MOULD

ELEMENTS
 MOULD BASES
Mould base nomenclature
The standardization and mass production of
mould bases has resulted in naming
conventions for basic mould parts that follow
across all manufactured lines of mould bases
and mould components.

On top of that most manufacturers have

adopted the DME dimensional standards for
plate size and feature location.
 Mould standardization
Most moulds can be built using standardized mould
bases. Many internal components also may be
purchased as standardized components. Here are a
few of the key mould components readily available
off the shelf.

- Mould plates - Leader pins and shoulder bushing

- Guided ejection systems - Core pins
- Ejector pins, sleeves and blades - Support pillars

Due to the variation between the shapes of plastic

parts many of these standard components must be
customized for your application.
Mold components
PLASTIC INJECTION MOULDS
BASIC TERMINOLOGY

A mould is generally divided into

two parts.
(1) Fixed half and
(2) Moving half.
Mold components
 Fixed half and moving half
The various mould parts fall naturally into
two sections or halves. Hence, that half
attached to the stationary platen of the
machine is termed the fixed half.
The other half of the mould attached to
the moving platen of the machine is
known simply as the moving half.
Now it has to be decided in which of the
two halves the cavity or core is to be
situated.
GENERAL MOULD CONSTRUCTION
IMPRESSION
The injection mould is an assembly of
parts containing within it an
impression into which plastic material
is injected and cooled
It is the impression which gives the
mounding its form. The impression
may therefore be defined as the part
of the mould which imparts shape to
the moulding
IMPRESSION

IMPRESSION
The Impression
contains...
1) The Cavity
It is the female portion of
the mould and gives the
external form to the
moulding.
2) The Core
It is the male portion of
the mould and forms the
internal shape of the
moulding.
 IMPRESSION

CAVITY
CORE
MOULDING
 Fixed half and moving half
Generally the core is situated in the moving half
and reason why this is so, is as follows:
The moulding, as it cools, will shrink on to the
core and remain with it as the mould opens.
This will occur irrespective of whether the core
is in the fixed half or the moving half.
However, this shrinkage on to the core means
that some form of ejector system is almost
certainly necessary. Motivation for this ejector
system is easily provided if the core is in the
moving half.
In the case of single impression basic mould,
where a direct sprue feed to the underside of
the moulding is desired the cavity must be in
the fixed half and the core in the moving half.
 The cavity and core plates
The basic mould consists of two plates.
Into one plate is sunk the cavity which
shapes the outside form of the molding is
called the cavity plate. Similarly the core
projects from the core plate forms the
inside shape of the molding.
When the mould is closed the two plates
come together forming a space between
the cavity and the core for the plastic
material to get filled which is known as
the impression
 The cavity and core plates

Core plate Cavity plate

 CAVITY AND CORE PLATES
The basic mould consists of two plates. The
plate in which the cavity is formed is known as cavity
plate. Similarly the plate from which a core is termed
the core plate. When the mould is closed , the two
plates core together forming a space between the
cavity and core which is the impression.

CAVITY PLATE CORE PLATE

 Sprue bush
During the injection process the plastic
material is delivered to the nozzle of the
machine as a melt; it is then transferred
to the impression through a passage
called runner.
In the simplest case this passage is a
tapered hole within a bush (Fig)
The material in this passage is called a
sprue and the bush is called the sprue
bush
SPRUE BUSH

FLAT SEATING SPHERICAL SEATING

Core Sprue bush

Cavity
SPRUE BUSH

(Transparent View)
REGISTER RING
The nozzle and the sprue must be
correctly aligned if the material has to pass
without hindrance into the mould. By including
a register ring the mould can be aligned to
machine.
REGISTER RING
 GUIDE PILLARS AND BUSHES

GUIDE PILLAR GUIDE BUSH

 Guide pillars and Bushes
To mould an even walled article it is necessary to
ensure that the cavity and core are kept in
alignment.
This is done by incorporating guide pillars on one
mould plate which then enter corresponding guide
bushes in the other mould plate as the mould
closes.
A guide bush is incorporated in the mould to provide a
suitable wear, resisting working surface for the
guide pillar and to permit replacement in the event
of wear or damage.
The size of the guide pillars should be such that they
maintain alignment irrespective of the applied
moulding force; this they are normally able to do.
GUIDE PILLAR GUIDE BUSH
HEEL BLOCKS
Heel blocks are the support stocks mounted
on to the back plate to support the mould plate.
Heel blocks provide a space into which the ejector
plate assembly can be fitted and operated.

