 Injection
Molding Equipment
Need injection molding
equipment from chillers to cooling towers?
If you're worried
about your process equipment breaking down and costing you money
for lost production and costly repairs, our chillers, pump tank
stations, pumping systems and cooling towers are the answer you're
looking for. Until the
injection molding industry completely moves from using hydraulic
to electric systems, a long lasting efficient cooling system is
an investment you can't avoid. We manufacture complete cooling systems
for cooling both your hydraulics and molded products.
What
is Injection Molding?
Injection molding is a process in which a plastic resin is heated
until it becomes soft enough to force into a closed mold, at which
point the resin cools to solidify and form a product. Injection
molding is used for making parts from primarily thermoplastic resins.
The process that takes place is a lot like the filling of a jelly
donut. A hypodermic style cylinder and nozzle inject the heated
resin into an opening created in a closed container or mold. The
resin is allowed to harden again, the finished part is ejected,
and the process is repeated as often as necessary to produce the
total number of parts required. Injection molding is used for manufacturing
a variety of parts, from the smallest component to entire body panels
of cars. It is the most common method of making plastic products,
from bottles to automotive parts.
 The
Injection Molding Process
Invented in 1868 by John Wesley Hyatt for making celluloid billiard
balls, the first injection molding machine functioned a lot like
a large hypodermic needle. It was not until 1946 that this plunger
design was replaced by James Hendry with the first screw or auger
designed injection molding machine. Today, while most screw molding
machines are still driven by hydraulic systems, they are slowly
being replaced by electricity driven machines. While these hydraulic
systems work, and even as the machine is idling, the temperature
of the system's hydraulic fluid rises. This temperature rise is
caused by the friction created by the oil flowing through the machine
and by the compressive force of the oil when used to provide pressure.
For these systems to operate as efficiently as possible, the temperatuer
of the hydraulic oil must be controlled.
The Cooling Process
A major component of the injection molding process is cool water
for cooling down the oil in these hydraulic systems and even the
molded parts themselves. If it's too cool, the oil will thicken
causing the valves to operate sluggishly or not at all. If the oil
is too hot, it will degrade into a thin liquid filled with chunks
of additive materials that broke down because of the heat. These
clog passageways and interrupt operation of the hydraulic mechanisms.
The temperature of the oil is controlled by a heat exchanger inside
a chiller. The chiller circulates the oil over copper (or other
highly conductive metal) tubing that weaves back and forth inside
the heat exchanger. The tubing is connected to a water inlet and
the temperature of the oil is monitored. When the oil is cold, the
chiller does not circulate the water in the tubes. The water absorbs
heat from the oil as the oil warms up while flowing through the
hydraulic system. When the oil becomes too hot, the heat exchanger
opens the water inlet valve to allow water to circulate through
the copper tubing. The circulating water draws heat from the oil
until the oil temperature drops to the proper level. The system
then cycles the water off until needed again. In this way, the heat
exchanger can maintain the proper oil temperature at approximately
120° F, ±5° F (49° C, ±2.7° C)
In addition to our chillers, we manufacture
pumping stations for bringing water to the process and back. These
chiller pumps are responsible for establishing a reliable flow of
cool water at high pressures and at a varying flow. Our tower pumps
pump water to the chiller or tower which require a constant flow
of water at a lower pressure.
Chiller and Tower Water Tank Sets
Our complete line of injection molding equipment includes
pump tank stations and pumping systems for transporting liquids,
i.e., water or a water-glycol solution through chilling systems
for cooling the injection molding machines. We supply both chiller
and tower water tank sets for process
cooling. We offer 7 standard models, each with double pumps, baffled
tank and lid. The two pump system has one pump dedicated to the
chiller or chillers to maintain constant water flow required by
the chillers to ensure maximum efficiency and safe operation. The
second pump is dedicated to the process to supply higher flows than
the chillers would normally allow, and higher water pressure required
by the varying process equipment demand.
Chilling Systems
and Cooling Towers
As our signature product, chillers and cooling towers for injection
molding are what we do the best. Our engineering expertise not only
makes our injection molding equipment easy to inspect, maintain
and repair, they are easily the most energy efficient
and long lasting equipment on the market. Our cooling
systems are ingenuously designed
and include oversized condensers and stainless steel brazed plate
evaporators. Not only does this mean much longer lasting compressors,
but a much more efficient system. Add a hot gas by-pass,
a water flow switch, a freeze thermostat, non-rusting
water piping, and you have the perfect fit for anyone who has
to worry about cooling reliability and cost effectiveness. All
our models can be delivered immediately from stock or 2 to 4 weeks
if not in stock.
Finding
a reliable cooling system for your injection molding process is
difficult when there are so many low cost imported molding equipment
overflowing the market. While it is tempting to think that you are
saving money, a low price is often a compromise on reliability and
quality. Low cost injection molding equipment may appear cheaper,
nicely designed, but most are not built to last, are unreliable,
easily damaged, and hard to fix. Don't settle for less than the
best. If you're looking for a quality designed cooling system for
your injection molding process that is durable, reliable, easy to
install and service, then you've come to the right place.
Read about our injection molding chillers
at Plastics
Machinery and Auxiliaries
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