Does anyone here work with Injection Molding machines?

[HotRodKush]

If you do, are there any small-sized machines that can be used to make parts sized up to 14"x10" or so? All of the machines I see are massive, designed for huge production houses. Just wondering if there are any smaller, less fancy machines out there.

 

[EdT]

It takes a pretty substantial machine to make a part that large. Check out this site:
http://www.ramcosanders.com/gluco/prod03.htm

 

[Thedroid]

I worked with a Hoover Uniloy blowmold for milk jugs. It was a big, complicated, tempermental machine. The machine itself was about 10 by 20 not including the the compressor , glycol chiller, and auxillaries.

 

[Mr_Rich]

I'm the quality manager at an injection molding plant. That is a large part you are talking about molding, the general rule of thumb for estimating press size is it takes about 3 tons of clamp tonnage per square inch of part if you are molding nylon. The plastic pressures inside the mold are tremendous, 20,000 psi or higher.

You would need something in the 400 ton range and that is a large machine.

Rich

 

[LennyTheLizard]

I work for an automotive OEM parts supplier. I'm definitely not an injection expert but I know a lot of people who are. As mentioned above, that size part is actually going to require a pretty large machine, but it also depends on what it's used for and what material it's made out of. Just for comparison a Passenger Airbag cover that is smaller than what you described (maybe 2/3) takes a 550 Ton injection machine. This size machine probably takes up 150 - 180 square feet.