideal for building anything that comes into contact with extreme temperatures on a regular basis, such as kitchen appliances and electronics components.  

Start Building With Us

The crucial difference between thermoplastics and thermosets boils down to how they react to heat. Thermoplastics can be molded and remolded in the presence of heat without losing structural integrity, while thermosets can be molded only once. Of the two, thermoplastics are better suited for all-purpose products that need to be strong and flexible, while thermosets make better high-performance products. An experienced manufacturing partner can help you decide which material best fits your needs. 

When you partner with SyBridge, you partner with a dedicated team of engineers and manufacturing experts who will help you take your project to the next level. We’ll match your vision with optimal materials, manufacturing processes, and post-production services to ensure that you end up with a product of unmatched quality. Contact us today for a quote.

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Manufacturing in Focus sat down with Senior Director of R&D, Dr. Charlie Wood and one of the company’s leading Additive Manufacturing and Engineering experts, Greg Nemecek, to learn how SyBridge Technologies is changing the industry with the latest advances in additive manufacturing.

See page 70

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Reduced Risk of Part Warpage

During the molding process a part cools from the exterior surface to the inner core of the plastic, ideally at the same rate for all areas of the part when it is designed with consistent wall thickness. When injection molding simple, uniform parts conventional cooling typically doesn’t pose any challenges, as all areas of the part generally cool at a similar rate.

However, if a part design is geometrically complex, then the part may not cool at an even rate in all areas, resulting in potential warpage or longer cooling cycles to ensure solidified parts before ejection. The truth is that in today’s world with increasingly complex part geometries, perfectly uniform cooling rates are difficult to attain. In the case of low volume runs, the inefficiencies of having a slightly longer cooling cycles can be negligible and tolerable for molders. However, in the case of high volume runs, these efficiencies can be opportunities to improve productivity or reduce waste. The resulting efficiency of conformal cooling depends on many factors, from the design of the cooling channels, the design of the part, the mold design and even the molding recipe. When done properly, conformal cooling solutions can improve tooling output by 50% or more. 

Conventional Cooling

Conformal Cooling

Including conformal cooling channels in the mold tooling will help address hot spots that result in warpage, resulting in better quality parts with less material waste and fewer defects. 

Faster Cycle Times

In addition to achieving a better quality end result with a lower risk of defects, conformal cooling channels often significantly decrease mold cycle times. In the example below, conformal cooling was used to reduce the cycle time of this high-volume plastic component by almost 40%, increasing mold productivity by nearly 50%.

Is Conformal Cooling Right for Your Needs?

Including conformal cooling channels in injection mold tooling is popular across industries and product types, particularly in the life sciences, and consumer products sectors where parts with complex geometries or high mold volumes are common. If you plan to produce a large volume of parts via injection molding and are concerned about warpage, designing your injection mold tooling with conformal cooling may be the right solution to help with cycle times and lower part costs. In order to ensure that the channels are properly designed for your part’s geometry and specific application, it is imperative to work with an experienced tooling designer who is knowledgeable about how to integrate these novel approaches into high precision tooling.

At SyBridge, our engineers are experts in the injection molding and tooling design processes, and have worked with companies across diverse industries to help them achieve incredible results when it comes to improving mold productivity, reducing defects, and producing higher-performing parts. Whether you already have a mold design that you believe would benefit from the addition of conformal cooling channels or you’re working on the design for a new part or product, our team is here to help.

Contact us to speak with an injection mold tooling design expert and discover if conformal cooling is right for your injection mold tooling needs.

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Since its development in the mid-20th century, polycarbonate (PC) has been an increasingly popular material in manufacturing. Today, around 2.7 million tons of polycarbonates are produced each year globally. Over the years, various companies have created different formulas for polycarbonate, so there are several industry grades of polycarbonate to choose from. Some forms have more glass fiber reinforcement, while others have additives like ultraviolet stabilizers for protection against long-term sun exposure.

Strong and versatile, this amorphous thermoplastic is resistant to heat, impact, and many chemicals. As such, polycarbonate is ideal for components that need to be tough or repeatedly sterilized and is often used in the automotive and medical industries.

