Issue/defect

Definition

Blush

Dull discolored or whitish area on the

surface of the part, usually at the gate.

Burn

Discoloration usually black,

brown or dark yellow/brown
depending upon severity. Feels
rough and crunchy. Frequently
accompanied by short shot in
burn area.

Cold Flow

Wavy or streaked appearance

on part surface. Looks like a
fingerprint or small waves like
you would see on the surface
of water.

Cold Slug

Cold piece of plastic that has

been forced into the part along
with the melt.

Contamination

Foreign particles embedded in

the part.

Delamination

Separation of plastic surface

layer giving a flaking or onion
skin effect.

Discoloration

Deviation from the original

intended color of the material
as compared to the
manufacturers color chip.

Drag

Fine, straight lines scraped in

the line of draw.

Flash

Excess plastic squeezing out

perpendicular to the part at
parting line.

Gloss

Smooth shiny areas on the

part surface.

Jetting

Squiggly line in part pointing

to gate. Looks like a worm in
the part.

Knit-line

A line where the molten

polymer flow fronts meet in
the mold. Incomplete adhesion
occurs along the knit-line and
causes a weak point in the
plastic part.

Bad Gate Trim

Mismatch

Pin Push

Either too much or too little

plastic where the gate has
been trimmed off.

The cavity side of the tool does

not fall in perfect registry with
the core side resulting in a
step at parting line. It may
look like flash if it is slight. If it
is smooth as your finger runs
across one way and feels
sharp the other way it is
mismatch. If you can feel it
both ways it is flash.

Circular or semicircular white

stress rings on the side of the
part opposite an ejector pin.
May even be raised circular
bumps. In serious cases pins
may push right through the
part!

Plateout

Pulling

Short Shot

A change of mold texture over

time that is not due to wear.

Deformed, twisted and

smeared plastic in the part
usually on, or adjacent to
steep vertical faces.

Missing plastic or features that

are not fully formed. Missing
corners or features have a
smooth, rounded appearance.

Sinks

Depressions or dimples in the

part that are usually adjacent
to thick areas. In clear parts,
bubbles can be seen in thick
areas. These bubbles can be
the precursors of shrink.

Splay

Silver or whitish streaks

Warp

The failure to maintain flatness

of a plastic part that was
intended to be flat. Distortion
from the intended shape of the
plastic part.

Cause

Shear stress between polymer molecules during

injection. The gate may be too small or injection
speed too fast.

Location

Usually at the gate. May also occur

where there is a sudden change in
part thickness.

Usually indicates a need for more venting or heat

Most often seen in deep, blind ribs
buildup in tool. When air is trapped in the tool and
where a lot of air can be forced into a
cannot escape, the extreme pressure causes the
small space
air to ignite, burning the edge of the part.

Low melt temperature, low injection speed or low

injection pressure.

Hard to fill or last to fill areas.

1.Plastic from last shot left in nozzle solidifies

between shots. The tool designer usually is able to
If allowed to enter the part it can
allow for a "cold slug well" in the runner to catch
travel anywhere.
this piece. 2.Cold slug effects can also occur at the
end of a long runner.

1.Burned material in the press barrel.

2.Contaminated regrind. 3.Grease or particles that Anywhere
have not been cleaned from the mold.

1.Contaminated resin. May be caused by

incomplete machine purging, unclean material
handling equipment or impure regrind.

Anywhere

1.Contaminated resin. 2.Overheated resin.

3.Incorrect regrind ratio. 4.Incorrect color mixing or Entire part
blending.

Depends upon location. 1.Cavity side happens

during mold opening and is usually from
May be in opening direction or side
insufficient draft for the texture used or from overaction direction. Cavity, core, slide, or
packing. 2.Core side drag happens during ejection
lifter.
and is usually from inadequate draft, rough core,
or over-packing.

1.Plastic injection force exceeding the clamping

pressure of the press. (Over-packing.)
2.May happen at first shots while mold is being
dialed in.
3.Poorly constructed or worn out mold.

Along any parting line.

1.Under-packing
2. See section on plateout below.

Hard to fill areas.

1.Incorrect gate placement or size. The gate is

positioned in such a manner as to aim the plastic
straight into an open area. The plastic launches
out into the open like a piece of "silly string" and
then stacks up in squiggles.

Near gate.

Cold fronts meeting in the tool where molten

plastic fronts meet.

Cold fronts meeting in the tool where

plastic flows around obstacles or over
raised areas in the metal. It is
guaranteed that you will have a knitline as the plastic flows around any
opening in the part.

