What is Two-shot Molding

Two-shot injection molding is a multi-material injection molding process. The molded plastic part can be a combination of two different materials or a combination of different colors of the same material.

Two-shot molding can also be called 2k injection molding, double shot molding, multiple injection molding (sequential injection molding).

When two-shot molding be used?

ㆍProduct function requirements

For example, power switches, phone buttons, keyboard indicators, car switches, etc. Portion with an LED capable of transmitting light.

ㆍImprove the handle feeling

Some handheld products require the use of rubber in hand-held parts, which makes the hand feel more comfortable. For example, walkie-talkie housing, power tool handle, wrench, screwdriver handle, toothbrush handle, thermos, etc.

ㆍEnhance beauty

For example, some plastic parts have a logo. If you use two-shot injection molding, you don’t have to worry about it being erased.

ㆍA localized area of the product that needs to be plated

In the plastic range, only ABS and PSUsurfaces can be plated. If it is necessary to plate a part or a single side of the product, the plating area should be injected into the ABS. Areas that do not require plating are injected with other materials such as PC.

7 Suggestions for Product Design

 

Two-shot molding frees the designer’s creativity. However, the following factors should also be noted in the product design process.

No.1

Choose the right material. The figure below shows the compatibility of different plastics.

1 ) The core material can use low viscosity materials to reduce the injection pressure.

2) Consider from the perspective of environmental protection. The recycled material can be used as a core material.

3) Optimize the product according to the characteristics of different materials. For thick parts, the finished skin layer uses soft materials. The core material uses hard or foamed plastic to reduce weight.

No.2

If the material is not chemically compatible, the two materials can be integrated by mechanical interlocking.

No.3

Maintain proper draft angle, uniform wall thickness and smooth transition lines.

No.4

The surface of the part should be flush or slightly lower than any adjacent substrate surface.

No.5

The surface of the substrate is textured to improve the adhesion of the two materials.

No.6

The mass ratio of the two materials should not be too large. Factors such as material forming time and injection pressure should be considered.

No.7

By increasing the contact area of the two parts, the weld strength of the two materials can be enhanced.

>> Check our two shot injection molds here

9 Suggestions for Two-shot Molding

 

No.1

The hard plastic is molded for the first time, and the soft plastic is molded for the second time. Transparent for the first time, non-transparent for the second time. The plastic with high molding temperature is molded for the first time, and the plastic with low molding temperature is used for the second molding.

No.2

Before the official production, test the mold to produce a complete product.

No.3

Identify all possible defects in the process and eliminate them before the mold is manufactured.

No.4

Consider the shrinkage of the two materials.In general, shrinkage is determined by the material that is first formed.

No.5

A second injection can only be made after the first injection has been completely completed.

No.6

Consider the molded position, to prevent damage in the process.

No.7

Allow the edge of the first injection molded part to be too large. This ensures a higher pressure during the second injection.

No.8

Ensure that the parameters of the injection unit provide the required pressure, flow rate and cooling capacity.

No.9

Ensure that the structural strength of the first molded part can withstand the injection pressure of the second molding.

6 Suggestions for Maintenance of Two-shot Mold

No.1

Check for loose or damaged fastening parts of the double shot mold. The solution is to find parts of the same specification for replacement.

No.2

After the mold has been used for a long time, the cutting edge must be cleaned and ground. After grinding, the surface of the cutting edge must be demagnetized, otherwise it will easily block the material.

No.3

Elastic parts such as springs of the two-shot mold are most susceptible to damage during use. Breakage and deformation usually occur.

No.4

The method adopted is to replace, and the specifications and model of the spring must be paid attention to during the replacement process.

No.5

Two-shotmold punch during use prone to breakage or bending. Damage to the punch and the sleeve is generally replaced with parts of the same specification. The parameters of the punch mainly include the working part size, the mounting part size, and the length size.

No.6

Check the pressure plate, top plate and other parts of the double shot mold. During maintenance, check the accessories of each part and whether there is any damage, and repair the damaged parts. Pneumatic ejector check for air leaks, and specific measures taken.

Conclusion

Two-shot molding increases the added value and productivity of the product. At the same time, plastics are becoming more and more colorful.