How Polycarbonate is Manufactured

Each company manufactures polycarbonates slightly differently, but polycarbonate materials have traditionally been created via the condensation polymerization of bisphenol A and carbonyl chloride. However, many companies have started to use diphenyl carbonate instead because carbonyl chloride is extremely toxic.

Regardless of whether carbonyl chloride or diphenyl carbonate is used, a bisphenol A solution in sodium hydroxide is required and then mixed with the carbonyl chloride or diphenyl carbonate solution in an organic solvent so polymerization can take place. When the polycarbonate forms, it will initially be in a liquid state. The solution will be evaporated to form granules, or ethanol will need to be introduced to precipitate the solid polymer.

Once created, polycarbonate is often sold in rods, cylinders, or sheets and can be used in various manufacturing processes. Polycarbonate is compatible with thermoforming, extrusion, and blow molding, but it’s most often used with injection molding. After all, as a thermoplastic, polycarbonate can be melted, cooled, and reheated without burning or significant degradation, making it an ideal injection molding material.

During injection molding, polycarbonate needs to be processed at a high temperature and injected into the mold with high pressure because polycarbonate is quite viscous. The melt temperature should be between 280°C and 320°C, and the mold temperature should fall between 80°C and 100°C. However, those numbers can vary depending on the grade of polycarbonate being used. For example, a high-heat polycarbonate will require a melt temperature between 310°C and 340°C and a mold temperature between 100°C and 150°C, whereas a PC-ABS (polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) blend’s melt temperature only needs to be between 240°C and 280°C and its mold temperature can fall as low as 70°C and up to 100°C.

Properties and Mechanical Specifications of Polycarbonate Material

While there are several grades of polycarbonates, each with their own molecular mass, structure, and properties, all polycarbonates have a few things in common.

For one, they are known for their toughness and high impact resistance. As a result, polycarbonate is often used for applications that require reliability and high performance.

Despite their toughness and strength, polycarbonates are light weight, allowing for extensive design possibilities and relatively easy installation when compared to other materials.

Polycarbonates are also very resistant to heat and flames. A polycarbonate can maintain its toughness in temperatures up to 140°C, which means polycarbonate parts can withstand repeated sterilization. Polycarbonates also have light transmittance rates above 90% and good chemical resistance against diluted acids, oils, greases, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and alcohols.

A polycarbonate’s properties depend on its molecular mass and structure, so each material is slightly different. To give you an idea of what you can expect, here are some typical key characteristics and specifications:

• Specific gravity: 1.21
• Melt temperature: 295 – 315°C
• Mold temperature: 70 – 95°C
• Heat deflection temperature: 137°C at 0.45 MPa
• Tensile strength: 61 MPa
• Flexural strength: 90 MPa
• Shrink rate: 0.5 – 0.7%
• Rockwell hardness: 118R

As you can see, polycarbonate manufacturing has plenty to offer. However, there are a few things you’ll want to be aware of before selecting this material for a project. For example, its mechanical properties can degrade after prolonged exposure to water over 60°C. Polycarbonate is also susceptible to scratching, more costly to manufacture than many other materials, and vulnerable to diluted alkalis and aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons. Additionally, the polycarbonate formulations without UV stabilizers can sometimes yellow over time when exposed to UV rays.

Common Uses of Polycarbonates in Everyday Life

Polycarbonate’s toughness and high impact resistance make it a popular material choice for automotive industry manufacturers, particularly when it comes to parts that must be clear or translucent and are subject to frequent impact, such as headlight and turn signal lenses.

In the medical industry, polycarbonate can be found in everything from incubators to dialysis machine housings. After all, polycarbonate is tough, resistant to heat, dimensionally stable, and able to withstand sterilization via FDA-approved methods including autoclaves and irradiation. Polycarbonate can be used in blood filters, reservoirs, and oxygenators, as well as surgical instruments. Plus, given its transparency, polycarbonate enables doctors to more easily monitor blood and track the administration of fluids.

Polycarbonate is also a material of choice in many household appliances, such as mixers, hair dryers, refrigerators, and electric razors. Other common uses for polycarbonate include exterior lighting fixtures, machinery guards, protective gear, bullet-proof glass, fuse boxes, television housings, roofing, skylights, greenhouses, suitcases, eyeglasses, and beverage containers, such as baby bottles, sippy cups, and refillable water bottles.

