Mould design from D3 Engineering
Many of the articles we handle every day have been moulded, especially plastics. A mould is block that has been hollowed out and into which a material like plastic, metal or glass is poured or injected in its molten (liquid) state. The material hardens and adopts the mould's shape. D3 Engineering Solutions performs mould design and can engineer moulds for various types of materials and applications. We especially specialise in injection mould design, where a material - usually plastic - is injected into the mould cavity to form an intricate shape.
A mould design consists of an injection mould and an ejector mould that are fastened together. Liquid material flows through special channels to the mould cavity. Grooves are ground into the parting line of the mould to allow any trapped air to escape as the cavity is filled. The mould design should be sound and allow enough strategically placed grooves to allow air to escape, because trapped air causes imperfections in the article. In fact, since the injection moulding process takes place at high pressure, trapped air may ignite and burn the surrounding material, spoiling the component.
Liquid coolant (usually water) is circulated through channels in the mould to cool the mould before it is opened. A mould is designed so that the mould features do not overhang each other in the direction that the mould opens in order for that part of the mould to release easily. The mould is usually designed in such a way to ensure that the moulded component stays on the ejector mould when the mould halves are separated.
Contact D3 Engineering today for a mould design of the highest standard.