Correspondingly, the cost of two-shot molding is higher. Master the design points and avoid risks in advance. Avoid cost waste.

If you have any questions about two-shot injection molds, please contact us directly. Get a free quote.

Last Saturday is the Beginng of Spring, our factory had a big dinner together.

We made a short summary of 2022 and had awards for our excellent colleagues. Even though the year 2022 was hard, our factory still had good performance. Here we appreciate all our customers trust and support to our factory.

After 10+ years cooperation together, our team is more and more stronger now, I believe we will have a bright future together.

Cheers for our good harvest and progresses! Cheers for the new year 2023!

 

One of the most unique types of injection molds is unscrewing molds. Unscrewing molding is a unique injection molding process with mold technology that includes movement and rotation to produce threaded components. Some plastic parts such as caps and closures with detailed threads cannot be removed using standard knock-off methods. After they are molded, parts need to be carefully unscrewed from mold to avoid damaging the threads.

The unscrewing molds are part of everyday use, which may cause you to think that you won’t need to spend much time considering the required design. To demonstrate the wide use of this particular mold type, the following is a shortlist of the types of products that use unscrewing molds in the design:

 

• Bottle and milk caps

• Condition and shampoo lids

• Prescription medication bottles

• Medical supplies

• Sprinkler and showerheads

• Screws, nuts, and bolts

Here’s How It Works:

• First, the plastic is injected into the tool. After the plastic has cooled, the threaded core starts to unscrew. The unscrewing mechanism works off of a rack and pinion and is powered by a hydraulic cylinder.

• The rack turns three sets of gears which then retracts the threaded core into the ejector box.

• Once the threaded core is fully unscrewed, the mold opens and the ejector system pushes a stripper plate forward to eject the part.

• After the part is fully ejected, the hydraulic cylinder reverses, screwing the threaded core back into the molding position, and the process repeats.

 

What factors need to be considered?

When you need one of these types of plastic molds, there are several things you have to determine to make sure you get the right fit for your product and budget.

Volume

The volume of the product will probably determine many different aspects of the final product, including the thread count, the size of the part, and the type of material that will be used during production. While other factors are important, the design of the various unscrewing molds is more complex and costly than many of the other types of molds.

Ease of Removal

The ease by which an unscrewing mold should be removed from the final product is an important factor to consider in the design. Water bottles have only a few threads, sometimes only two or three because they need to be easy to remove. To ensure that the tops do not fall off easily, the threads are spaced out a bit more. An unscrewing mold on a medical device will likely need a lot of threads that are evenly spaced and very difficult to pull off of the device. The material required for these two vastly different uses is affected by how easily the part should be removed from the product.

The Threads

The number of threads is going to vary based on the final product. Water bottles do not require a high thread count because they are relatively light and should be easily removed. If the unscrewing mold is for a plastic part under the hood of a car, it needs to have a higher thread count to be more durable. The number of threads required plays a large role in the final cost of production, so it needs to be tested to ensure it meets the needs of the final product.

Applications and Maintenance

High volume, reliable unscrewing plastic injection molds are some of the more complex plastic injection molds that can be manufactured. Unscrewing plastic injection molds are typically utilized for high volume applications where threaded plastic parts are needed for items such as:

ㆍBottle caps

ㆍShampoo bottles

ㆍPharmaceutical Supplies

ㆍAutomotive parts

ㆍNuts and bolts

ㆍCosmetics packaging

ㆍMedical Supplies

ㆍConsumer goods

ㆍSprinkler heads, lawn & garden parts

ㆍContainer lids

 

Most threaded plastic parts on standard plastic injection molds are not easy to remove using standard knock-off techniques. Therefore more complex unscrewing plastic injection molds must be utilized to prevent the threads on threaded plastic parts from being damaged while the parts are coming off of the plastic injection mold.

Because these threaded plastic parts are typically needed in high volume applications for items such as bottle caps or cosmetics packaging, the unscrewing plastic injection mold most operate at a high speed to reduce cycle times thus reducing part costs. The unscrewing plastic injection molds must also be high quality and reliable to operate for a large number of cycles while only needing routine preventative maintenance.