Getting Started With Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a strong and impact-resistant thermoplastic that’s used across a variety of industries. However, there are several different kinds of polycarbonate on the market, each with its own characteristics. Working with an experienced manufacturing partner like SyBridge can make all the difference for product teams who are unfamiliar with polycarbonate or are looking to manufacture parts and products with materials that may be more suitable for a specific application. Want to see if polycarbonate is the right material for your next project? Create an account and upload your part files or contact us today to get started.

The post Know Your Materials: Polycarbonate (PC) appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Injection mold tooling is one of the most significant cost factors during a product’s production run. Not only do you need to take into account the cost of sourcing and machining your tool material, but you also need to remember that your part’s size and complexity can affect your total tooling costs, as well. So, it’s not surprising that tooling costs alone can impact your project budget by an amount ranging from a few thousand dollars up to half a million dollars, depending on the size of the run and the factors listed above.

Companies often fail to accurately estimate and budget for injection mold tooling costs, leading to confusion, setbacks, and project scope adjustments on the fly. To help you better plan and stick to a project budget, it’s important to understand the factors that impact tooling costs and how you can improve your estimates and reduce these costs in order to make injection molded parts more efficiently and effectively.

The Impact of Materials on Tooling Costs

The availability of raw materials can impact tooling costs, as raw materials that are more difficult to find generally cost more.

The type of metal you have can also affect costs because soft metals like aluminum are generally less expensive than their harder counterparts. However, the tradeoff is that harder tooling metals like steel will be more durable, which could lower your cost-per-part if you have a large production run.

It’s also worth noting that some materials are more difficult to machine than others. Tooling designers need to spend longer machining harder metals, which drives up costs.

The Impact of Size and Complexity on Tooling Costs

Beyond considering the type of metal for your injection mold tool, you also need to consider how the size and complexity of your project impact your tooling costs.

The larger your part or product is, the larger your tool needs to be, which means more material and a higher fabrication cost. While it’s possible to separate parts into smaller pieces, each with its own mold, and assemble them later, you’ll end up with multiple tools, potentially negating any money you would have saved.

The geometry of your part can also impact tooling costs, as complex designs require more complicated and expensive tools. If your part design has an undercut or a threaded feature, you may need to use an action, an insert, or a collapsible core to ensure your final part comes out as intended. However, these additional features add complexity to the tool machining process, increasing labor time and tooling costs.

The Impact of Part Quantity on Tooling Costs

Part quantity will affect your material choice, the tooling cost for your project, and your final cost-per-part. After all, if you need to create hundreds of thousands of parts, you need to invest in a more durable (and expensive) tool. On the other hand, if you only need a few thousand parts, it makes more financial sense to use a cheaper soft aluminum tool. Similarly, if you’re doing a very small run of parts, it may make more sense to utilize 3D printing to produce your part, which does not require any tooling whatsoever.

However, if you have a large part run planned, don’t worry. While you’ll need to spend more to cover your initial tooling cost, you’ll end up with a lower cost-per-part, as that cost will be spread across tens of thousands — or even millions — of parts over time.

How to Reduce Tooling Costs

As you can see, many factors can drive up your tooling costs. The good news is that you can take action to reduce your costs without sacrificing tooling or part quality. You’ll want to:

Consult with an experienced tooling design engineer during the design phase. Many skip this step because it can raise initial costs, but consulting with an expert early in the design phase will save you time and money in the long run. Tooling design engineers can identify and correct manufacturability issues with your design, which will help you avoid ending up with a tool and parts that don’t match your expectations or needing to manufacture your tooling twice to achieve your intended results. In some cases, they can also help simplify your design to avoid costly features like inserts or collapsible cores without impacting your part’s functionality.

Talk about quantity upfront. While your tool won’t magically stop working on a certain date, it will wear out over time, and variations may eventually exceed your specified tolerances. Since creating new tooling is expensive and time-consuming, the last thing you want to do is underestimate and create a tool that will wear out before production is complete. It’s much better to spend a little more upfront than pause production to create a new tool mid-run. By talking about how many parts you intend to produce with your tooling design engineer at the start of the process, you can ensure that you’ll be using a suitable material from the start.

