Minimum PSI Burst Point in Automotive Application is Met & Exceeded with New Mold Design
The master molders at Plastic Molded Concepts specialize in providing solutions to complex plastic molding challenges.
This particular customer had a complex plastic injection molding issue that his supplier was unable to solve: achieving a minimum PSI burst point.
Find out below how Plastic Molded Concepts not only achieved, but exceeded the minimum PSI burst point for this plastic injection molded automotive part.
Background
A large manufacturer in the automotive paint technology industry contacted us because their current molder was having issues molding air filters that could withstand the minimum 650 PSI burst point required for industry safety regulations.
We asked the manufacturer to bring in the mold, so we could perform an initial analysis.
What Went Wrong: Gate Location
As soon as we looked at the mold, we knew it was designed incorrectly.
The two parts (that were spun-welded together to create a complete component) had the gate location in the wrong place. The gate location induced a stress point at each half of the sphere’s edge opposite the gate location.
Both parts edge-gated the same way and in the wrong location. This affected how the molding material was distributed, resulting in inconsistencies in the material properties of each part.
These inconsistencies meant the part stress was unequal, and the burst point could not be achieved.
Our Findings
We explained to the manufacturer why the mold’s current design would fail to produce the minimum required PSI burst point every single time. The resin that was specified by them was sensitive to stress and would very likely result in low completed structure strength opposite the gate.
Unfortunately, the only way the required burst point could ever be achieved was to build a completely new mold. The manufacturer understood that a new mold must be created, or his product would fail industry safety standards and never go to market.
The Solution
The solution was to engineer a new plastic mold with some critical design modifications.
We moved the gate location on both parts to the center of the mold, forming a diaphragm gate instead of an edge gate. This allowed the parts to stress equally without inducing a particular stress point. These modifications also enabled a burst point of 1,000 PSI – well above the customer’s engineering minimum.
The Follow-Up
The customer was thrilled to see that the minimum burst point was not only achieved with the new mold, it was well exceeded. The customer was able to confidently take his innovative new product to market.
Why Customers Choose Plastic Molded Concepts
In an industry that is now 90% commodity-based, it’s difficult to find a molding company that specializes in critical and complex projects, particularly projects requiring engineering-grade resins. At Plastic Molded Concepts, that’s all we do.
We specialize in making companies risk-adverse through adept analysis and superior solutions. Get a quote today!