 

WIT MOLD is a highly skilled mold design and manufacturing company in China, certified ISO2009:2015 international quality standard. Contact us today for your threaded plastic parts!

In today’s manufacturing environment, plastics are used to manufacture a variety of items. Each application requires a special manufacturing process, which can shape parts according to their specifications. If you are making plastic parts, the first thing you need to determine is the type of molding that is best suited to your particular application.At WIT MOLD,We focus on custom plastic molding. This paper briefly summarizes five different types, their advantages and applications.

1>Blow molding – suitable for hollow objects, such as bottles

This process follows the basic steps in glass blowing. The parison (heated plastic block, usually pipe) is inflated by air. The air pushes the plastic against the mold to form the desired shape. After cooling, the plastic is ejected.

The blow molding process aims to produce large quantities of integrated hollow objects. If you need to make a lot of bottles, this is the process for you. Blow molding can produce very uniform thin-walled containers. Moreover, it can do this very economically.

 

2>Extrusion molding – suitable for long hollow molding applications, such as pipes, pipes and straws

Although other forms of molding use extrusion to put plastic resin into the mold, this process extrudes the molten plastic directly into the mold. The shape of the mold, not the mold, determines the shape of the final product.

Extrusion molding involves forcing molten plastic through a mold to form a shape with a fixed cross-section. This is an effective way to produce multiple shapes. Since plastics are melted from solid form and then re cured, only thermoplastics can be extruded. The extruded “pipe” can be cut or rolled up for shipment after cooling.

 

3>Injection molding – suitable for high quality and mass parts manufacturing

Injection molding is by far the most widely used of all injection molding technologies. The presses used in this process vary in size and are rated according to pressure or tonnage. Larger machines can inject auto parts. Smaller machines can produce very accurate plastic parts for surgery. In addition, many types of plastic resins and additives can be used in the injection molding process, which adds flexibility to designers and engineers.

The process itself is quite simple; However, there are many enhancement and customization technologies available to produce the required finishes and structures. Injection molds are usually made of steel and contain cavities for forming parts. Molten plastic is injected into the mold to fill the cavity. The mold cools and the parts are ejected through pins. This process is similar to a jelly mold, which is filled and then cooled to make the final product.

This method has high cost of mold making; However, the cost per part is very economical. Low part costs and resin and surface treatment options have contributed to the popularity of injection molding in today’s manufacturing field.

 

4>Compression molding – suitable for large objects, such as automobile parts

The name of this forming method says everything. The heated plastic material is put into the heated mold and then compressed into shape. Plastics can be in bulk, but usually in sheets. The heating process, called curing, ensures that the final part remains intact. As with other forming methods, once the part is formed, it is removed from the mold. If sheet plastic material is used, trim the material in the mold before taking out the part.

This molding method is very suitable for high-strength compounds, such as thermosetting resins, as well as glass fibers and reinforced plastics. The excellent strength characteristics of the materials used in compression molding make it a valuable process in the automotive industry.

 

5>Rotomolding – suitable for large, hollow and integrated parts

This process uses high temperature and rotary motion to coat the interior of the die and form parts. The continuous rotation of the die will produce centrifugal force, so as to form a product with uniform wall. Because it is very suitable for large hollow containers, such as cans, it is not a fast-moving process. However, this is a very economical process for specific applications and is cheaper than other types of molding. This process wastes few materials, and the excess materials can usually be reused, making it an economic and environmentally friendly manufacturing process.

Each type of molding has its advantages and disadvantages. Designers and engineers need to understand these differences and available production options, and there are always many ways to make the final solution.WIT MOLD has become one of the best molds in the industry because we combine the essence of the latest technology with proven traditional methods.

 

With an expert team composed of experienced and knowledgeable experts, we are able to complete custom orders for Custom Plastic Molds and parts that may exceed the capabilities of our competitors. We are also unremittingly committed to improving customer satisfaction, which includes providing comprehensive end-to-end quality assurance for every product we produce.

WIT MOLD New CNC machine has started working.

This new machine is focusing on building your optic surface. If you worry about whether it is okay to make the radius 0.1mm for your optics surface or your light guide,  WIT MOLD can help you to complete this job successfully.

New CNC machine