For example, if you know you need a mold that will withstand at least 500,000 shots, using a harder — albeit more expensive — steel for your tooling is the right choice in order to avoid the hassle and cost of making several tools from softer, cheaper materials, like aluminum. On the other hand, if you plan on executing a short run or changing your design in the near future, we recommend using a more affordable material to ensure you aren’t wasting money on an unnecessarily strong tool.

Plan for size adjustments. If you aren’t 100% sure how big your final part will be, it’s better to buy a bigger block of material than you think you’ll need. Otherwise, you’ll have a material block that’s too small, and you’ll need to purchase a new one. Also, let your manufacturer know about potential size adjustments, as major adjustments may render a tool useless.

How to Better Estimate and Budget for Tooling Costs

To avoid unexpected costs or overspending due to an inefficient design or unanticipated design change, consider working with an experienced manufacturing partner like SyBridge. Our team of engineers can help you understand your tooling costs and ensure your project is as cost-efficient as possible. We’ll take your needs into account and help minimize your chances of underestimating your tool life requirements. Additionally, if you plan to alter your part design in the future, we’ll help you select the right material for your design’s expected life, or plan ahead by using steel-safe tooling.

Creating Tooling With SyBridge

While tooling costs may seem steep and confusing at first, many factors contribute to the final price you see, from the material to the complexity of your design. Once you understand all the elements that go into creating a tool that’s right for your part and production volume, you can better estimate your tooling costs and make the right choices to avoid mid-run setbacks and cost overruns.

When you work with SyBridge, we’ll take the guesswork out of determining your tooling costs. Contact us today to get started or create an account and upload your part designs to use our automated DFM checks and request a quote online.

The post What Factors Contribute to Injection Mold Tooling Costs? appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.

Injection molding is a popular and versatile manufacturing process that enables companies to produce high-volume production runs for a relatively low cost-per-part without sacrificing quality. It’s highly repeatable and capable of producing strong components that meet strict mechanical and dimensional requirements.

When companies need to produce a plastic part with thin walls, such as certain car parts or cell phone cases, they can turn to thin wall injection molding. However, you’ll need to be particularly careful when designing products with thin walls, as thin wall injection molding introduces new challenges. In this article, we’ll go over the basics of thin wall injection molding, its common applications, and some injection molding design tips so you can start your journey off on the right foot.

What is thin wall injection molding?

Thin wall injection molding is a specialized form of injection molding that enables manufacturers to create thinner and lighter parts without sacrificing structural integrity. By opting for thin wall injection molding over traditional injection molding, companies can save material, boost productivity, achieve a lower cost-per-part, and reduce shipping-related fuel usage and carbon emissions.

Since thin wall plastic parts have less material to cool, cycle times are much faster, reducing delivery lead times. In fact, a significant reduction in wall thickness can sometimes cut cycle times in half, helping companies get products in customers’ hands faster and saving on operating costs. Plus, since thinner walls mean less plastic, companies can save money when it comes to materials and, in the case of containers and packaging, leave more empty space for the product.

However, thin wall injection molding comes with a few challenges. For one, the injection process is more complicated. You need higher pressure and faster molding speeds to fill all the thin cavities with molten material, avoid freezing off, and ensure the part comes out as intended. For example, while a component with standard walls can be filled in two seconds, that same part with 25% thinner walls may need to be filled in just one second. Additionally, you may need to take extra steps and carefully design gates to ease part ejection.

Common uses of thin wall injection molding in manufacturing

Manufacturers often turn to thin wall injection molding when it comes to plastic packaging, as it can be used to create everything from food-safe packaging to medical device packaging. Other common uses of thin wall injection molding include cell phone components, plastic lids and containers, electronic housings, syringes, and medical device components. Even the automotive, construction, appliance, and aerospace industries use thin wall injection molding for parts and component assemblies.

Thin wall injection molding design tips and tricks

Thin walls often lead to material flow problems, which can cause unformed areas. Other common issues associated with thin walls include uneven cooling, warp, cracks, cosmetic texture inconsistencies, and weak knit lines or fracture points.

