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Plastic industry honors innovative parts
The top cowl for an outboard marine engine took the Conference award in the Structural Plastics Div. (SPD) 2004 design competition. It's reportedly the largest injection-molded nylon part, weighing in at 11.3 lb and measuring 33.5x23x16 in. The cowl is part of a three-piece assembly that won both...
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A Coupled Filling-Structural Simulation on a Water Manifold Injection Mold (.pdf)
An injection mold for a water manifold was experiencing deflection on an extremely long core, causing a high defect rate on the finished product. In addition, inserted small plastic capillaries were being crushed if the mold parameters were outside a narrow window. By taking the pressure output...
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That's a Wrap
, Minneapolis, must have impressed judges at the Society of Plastics Industry conference. They made it the Single Part winner in the Structural Plastics Div. (SPD) competition. The contest recognizes innovative designs that use plastic parts to bear loads, provide support, or enclose a product...
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Low-pressure molding offers stiff competition
a cellular structure inside the part. During cooling the internal cell pressure of the foam eliminates sink marks on part surfaces. Key advantages of the process include: The ability to convert large structural parts to plastic. Parts have low molded-in stress because short shots don't need high-pressure...
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GapmanGen3 Electronic Gap Measurement System for Aircraft Applications
Process control improvement drives new gap measurement techniques. Due to increased standardization of process improvement methods such as SPC and Six Sigma, aircraft structural component manufacturers from Alenia to Lockheed are adjusting output specifications from their measurement instrument...
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RIM goes bumper to bumper
or solid, flexible or rigid, a composite or fiber reinforced. Almost anything from a flexible foam-core part to an extremely rigid, solid part is possible with RIM. For example, rigid, structural-foam RIM is used for parts with molded specific gravities from 0.2 to 0.85. Moreover, short-glass...
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Grille guard garners top automotive accolade
structural-foam molding provides better aesthetics with no need for secondary finishing. It also let FM mold a more rigid part with thick rib sections and no sink marks. And the PP resin stands up well against hospital-grade cleaners. INDUSTRIAL/MILITARY. A 36 × 58-in. plastic dumpster lid from...
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Hungry for large parts? Try a composite sandwich
A new composite used for making large structural parts including vehicle hard tops, tonneaus, and other exterior body panels, gives automakers a lightweight, durable, and low-cost alternative to sheet-molding compound and other body-panel materials. Developed by Advance USA, Old Lyme, Conn., STRATA...
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Putting The Right Spin On Rotational-Molding Designs
. A premeasured amount of powdered or liquid plastic is placed in mold half. The mold is closed, transferred to the heating oven, and then on to the cooling station. During the entire heating and cooling process, the molds simultaneously rotate around two right-angle axes. Typical carousel rotationalmolding...
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Breathe easy
To make a device that helps sleep-apnea patients breathe easier and sleep more comfortably, Airway Management Inc., Dallas, switched from an investment casting to metal injection molding (MIM) for a key structural component. The Thornton Adjustable Positioner is an oral appliance similar...