INJECTION MOLDING

Injection molding is a manufacturing process commonly used for fabricating items from plastic
trinkets and toys to automotive body parts, cell phone cases, water bottles, and containers.
Essentially many of the plastic parts that we use in every-day life are injection molded. It is a
quick process to create a mass amount of identical plastic parts. The flexibility in shape and
size achievable by the use of injection molding has consistently widened the boundaries of
design in plastics and allowed substantial alternatives of traditional materials due to design
freedom and light weighting.

Process of Injection Molding

Although the manufacturing of plastic products using an injection mould may seem quite
simple at first (the plastic material is injected into a mould, left to cool, then removed when
ready) there are however more complex steps involved in order for this seemingly simple
process to occur. The six main steps are as follows:

1. Clamping – the clamp unit consists of metal plates (or platen). The process begins with
the mould being clamped together under pressure to accommodate the injection and
cooling processes.
2. Injection – the molten thermoplastic material, which has been melted by pellet form in
the barrel of the machine, is injected under pressure into the mould through either a
screw or ramming device.

3. Pack press – once the molten plastic is injected into the mould, more pressure is exerted
to make sure all the mould’s cavities are filled, using hydraulic or mechanical pressure.

4. Cooling – the plastic is left to cool and solidify within the mould.

5. Mold opening – the movable platen is separated from the fixed platen to separate the
mould.

6. Ejection – ejection is completed by the use of rods, a plate or an air blast to remove the
plastic component completely from the mould.
 Figure 1: Injection molding process

Product from injection molding

Bucket Plastic silicone rubber

 Household appliances Toothbrushes

Valves and syringes

FORMING MACHINE

Forming is the metalworking process of fashioning metal parts and objects through mechanical
deformation, the workpiece is reshaped without adding or removing material, and its mass
remains unchanged. Forming operates on the materials science principle of plastic
deformation, where the physical shape of a material is permanently deformed.

Forming process:

 Casting: Pouring metal into the mould

 Forging: Metal is heated & desired shape is given by pressure.
  Extrusion: Forcing metal through dies.
 Stamping: Cold working process with the use of dies
 Embossing & coining: Metal is stretched
 Spinning: High speed lathe machine is used.

Figure 2: Forming process

Product from forming

Plastic Tray Vacuum Transmission shafts

Roll formed component Transaxle Final Drive Gear

Auto component
CASTING

Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold,
which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified
part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the
process. Casting materials are usually metals or various time setting materials that cure after
mixing two or more components together; examples are epoxy, concrete, plaster and clay.
Casting is most often used for making complex shapes that would be otherwise difficult or
uneconomical to make by other methods. Heavy equipment like machine tool beds, ships'
propellers, etc. can be cast easily in the required size, rather than fabricating by joining several
small pieces.

Process of casting

There are six steps in this process:

1. Place a pattern in sand to create a mold.
2. Incorporate the pattern and sand in a gating system.
3. Remove the pattern.
4. Fill the mold cavity with molten metal.
5. Allow the metal to cool.
6. Break away the sand mold and remove the casting.

Figure 3: Process of casting

Product from casting

Bearing caps Turbine housings

Engine blocks Propellers

Bushings
MACHINING

Machining is a term used to describe a variety of material removal processes in which a cutting
tool removes unwanted material from a workpiece to produce the desired shape. The workpiece
is typically cut from a larger piece of stock, which is available in a variety of standard shapes,
such as flat sheets, solid bars, hollow tubes, and shaped beams. Machining can also be
performed on an existing part, such as a casting or forging.

Figure 2: Machining process

Different Machining Processes

Turning

Turning is a machining process performed by a device called a lathe; the lathe spins the given
product as the blades cut and scrape away the desired areas. The cutting tools work along two
axes of motion to create cuts with precise depth and diameter. Lathes are available in two
different types, the traditional, manual type and the automated, computer numerical
controlled (CNC)type.

The turning process can be performed on either the exterior or interior of a material. When
performed on the inside, it is known as "boring”—this method is most commonly applied to
create tubular components. Another part of the turning process is called "facing” and occurs
when the cutting tool moves across the end of the work piece—it is typically performed during
the first and last stages of the turning process. Facing can only be applied if the lathe features
a fitted cross-slide. Lathes are generally identified as one of three different sub-types -- turret
lathes, engine lathes, and special purpose lathes. Engine lathes are the most common type found
in use by the general machinist or hobbyist.

Figure 3: Turning process

Drilling

Drilling occurs when cylindrical holes are produced in a piece of solid material using a drill
bit—it is one of the most important machining processes as the holes that are created are often
intended to aid in assembly—to ensure stability and precision, a drill press is often used. The
drill bits used feature two spiral channels that run up the shaft of the bit. Known as the "fluting,"
it carries the chips, or swarf, out of the hole as the bit progresses into the piece of material. For
each type of material, there is a recommended drill speed and feed.

Milling

Milling is another process that uses rotating cutters to remove material, but the difference lies
in how the equipment works. A milling machine features a moveable table on which the
material is mounted. In most milling machines, the cutting tools are stationary and the table
moves the material so that the desired cuts can be made. Other types of milling machines
feature both table and cutting tools as moveable implements.
Product from machining

Flange Adapter Bushings

Thread rod BTA and ejector drill product

CNC Milling