To avoid these problems and create the best possible part:

Pay attention to your material

Material choice is always important for injection molding, but it’s essential when creating parts with thin walls. Some materials, such as polycarbonate (PC), are sticky, making filling molds with thin walls difficult. However, certain thermoplastics will flow more easily through narrow sections of a mold, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), nylon (PA), and polypropylene (PP). Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) also fills easily, though it may increase the risk of flash along your mold’s parting lines.

There’s no one-size-fits-all material for thin wall injection molding, so consider your part’s geometry and application needs when comparing materials. Also, try to choose a material that won’t accelerate mold wear when injected at high speeds.

Consider your mold material

In addition to thinking about your product’s material, you’ll need to carefully consider your mold material. While P20 steel is often used in conventional injection molding applications, it may not be strong enough to withstand the high pressures, wear, and erosion associated with injection molding parts with thin walls. Instead, you’ll need a more robust material, such as 718, H-13, D-2, or another tough steel.

It’s important to note that you may end up paying 30%-40% more for a tool made of a robust material compared to one made of P20. However, that additional cost can be easily offset by the tool’s increased performance and longevity.

Have uniform wall thickness

If possible, ensure your design has uniform wall thickness throughout. This will allow for even cooling and help prevent warping, sink marks, flow lines, and short shots. For best results, keep your wall thickness a minimum of 0.9mm (0.0354”) or greater.

Add ribs or gussets

You can include ribs in your part design if you need to strengthen your part or increase its rigidity. While ribs are generally half the thickness of the wall they support, your ribs may be as thick as your wall if your wall is less than 1mm thick. However, sink marks and read through may be visible where the rib intersects the wall.

Incorrectly designed ribs can result in warp, sink marks, voids, and breakage, causing more trouble than they’re worth. To avoid these problems, design ribs to be 60% of wall thickness or less, keep base radii small, space ribs apart by three times the wall thickness, and include 1°of draft or greater.

If you want to reinforce your thin rib wall without making your ribs thicker, add gussets (or cross-support ribs) and follow the same set of guidelines.

Include radii

Sharp corners are never good in injection molding, as they can cause parts to stick to the tool during the ejection process. They also require more pressure to fill and can result in voids if there isn’t sufficient pressure, so it’s important to include radii and round out internal and external corners and edges. Since the mold cavity is incredibly narrow in thin wall plastic injection molding, avoiding sharp corners and edges is even more critical to ensure a smooth flow of material and a clean ejection.

Pay attention to the temperature

Mold temperature is key to the injection molding process and can drastically impact how the final product looks and feels. A warmer mold allows the injected plastic to flow more easily, resulting in better surface quality.

When it comes to cooling, place non-looping cooling lines directly in your core and cavity blocks to keep your mold’s surface temperature as consistent as possible. Additionally, try to increase the amount of coolant flow through your tool, rather than decreasing coolant temperature, and ensure the temperature difference between your delivery coolant and return coolant is less than 10° F.

Design gates with care

Since thin wall injection molding involves higher injection speeds and pressures, gates should be larger than the part’s walls to help minimize gate wear and material shear. This will also help prevent or eliminate freeze-off from occurring before packing is achieved. If your gate connects to a thin wall with a pinpoint, hot-drop, or sprue, you can reduce stress at the gate and improve the filling process by including a gate well.

You may also want to increase the draft angles of reinforcing ribs, edges, and bosses, as thin-walled plastic parts experience minimal shrinkage.

Creating thin-walled parts with SyBridge

Thin wall injection molding not only helps companies reduce part weight and material consumption, but it can also help reduce costs and cycle times. However, you’ll need to follow these tips and tricks to avoid material flow problems, uneven cooling, and other problems.

An experienced manufacturing partner like SyBridge can help you through the injection molding process, from design to production. When you work with us, we can help you design injection mold tooling and manufacture quality parts quickly and cost-effectively. Plus, by uploading your part file to our website, your design will go through instant DFM analysis to identify potential manufacturability issues. Contact us today to get started on your next injection molding project.

The post Thin Wall Injection Molding Design Tips and Tricks appeared first on SyBridge Technologies.