In the world of customization and manufacturing new tools and equipment, we cannot deny the significant evolution in medical devices. Technological advancement has introduced many different and unique molds in the medical market. The small have specified shapes, geometry, and dimensions to fulfill the demands of medical tools like syringes, IV catheters, surgical instruments, dental devices, IV bags, stents, and other surgical implants.
The customization process involves the steps from choosing the suitable material, cutting down on molds, and ending with product safety. But the question here is how to customize medical injection mold in different shapes while keeping the intricate details of injections. In this article, we will provide you with each step to satisfy your query about customizing medical injection molds. So, dive into them.
Comprehensive Guide to Medical Injection Mold Customization
The following are the steps for medical injection mold customization;
1. Product Design Analysis
The initial step in mold development is to evaluate the product design keenly and precisely. At this level, the engineers explore the designs and lead with DFM (Design For Manufacturability) to combine the technology with the scientific terminologies. For the optimized plastic design there is a collaboration between the client and molders, so to meet the quality and price exceptions for the production.
2. Optimize The Mold’s Design Machines
This step is vital for crafting a perfect injection mold and needs careful attention to ensure that the molding process goes smoothly and accurately. We need to understand the temperature, system material, and shape requirements. The molding system has the following parts:
- Mold layout: A mold layout comprises three things: the base, the cavity, and the insert core. Precisely designing these components will efficiently produce easy-to-fit, simple-to-repair, and durable molds.
- Gate design: The gate system impacts the working capacity of plastic flow, size, and insert location. A shaped gate will help you have easy material flow and minimize part stress.
- Runner design: The runner also facilitates the system and effectively reduces pressure drop to ensure no material distribution and prevent dead spots when the melted or heated plastic starts accumulating.
- Cooling System: The cooling system is the key to customizing the injection mold, as it controls the fluctuation in temperature and prevents material solidification or plastic shrinkage.
- Ejection point: Injector pins and a pressure-controlling hydraulic system control the stiffness of material and undercut designs.
3. Choose Right Material
Choosing writing material is a crucial step. Here are some materials that you can pick for your injection mold customization:
| Material | Properties | Temperature Range |
|---|---|---|
| Polypropylene | Chemical-resistant, pressure resistant | 180-240°C |
| Polystyrene | High impact resistance | 180-240°C |
| ABS | Impact-resistant, sturdy, temperature resistant | 220-280°C |
| Polyethylene | Cost-effective, flexible | 170-220°C |
| PET | Recyclable, strong | 260-300°C |
| Polycarbonate | Transparent, impact-resistant | 270-320°C |
| PEEK | Biocompatible, high-strength | 340-400°C |
| Nylon | Strong, chemical resistant, flexible | 240-280°C |
4. Clamping
In injection molding, it is the initial step where for the preparation of injection material the mold halves get enclosed into a clamshell. The force is applied to, shut the half so that material gets field securely.
5. Material Injection
After clamp preparation, the step comes when the plastic in the form of granular material is loaded into the machine part called Hooper and then transferred to the cylinder, where it gets melted using heat controllers. The gate, runner, and vents ensure the optimal filling of the mold after displaying the air to escape by using consistent temperatures throughout the process. This is the part where the plastic is pushed into the mold and gets a proper shape.
6. Cool The Mold
After injecting the molten plastic, the cooling stage comes, where the cycling water is used to maintain the temperature. This process cools down the plastic and solidifies it. The cooling time depends on the plastic raw material and the thickness of the injection, so you need to check all the factors before going for this post-filling process.
7. Taking Out The Final Product
This is the last stage, where a clamping motor efficiently opens the half and safely removes the final product. There are ejector pins that push the product and put the waste below the mold. After the product is taken out, the mold is ready to clamp again and initiate the following process to make more injections.
Conclusion
Enclosing the query about how to customize medical injection molds, We must say that injection mold customization is a complex process that needs a precise execution of mold designs, careful handling of material, a balanced temperature controlling system, and a detailed plan for product execution. The medical and pharmaceutical fields are vast and need multiple medical devices simultaneously. This molding process helps medical industries to produce more than hundreds and thousands of medical injections at the same time. Therefore, the significance of custom molding cannot be faded all because of its cost-effective and high-end productivity.
FAQ’s
Q1- What is custom medical injection molding?
Ans: Custom medical injection molding is a process in which granular plastic is used to make large quantities of injections. In this procedure, the plastic is passed through a hopper, heated, and converted into an injection shape by controlling the temperature.
Q2- What material is used for injection mold?
Ans: Low-density polyethylene is the most preferred material for making injection molds, plastic wraps, and other flexible medical products. It is a highly versatile and cost-friendly solution for making high-volume identical parts with moisture—and chemical-resistant properties.
Q3- What are the five basic steps involved in medical injection molding?
Ans: The basic steps are the following:
1- Clamping: Tightly closing two halves of plastic injection into clamps.
2- Injection: The insertion or injection of plastic material into the clamped halves.
3- Melting: Converting the plastic into molten form through heating.
4- Cooling: Cool the plastic into solid form using water.
5- Mold opening: Take the plastic mold out by using ejector pins.