The Universal Setup and the Six Key Process Variables

One setup sheet for one mold on any machine.

 

Scientific molding expert and Plastics Technology columnist John Bozzelli is offering a three-day seminar, Dec. 6-8, in Troy, Mich. to help molders create a “true 24/7 process.” The seminar concentrates on a scientific process optimization with at-the-press instruction. Hydraulic and cavity pressures will be measured to prove out the strategy, according to Bozzelli.

 

Attendees will learn the key "Plastic" variables and define them to establish a Universal Setup Sheet. This setup sheet is intended to work for a given mold on any press, across different barrel sizes, and on electric or hydraulic machinery.

 

“One setup sheet per mold saves time and assures consistency by keeping the plastic variables constant, not the machine conditions,” Bozzelli says. Attendees will also learn the six key process variables that must be monitored to assure consistent production.    

 

Attendees will see how to make their process accommodate most viscosity changes, including those that come with changes to the material lot, resin color, and process temperature. In this way, molders can detect process changes as they occur, not after hours of production. They can also document the process so that it can be duplicated on other machines. Using glass mold videos of plastic filling various cavities, attendees will see the effects of drag, flow, in-mold decorating, splay, sinks and more.

 

The seminar will take place at the INCOE Hot Runner Research Center in Troy, MI. Register here.