HEEL BLOCKS
EJECTOR RETAINER

Ejector retainer is a
plate securely attached to
the ejector plate for the
purpose of retaining the
ejector.
EJECTOR RETAINER
REST BUTTONS
With a large ejector plate
system, it is preferable to
provide rest buttons or stop
plans on the underside of the
ejector plate; this reduces the
effective seating area.
The possibility of the ejector
elements remaining slightly
above due to the foreign matter
being tapped behind the ejector
plate is avoided by using rest REST BUTTON
buttons.
SPURE BREAKER / SPRUE PULLER
It is necessary to
remove the sprue from the
sprue bush after each
injection for further
injection of melt into the
mould.
Sprue breakers or sprue
hookers are used to pull
the sprue out of sprue SPURE BREAKER
bush when the mould
opens. There are different
types of sprue hookers
generally used.
EJECTOR
Ejector is that part of the
ejector system which
applied the ejection force
to the moulding.
There are different types
of ejectors used like
ejector pins, ejector plate
and sleeve ejectors.
EJECTOR PIN
EJECTOR PLATE
Ejector plate is used for serving the
purpose of transmitting the ejector force
from the actuating system of the injection
machine to the ejector element.

EJECTOR PLATE
PUSH BACK PINS
The push back pins are
incorporated in a mould
to push the ejector
assembly to its rear
position as the mould is
closed.
PUSH BACK PINS
ALIGNING BUSHES
This bushes are basically used to
align the bottom Half of the mould.
 TOP PLATE
This Plate holds the stationary part of
the mould to the stationary platen of the
injection moulding machine.
 CORE BACK PLATE
It is the support plate to the core plate of
the mould to with stand the external forces
acting on it.
 BOTTOM PLATE
Holds the movable portion of the
mould platen of the moulding machine.
CUT AWAY VIEW OF A SIMPLE MOULD
SIMPLE MOULD EXPLODED
 Runner and gate systems
The material may be directly injected into
the impression through the sprue bush
or for moulds containing several
impressions (multi-impression moulds)
It may pass from the sprue bush hole
through a runner and gate system
before entering the impression.
Feed System
Methods of incorporating cavity and core
We have now seen that in general the core is
incorporated in the moving half and the cavity in the
fixed half.
However, there are various methods by which the
cavity and core can be incorporated in their
respective halves of the mould. These represent two
basic alternatives:
(a) the integer method where the cavity and core can
be machined from steel plates which become part of
the structural build-up of the mould.
(b) the cavity and core can be machined from small
blocks of steel, termed inserts, and subsequently
bolstered.
Methods of incorporating cavity and core
The choice between these alternatives
constitutes an important decision on the part
of the mould designer.
The final result, nevertheless, will be the same,
whichever method of manufacture is chosen.
In either design the plate or assembly which
contains the core is termed the core plate and
the plate or assembly which contains the
cavity is termed the cavity plate.
 MOULD CAVITIES AND CORES
We have discussed the formation of the mould
impression from the relative positions of the
cavity and core. These give the moulding its
external and internal shapes respectively.
The impression is imparting the whole of the form
to the moulding. There are alternative ways by
which the cavity and core could be incorporated
into the mould and found that these alternatives
fell under two main headings, namely the integer
method and the insert method.
Another method by which the cavity can be
incorporated is by means of split inserts or splits.
 Integer cavity and core plates
When the cavity or core is machined from a large
plate or block of steel, or is cast in one piece, and
used without bolstering as one of the mould
plates, it is termed an integer cavity plate or
integer core plate.
This design is preferred for single impression
moulds because of the strength, smaller size and
lower cost characteristics. It is not used as much
for multi-impression moulds as there are other
factors such as alignment which must be taken
into consideration.
Typical mould designs which incorporate an integer
cavity and core are shown in Figure
INTEGER CAVITY AND CORE
INTEGER CAVITY AND CORE
 MANUFACTURE OF INTEGER CAVITY
AND CORE.
Of the many manufacturing processes available for
preparing moulds only two are normally used in this
case. These are:
(a) A direct machining operation on a rough steel
forging or blank using the conventional machine
tools, or
(b) The 'precision' investment casting technique in
which a master pattern is made of the cavity and
core. The pattern is then used to prepare a casting of
the cavity or core by a special process. A 41% nickel-
chrome-molybdenum steel is normally specified for
integer mould plates which are to be made by the
direct machining method. The precision investment
casting method usually utilizes a high-chrome steel.
MANUFACTURING OF CAVITY-
INTEGER.
 USE OF LOCAL INSERTS.
These may be incorporated in the integer
block in order to simplify the process of
mould making. If they are used, a recess
or hole is made in the cavity or core
plate to accommodate the insert which is
then securely fitted into position.
Some examples of the judicious use of
local inserts in the integer type of mould
are given below.
 Mould Cavities and Cores
Example 1.
The cavity form for a bucket which has a rim at the
base to stand on. In this case the narrow groove in
the base of the cavity, necessary for forming this rim,
represents a reasonably difficult machining problem.
This difficulty can be overcome by making the base of
the cavity in the form of a local insert, as shown in
Figure. This method has the additional advantage
that the cavity can be formed by a straight through
machining operation which cuts down the overall
machining time.
The local insert is machined separately and then
supported at the base by a subsidiary backing plate.
LOCAL INSERTS
INTEGER CAVITY

