TABLE OF CONTENTS Historically, the sizes of plates and other components in an injection mould tool have been established purely on the basis of previous experience. In many cases this has been sufficient for mould designers to establish designs that work in production but not always. This practice is still in wide use today, with very little emphasis being placed on any scientific approach to establishing more efficient mould tool geometry.
Almost no attempt has been made to take advantage of any scientific or engineering developments that would enable mould design parameters to be established more accurately apart from flow analysis. Very few engineering industries rely solely on previous experience only and base their products and manufacturing design processes on a blend of science and experience.
It is reasonable to ask why it would be desirable to develop any kind of scientific approach for mould design if experience has served so well in the past. One answer to this question is becoming apparent, as more companies are experiencing increasing competition both within the UK and overseas.
While experience is an invaluable asset, it is when this is combined with well-established scientific principles that the best of both worlds is available to the designer. Some of the major reasons for applying a basic scientific analysis to mould construction are discussed next:
Competition
Energy costs
Breakage of mould components
Deflection of mould plates and core pins
Bending, fracture or stress cracking of components
As competition increases there is a tendency to maximise...