1.location of the gate on a concave or convex part

surface can make it difficult to accurately trim the
At gate
gate. 2.Another cause can be inadequately trained
or uncoordinated people doing the trimming.

1.Uneven pressure in the mold cavity can push the

cavity one direction and the core the other. This
usually happens in very asymmetrical parts or
parts with a parting surface that slopes only one
way.
At parting lines.
2.Moldmaker did not properly position the cavity
relative to the core.
3.In older tools mismatch may occur as locking
faces wear.

1.Overpacking.
2.Sticking on the core.
3.Inadequate ejection.

On the cosmetic side of the part

opposite an ejector pin.

1.Buildup of chemical residue from outgassing.

2.Buildup of mold release.

Anywhere

1.Cavity side: A portion of the part sticking to the

cavity on tool opening. Listen to the mold as it
opens to see if you can hear it pop free.
2. Core side: Uneven part ejection is not pushing
the part out straight. The part gets skewed as it
ejects, the resulting damage is called pulling.

Anywhere

Areas of the part farthest from the

gate, thin areas or delicate features.
Under-packing, low injection pressure, trapped gas.
Generally the last part of the mold to
fill.

As the plastic cools it shrinks. If there is an area

that is proportionally thicker than the rest of the
part, then the plastic will shrink more in the thick
spot causing it to collapse inward.

1. Wall perpendicular to ribs or

bosses that don't conform to the rib
to wall ratio.
2. Inconsistent wall thickness. i.e.
Thick areas adjacent to thin areas.

1.Moisture in material.
2.Overheated material.

Anywhere. Most predominant near

gate.

1.The underlying cause of most part warpage is

the shape of the part itself. The pattern, shape,
and thickness of ribs on the part as they undergo
shrinkage have the greatest effect upon warpage.
Present to some degree in most
These effects can be controlled to some degree by
Injection molded parts but most
differential cooling of the mold (a different temp on
easily detected on large flat parts.
the cavity than on the core).
2. Overpacking can induce warp.
3. Differential shrink caused by inconsistant
cooling or filler fiber orientation.

Potential Solution

Adjust injection speed and if necessary adjust

gate dimensions. An independent water circuit in
the mold that allows pinpoint temperature control
at the gate can also help.

Add more parting line vents near burn or vent pins

in deep ribs. Vent pins are just ejector pins that fit
a little loose. They may also have a flat ground
down one side to let the air escape.

Add a cold slug well at each intersection in the

runner. Addition of a shortened ejector pin on the
runner very close to the gate may divert the cold
slug. For direct sprue gating try to make a feature
in the part to catch the slug or use a heated
nozzle.

Solve over-packing problem. Cavity side drag,

tone down the texture by stoning then bead blast.
Core side drag, polish core, add draft.

Run the mold in a bigger press. Relieve areas of

the parting surfaces that are not immediately
adjacent to the part. Leave 0.500 in. of shutoff
land around the part.

Aim the gate at an obstacle that interrupts the

flow. Use different gate style or larger gate.

Frequently it is possible to place the gate in such a

manner as to push the knit lines into obscure
areas. If this is not possible use "flow directors" on
the noncosmetic side of the part to push the
knitline into a corner, crease, or shadow to hide it.
Flow directors are usually just shallow raised areas
in the plastic that are cut into the tool with a large
ball end mill. Sometimes it is possible to add a
"sump" that the cold material flows out into. This
sump is then clipped off.

Place the gate on a straight edge if possible. Use

of a gate trimming fixture can work well for high
volume gate trimming. Use self degating
techniques where possible such as sub gates or
cashew gates. Gating to a non-cosmetic area is
always preferred, but not always feasible.

Straight locks at parting line.

Solve over-packing problem. Polish core or

increase draft on core. Add more ejector pins.
More small pins are better than a few big ones.

Have the mold cleaned.

Cavity side pulling, add undercuts or texture on

core side so part pulls cleanly from the cavity.
Core side pulling, add ejection. More small pins
are better than a few big ones.

Make sure the tool is adequately vented and push

more plastic in.

Maintain constant wall thickness by coring out. If

you must have thick areas lead gradually into
them. Follow the rib to wall ratio for wall
thickness.

Dry material, reduce temperature.

There is no solution for warp, only control.

Differential mold cooling and/or cooling fixtures
can also be used to help straighten the part. It is
best to follow the rib to wall ratio and consistant
wall-stock rules. Flat parts are more susceptible to
warp than curved parts.

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