LOCAL INSERT

BACK PLATE

RIM OF BUCKET
 MOULD CAVITIES AND CORES
Example 2.
A local variation in an otherwise constant
form is required in a moulding. The
example chosen here is of a bath with
carrying handles, one of which is shown in
Figure.
The inside form of the bath rim requires a
complementary male form around the top
of the cavity.
LOCAL INSERTS
 LOCAL INSERTS
Now, while most of it can be produced by a simple
turning operation, the presence of the handle
projection prevents any simple machining operation
if a wholly integer mould is attempted.
The general form of the rim and the impression is
shown and the local section at the handle.
Without a local insert all of the projecting male form on
the cavity side will have to be made by copy milling
which is time-consuming and costly.
However, by incorporating the local insert at the rim
can be turned and a recess made for the insert by a
simple milling operation.
LOCAL INSERTS
 LOCAL INSERTS
Example 3.
A mould contains slender projections which
might get damaged and require replacement.
Any small projection that forms a moulding
recess or hole and which is liable to damage
because of its proportions relative to the rest
of the mould should be incorporated as a
local insert. This will allow easy replacement
of the damaged part. An example is
illustrated in Figure
 LOCAL INSERTS
This shows a sketch and part section of a
mould for a toothbrush stock. A hole is
required in the handle of the component.
The core which forms this is a slender
rectangular projection, and while this can be
made by machining from the solid cavity
plate it is more practical to let in a local insert
as shown in the sectional drawing.
The local insert is held in position by a
threaded plug.
LOCAL INSERTS

THREADED PLUG
 SECURING THE LOCAL INSERTS
A round hole is required in the moulding
locally. Then instead of making it an
integer core it is always simpler to
provide core pin inserts fixed on to the
main core.
Various method of securing the local
inserts are shown in the figure:
(i) Flange fitting
(ii) Shoulder
(iii) Screw down
SECURING THE LOCAL INSERTS
 Example 5
An engraving is to be included in the impression. This
is usually best incorporated as a local insert pad to
allow for change of engraving if this is required.
There are other reasons however.
First, if the engraving were to be made at the bottom of
a deep cavity, the engraving operation would be
extremely difficult.
Second, as engraving machines are usually of light
construction, they will not accommodate large
plates.
An engraved part can be seen in the figure. In this
case the pad (an insert ) is incorporated in a pocket
machined in the bottom of the cavity and secured
with socket headed cap screws.
 ENGRAVED LOCAL INSERT
FITTED TO INTEGER CAVITY

ENGRAVED INSERT
INSERTS
CIRCULAR CORE INSERTS (flanged) FITTED
TO A FRAME TYPE BOLSTER
 M16x179

M16x179

M16x179
SCREWING THE INSERTS
INSERT FITTING WITH BOLSTER
PLATE

'D' DIA

L
5

DIA + 6mm
'D' DIA SLIDE FIT

THE PLATE
L TO SUIT
5.0
DIAMETER 'D'+5mm
EXAMPLES OF CAVITY INSERTS
EXAMPLES OF MACHINING OF
INSERTS
MACHINING METHODS OF
CLAMPING PLATES
EXAMPLES OF CORE AND
CAVITY INSERTS
THANK YOU