Know-How

best practices

Using Data to Pinpoint Cosmetic Defect Causes in Injection Molded Parts

Taking a step back and identifying the root cause of a cosmetic flaw can help molders focus on what corrective actions need to be taken.

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Hot Runners

Hot Runners: How to Maintain Heaters, Thermocouples, and Controls

I conclude this three-part examination of real-world problems and solutions involving hot runners by focusing on heaters, thermocouples, and controls. Part 3 of 3.

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What is the Allowable Moisture Content in Nylons? It Depends (Part 1)

A lot of the nylon that is processed is filled or reinforced, but the data sheets generally don’t account for this, making drying recommendations confusing. Here’s what you need to know.  

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Mold Maintenance

Mold Maintenance, Tooling Know How

The ability of technicians in an injection molding shop to fix, modify or upgrade a mold has a huge impact on that company’s bottom line. With this collection of content, we’ve bundled some of the very best advice on repairing and maintaining injection molding machines.

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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Part 31, The Conclusion

Let’s close this lengthy series with some personal anecdotes.

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The Cost of High Employee Turnover in Injection Molding: Why Retention Matters

Starting in molding in 1993 and clocking in for nearly every job on the floor over the intervening decades, I’ve seen all sides of the hiring, training and retention process in the industry. Here are my thoughts on how to keep your most important asset — your people.

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Hot Runners: Truths. Myths, Overlooked Areas: Part 2

Here’s a view from the trenches of a tooling manager who, over 30 years, has experienced the joys and pains of using virtually every type of hot runner on the market. Part 2.

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Know-How

How to Configure Your Twin-Screw Extruder: Part 3

The melting mechanism in a twin-screw extruder is quite different from that of a single screw. Design of the melting section affects how the material is melted, as well as melt temperature and quality.

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Roll Cooling: Understand the Three Heat-Transfer Processes

Designing cooling rolls is complex, tedious and requires a lot of inputs. Getting it wrong may have a dramatic impact on productivity.

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Elastomers

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials -- Part 30: Polyurethane

In the world of polymers, polyurethane chemistry is probably the most versatile. This a resulted in a wide range of products made from these materials and given the industry the flexibility to respond to the progressive march of regulatory concerns.  

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Maguire Ultra
Vacuum conveying powders to extruders compounding
Trust the Experts - Purgex Purging Compounds
See FasTie at NPE2024 in Smartflow Booth W3071
large tonnage injection molding productivity
Shuttle Mold System
structural foam molding chemical foaming agents
ColorStream
Konica Minolta Spectrophotometer CM-36dG